Optimization Design Methodology of High-Frequency Electronic Ballast for Application of UV Lamps to Sewage Treatment

Ultraviolet C (UVC) has the potential for use in sewage treatment. However, the short effective lifetime and poor lamp efficiency of UV lamps limit the utility and extension of UVC in sewage treatment. A new ballast design method oriented on a special spectrum is proposed to obtain higher UVC radiation under a lamp power that is much lower than its rated power. The proposed design method is achieved by performing a series of experiments and analyses based on the theoretical analyses of the plasma characteristics. By adopting the proposed design method, a ballast for UV lamps with the rated power of 165 W is designed, but the power supplied to the lamp is only 88 W, in which case the irradiance at 253.7 nm is more than twice that at the rated power, the lamp efficiency is nearly three times higher, and the life span of the lamp increases more than five times. The proposed analysis and design method can be applied by manufacturers of UV lamps to specify the rated parameters scientifically.