Ripple reduction filters AF series / Power supply systems for Xenon lamps - Professional lighting

Ripple reduction filters AF series

The rectifier output current is never perfectly direct: it has a residual pulsation value called ripple. When a xenon lamp is operating, its cathode is subject to erosion. This phenomenon causes the bulb blackening and also a rise in the distance between the electrodes (this involves a higher restrike voltage).

When a xenon lamp is fed by a true DC source, the cathode wear-out is reduced to the minimum. When the lamp is fed by a power supply, the delivered current is not perfectly DC: therefore, the cathode is subject to a wear-out and some flickering occurs. This causes a shortening of the lamp useful life. For this reason, the current ripple must be as low as possible.

The special filters of the AF series have been expressly designed to be connected between IREM rectifier power supplies of N3/N3-E series (when bought without built-in filter) and the short-arc xenon lamp supplied by them. They reduce the current ripple of the lamp to a value lower than 3%, thus improving both the arc stability and the lamp life.

AF DATA SHEET

Measuring the Ripple