Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of generating oxygen. The method addresses the objects of reducing the servicing work and improving the purity of the generated oxygen. According to the invention, the method comprises the steps of: providing an oxygen comprising gas at a primary side of a dense voltage drivable membrane (12); applying a voltage between a conductive element at the primary side of the membrane (12) and a conductive element at a secondary side of the membrane (12), the conductive elements being electrically connected to the membrane (12), wherein a plasma (18, 20) is generated at at least one of the primary side and the secondary side of the membrane (12), the plasma (18, 20) being used as conductive element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of generating oxygen. The method comprises the steps of: intermittently guiding a stream of oxygen comprising gas through at least one adsorption chamber (12) being equipped with an oxygen separation adsorbent (16), thereby defining an adsorption mode and a desorption mode of the at least one adsorption chamber (12), and thereby enriching the oxygen comprising gas with respect to oxygen, guiding the enriched oxygen comprising gas to a primary side of a dense membrane (52), heating the dense membrane(52) to a temperature at which it is permeable for oxygen, generating an oxygen flow through the dense membrane (52) to its secondary side, thereby separating the oxygen from the enriched oxygen comprising gas and forming a stream of oxygen. According to the invention, the invention further comprises the step of guiding at least a part of the generated oxygen through the at least one adsorption chamber (12) being in desorption mode.

Abstract: The invention relates to a Method of generating oxygen and nitric oxide. The method comprises the steps of: guiding an oxygen comprising gas to a primary side of a dense membrane (42), heating the membrane (42) to a temperature at which it is permeable for oxygen, creating a pressure difference between the primary side of the membrane (42) and a secondary side of the membrane (42), wherein a stream of oxygen is generated at the secondary side of the membrane (42) and a stream of oxygen depleted gas is generated at the primary side of the membrane (42). The method according to the invention further comprises the steps of: providing a flow of nitrous oxide comprising gas and heating the nitrous oxide comprising gas to a temperature at which nitric oxide is generated. Thereby, according to the invention, heat generated in the process of operating the membrane is used.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for generating nitric oxide, in particular for therapeutic applications, which comprises the steps of: guiding a process gas into a reaction chamber (12), wherein the process gas comprises nitrous oxide in a carrier gas in a concentration in the range of ?2 vol-%, in particular in the range of ?10-3 vol-% to ?1 vol-%, and heating the process gas to a temperature which is sufficiently high to enable a reaction of nitrous oxide to form nitric oxide, thereby forming a gas which at least partly comprises nitric oxide. This method allows generating nitric oxide without remarkable concentrations of toxic nitrogen oxides, in particular of nitrogen dioxide. The method according to the invention is particularly suitable for therapeutic applications.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mercury-free molecular discharge lamp (30), which comprises: a light-transmitting discharge vessel (32) enclosing, in a gastight manner, a discharge space comprising a gas filling (34). The mercury-free molecular discharge lamp further comprises discharge means (36) for maintaining a discharge (38) in the discharge space, and discharge-variation means (40, 42) for varying, in operation, a position of the discharge within the gas filling relative to each other, and/or for varying a dimension of the discharge within the gas filling over time. An effect of the varying of the position and/or dimension of the discharge over time is that at a specific variation-speed or variation-frequency the output power and/or luminous flux of the mercury-free molecular discharge lamp is substantially increased. This effect is found to be depending on the gas filling and on the variation-speed and/or variation-frequency.

Abstract: The invention relates to a discharge lamp comprising a group IIIB or rare earth monoxide radiation emitting material, which allows to greatly improve the features of the lamp due to superior light emitting properties of the monoxide compound.

Abstract: A high-pressure mercury vapor lamp suitable for sterilization purposes. Germanium and oxygen are added in small quantities to the mercury and/or the mercury halides, with a molar ratio of germanium to oxygen being greater than 1. The addition of germanium monoxide increases the GAC efficiency (GAC: short for Germicidal Action Curve) of a high-pressure mercury vapor lamp, because germanium monoxide emits a strong molecular band system in the range from 250 to 280 nm.

Abstract: The invention relates to a discharge lamp comprising a group IVB monoxide radiation emitting material, which allows to greatly improve the features of the lamp due to the superior light emitting properties of the monoxide compound.

Abstract: In a low-pressure gas discharge lamp provided with a gas discharge vessel comprising a gas filling with a discharge-maintaining composition comprising a) a molecular radiator compound, b) hydrogen as an additive and c) a buffer gas, which low-pressure gas discharge lamp is further provided with means for generating and maintaining a low-pressure gas discharge, the addition of hydrogen comes up with the following advantages: an increase of plasma efficiency and a decrease of the cold spot temperature at which optimum efficiency is achieved.

Abstract: The invention relates to a high-pressure mercury vapor lamp suitable for sterilization purposes. The high-pressure mercury vapor lamp according to the invention is remarkable in that germanium and oxygen are added in small quantities to the mercury and/or the mercury halides. The addition of germanium monoxide furthermore surprisingly increases the GAC efficiency (GAC: short for Germicidal Action Curve) of a high-pressure mercury vapor lamp, because germanium monoxide emits a strong molecular band system in the range from 250 to 280 nm. The germicidal action of the high-pressure mercury vapor lamp according to the invention is thus increased with respect to that of conventional highpressure mercury vapor lamps. This is apparent from the fact that the GAC-weighted radiant flux is greater than before in the high-pressure mercury vapor lamp according to the invention.

Abstract: A low-pressure gas discharge lamp provided with a gas discharge vessel comprising a gas filling with a discharge-maintaining composition comprising a discharge maintaining compound selected from the group formed by the compounds of aluminum, gallium, indium and thallium, an additive selected from the group of elemental zinc, cadmium and mercury and a buffer gas, which low-pressure gas discharge lamp is further provided with means for generating and maintaining a low-pressure gas discharge.

Abstract: A high-pressure metal halide discharge lamp which comprises, as filling, only zinc, a halogen and a noble gas. In order to improve the color rendering index, a calcium halide may be added to the lamp filling. The coupling-in of energy preferably takes place without electrodes in the radio-frequency range or in the microwave range, but may also be carried out by means of metal electrodes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a high pressure discharge lamp intended for use in assimilation lighting. According to the invention the high-pressure discharge lamp has a discharge vessel, which besides a buffer gas, comprises substantially LiI as metal halide or a mixture of LiI and NaI.

Abstract: The invention relates to a high-pressure discharge lamp with a discharge vessel having a filling comprising—a rare gas, for example argon, —mercury, and —chlorine, wherein the filling quantities of mercury [Hg] and chlorine [Cl] comply with the following conditions: —[Hg](E[Cl]3 200 (?mole/cm3)2, —[Cl] £ 10 ?mole/cm3. The condition [Hg](E[Cl]3 200 (?mole/cm3)2 achieves HgCl vapor pressures in the discharge sufficient for generating significant radiation components of the B2S+-X2S+ band system of this molecule. The condition [Cl] £ 10 ?mole/cm3 serves to limit the chemical aggressiveness of the chlorine filling, in particular to limit the attacks on the wall and electrodes and thus to achieve longer lamp lives. The addition of chlorine-binding metals, in particular of germanium, leads to a further improvement in the radiation and life properties of the lamp.