Unit for dispensing small amounts of mercury into fluorescent lamps, fluorescent lamp per se and process for introducing small amounts of mercury inside the fluorescent lamp

摘要

In the present invention, there is disclosed a unit (10) for dispensing small amounts of mercury into fluorescent lamps using powders of a compound releasing at least mercury and being selected from the group consisting of intermetallic compounds of the general formula TiixZriyHgiz; in which x and y range from 0 to 13, the sum (x + x) ranges from 3 to 13 and z equals to 1 or 2, wherein said unit consists of a metallic case (11)that is not completely closed but capable of maintain particles of powder (15) of said mercury releasing compound. The unit can be made in several structural configurations. Disclosed is also a fluorescent lamp comprising a unit for dispensing small amounts of mercury. Further disclosed is a process for introducing small amounts of mercury inside the fluorescent lamp wherein the process is characterized by placing a unit for dispensing small amounts of mercury into a narrowed portion of a tube, closing the narrowed section of the tube after its evacuation by hot cutting the glass melt, activating the unit by an external heating body and separating the tube portion accommodating the unit by second hot cutting the glass melt so that the unit does not remain in the so produced fluorescent lamp.