Introduction

The main components in the installations are the lamps that produce the UV rays. Beeckman has built up a wealth of experience over the years, including the testing and developing of its own lamp.

We will begin with an overview in which the method of disinfection is considered. We will then take a detailed look at the various types of lamps and point out their most important advantages and disadvantages.
         

Principle
The artificial production of UV radiation is almost always achieved using Mercury-Amalgam-Indium gas-discharge lamps. Gas-discharge lamps consist of a (usually elongated) discharge reactor. The gas (vapour mixture) inside such a lamp is sealed off from the outside world by an airtight seal. The electrodes are situated at both ends of this glass tube.

Gas-discharge lamps consist of a (usually elongated) discharge reactor. The gas (vapour mixture) inside such a lamp is sealed off from the outside world by an airtight seal. The electrodes are situated at both ends of this glass tube.

In principle a distinction is made between two types of mercury gas-discharge lamps:

• Medium-pressure UV lamps
• Low-pressure UV lamps

HDUV
Medium-pressure UV lamps have certain disadvantages. Systems fitted with them have higher operating costs. Since operating costs are usually a very important if not decisive factor when it comes to water disinfection, low-intensity UV lamps are used almost exclusively.
      

The main disadvantages are : High operating costs •  Low energy efficiency •  Short lifetime •  Rapid dirtying of the quartz tube due to high radiation density and high surface temperature •  Rapid overheating when water is not moving •  Due to the high proportion of long-wavelength UV rays, recovery mechanisms in the cell are activated: this leads to less effective disinfection capacity •  Breakdown of nutrients and conversion of nitrates into nitrites (horticulture)

LDUV
It is true that low-pressure UV lamps can only work at relatively low power, but they do score more highly in terms of efficiency. This is because they produce a higher percentage of UVc light (up to 40%).
      
The Beeckman Amalgam lamp is a:   

• Low-pressure lamp with a Mercury indium amalgam filling.
  • The UVc capacity of this lamp is only slightly dependent on the water temperature
  • This lamp can achieve high efficiency and a long lifetime when combined with a modern electronic pre-selection switch
                

Low-pressure UV has many advantages over medium-pressure UV lamps:

• Safe and low priced
  •  User-friendly
  •  No chemical changes in the disinfected water