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Use of rare gases in the production of electric light sources

It can be said that there would be no modern electric light source without rare gases. There are roughly three uses of rare gases in the production of electric light sources.

First, as a luminous substance, such as xenon in Xenon Lamps, helium-neon, argon and other gases in neon lamps; helium and neon are also used to make helium-neon lasers; krypton and xenon are also used to make flash lamps for high-speed photography; high-pressure krypton lamps are the pumping light sources of lasers.

Second, as a filling gas. Argon has a very low thermal conductivity and is widely used as a filling gas in incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps and other gas discharge lamps. It can reduce tungsten filament evaporation, extend the life of the bulb, and increase the brightness of the bulb; help the start of the discharge lamp, change the working parameters of the lamp (such as voltage), and protect the electrode from ion bombardment.

Krypton and xenon have higher density and lower thermal conductivity than argon. Therefore, it is better to fill them into incandescent bulbs than argon. However, krypton and xenon are relatively rare and expensive, so they cannot be used in large quantities in lighting lamps. They are generally only used in mining lamps and halogen tungsten lamps to improve light efficiency.

Third, as a process protection gas. Due to the inactive chemical properties of rare gases, argon and helium are widely used in metal welding as protective gases to prevent the metal from reacting with oxygen or nitrogen in the air at high temperatures and affecting the mechanical properties of the metal. For example, argon is used for protection in argon arc welding.

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