SOX-E PSG with Philips Solid-state Getter

The SOX PSG lamp was launched by Philips in September 2003 as the result of a successful attempt to eliminate early failures right up to the point of half its usual service life. This offered a tremendous advantage to end users who could avoid the expense of spot-replacements due to premature failures, which were commonplace with previous SOX lamps.

SOX lamps have traditionally employed a barium getter to maintain high vacuum in the outer jacket, to minimise heat loss and maintain high efficacy. However the barium film, usually deposited in the neck area of the lamp, is electrically conductive. If it contacts the leadwires of the stem it can cause decomposition of the glass stem by electrolysis, which may lead to leaks or cracking. The indium oxide heat-reflection film is also an electrical conductor, and if this contacts an electrified getter film it can draw sodium out of the arc tube and lead to very severe blackening as the sodium vapour attacks the indium film. To minimise this effect a gap is left in the indium film just above the getter, but the heat loss here can raise lamp voltage and power.

The PSG lamp replaces the barium getter with a so-called Philips Solid-state Getter. This consists of a zirconium-cobalt pellet on a stalk beside one electrode. The temperature here is just about sufficient for the getter to maintain high vacuum during life - but only for small volume lamps, hence SOX-E PSG was only feasible in the 26W and 36W ratings. Because the conductive barium film is eliminated, reliability increases and failures before 6,000 hours are eliminated. The platinum catalyst from SOX-E lamps is also used to break down hydrocarbons for higher efficacy. SOX-E PSG lamps can be identified by their special green colour cap.

Manufacturer:	Philips Lighting Ltd.
Lamp Power:	36 Watts
Lamp Current:	0.35
Lamp Voltage:	123 Volts
Cap Type:	BY22d	Green Alkyde Insulator
Bulb Type:	T-50	T-16 in eighths/inch
Bulb Finish:	Indium-tin oxide film	Soda-lime glass
Electrodes:	CCC-4 Beehive	Black W + BCT emitter
Arc Length:
Atmosphere:	Na \| 99% Ne, 1% Ar	Outer: Hard Vacuum
Luminous Flux:	6,100 lm	(@ 100 hrs)
Luminous Efficacy:	169 lm/W	(@ 100 hrs)
Colour Temperature & CRI:	CCT: 1700K	CRI: Ra -44
Chromaticity Co-ordinates:	CCx: 0.574	CCy: 0.425
Rated Lifetime:	18,000 hrs (70% survival)	12,000 hrs (92% survival)
Warm-up & Re-strike Time:	11½ minutes	Instantaneous
Burning Position:	Vertical Cap Up ± 110°
Overall Length:	425 mm	12¼ inches
Light Centre Length:
Factory:	Hamilton	Scotland
Date of Manufacture:	March 2012	Date Code: 2C
Original / Present Value:


References:	1) Philips product launch, Hamilton Factory, 17th September 2003.