Exploding Projector Bulb

[BankaiIchigo12345]

Manufacturers web pages say more like 4 to 10 ATMs of pressure. Don't know where that one guy got the 25 ATMs from, but that's a bit high for a cold fill pressure. However the pressure will easily double when running at full power.

[ValforWing]

@TheMonkeyInDaCloset

yeah the IMAX bulbs are worse. we have a kevlar suit in the IMAX projector room.

[BankaiIchigo12345]

@ValforWing

I've seen the IMax 15k ones, and ones that are over 10k don't have a hard plastic case, but rather a foam rubber case, likely because over 10k ones develop such high pressures just from the operating temperature alone that a high initial pressure isn't needed, thus no hard plastic safety case is needed.

[ValforWing]

@BankaiIchigo12345

i dont't know what type of bulbs they were...but one of my coworkers tossed one down the stairs in several garbage bags and it exploded everywhere.

[akashmer]

Devitrification of the glass and thermal stresses cause them to blow when old. Always Always use protection Full face shield welding chest leathers and heavy gloves. ....then shoot them with a BB gun.

[otm831]

Ouch.... Theres a sign in our projection booth that says, they have an internal 8 bar pressure when off, that rises to 30bar when ignited. not nice, I aggree with DSM1G90 though, or better yet one of the really big IMAX ones, thoes things are like a rubgy ball!!!

[Cunt3113]

Just changed a 6K xenon bulb from a Christie 30K (with full body and face protection) and looking at the state of the bulb I'm rather glad it didn't cut me or anyone else to bits. Dispose of these very carefully people!

[plateshutoverlock]

****nudge and hold it slightly,

and it turned in to a freakin grenade?! Are those really that volatile

that just a slight nudge will set them off?!**** Yes they can, especialy when old and worn out.

They are usualy shipped in a safety case. Imax projectionists are required to wear full body armor when changing the massive Xenon bulbs used in their projectors because of this.

[plateshutoverlock]

Xenon projector bulbs contain over 300psi of gas pressure. Thats what makes them so dangerous

CRTs (picture tubes) contain a near vacuum and they can implode (then explode in an instant) because of atmospheric pressure. The explosion that comes right after is due to the peices colliding and bouncing off each other. I,ve heard of a picture tube that (im/ex)ploded in one set that sent shrapnel through the wall into the next room , right where the family would have been sitting!

[LianellEsorrasilome]

So wait, what did they do? Did they just nudge and hold it slightly, and it turned in to a freakin grenade?! Are those really that volatile that just a slight nudge will set them off?!

[brushtraction]

xennon short arc lamps are dangerous little f*****s

[davidt2468]

Lucky he got nothing in his eye!

[lenoat702]

that scared me.

[telesniper2]

KAPOW!

[temporos]

Morons. They deserved it.

[Audiowithalex]

IF that was a 6K chirstie bulb they woulda been dun.

[fernblatt]

Been There.

Done That.

Probably Still Have Some Glass Fragments

BTW - always wear goggles when replacing or, like here, screwing with either bulbs or tubes. High Pressure projection lamps can really ruin your day if catch a fragment in the eye, and this same type of bulb but with mercury vapor inside, the fragments may also contain mercury. (they have a very very small amount in them, but if cold the mercuru drplets condense on the inside - the heat generated by the lamp warms it to vapor)

[algebarb]

I was told to wrap the bulb in an old rag before breaking it (looks like THAT was good advice!).

[Toshiboy25]

That was too stupid!!

[a380rockerfan]

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lexichronicle2]

makes me wonder what set that off. i'd be one grateful bunny to find my eyes glass free. i think that was you free warning on the house. i would heed it's advice

[pixicam]

I was a projectionist for 3 years and this is about the dumbest thing ive ever seen. Xenons are NEVER to be touched without gloves at the very least, this guy was asking for it.

[Nivicoman]

@pixicam One of my National Geographics has an article about light. It shows a technician changing 7Ks on top of the Pyramid in Las Vegas. He has on face shield, gloves and a Kevlar vest. It says he handles one of 39 volatile xenon bulbs that can explode if jarred.

[crowshinigami]

We just wrap ours up in the kevlar blanket that comes with them and drop them from the top of the second story stairs down to the sidewalk.

[normellow]

these bulbs can get hot as 1900 f . The glass gets so brittle after a while .

[surfer2169]

The lamp doesn't implode, it explodes. It's a xenon short-arc unit, which have an internal pressure roughly 300 times that of the atmosphere.

[abarrutia]

Be safe. use the appropiate gloves and armors. U could loose a hand, an eye, your life.

[douro20]

They need to be wearing body armor and mail gauntlets when handling these.

[Ampex196]

The internal pressure when cold is some 8 - 10 atmospheres making these lamps extremely dangerous (the internal stresses are enormous). Unfortunately you found out the hard way. Your injuries could have have been very much worse. I'm sure you won't stage a repeat!.

[NICK423]

this is exactly wut happen 2 me at work 12/15/09...my hand looked the same n i got cuts on my face 2,,,i had 2 60k bulbs explode at the same time while i was holdin 1...

[LIGHTBULBFUN]

cool

[rumourandscandal]

What you did there defies every thing in the Health & Safety handbook. Good thing it wasn't a 7k bulb. Otherwise you'll probably be living with the glass shards in your face for quite some time..

[emygak]

I agree. I have a scar on my right hand from a Christie Projector bulb. It took several hours to remove the glass and stick my hand up. Keep in mind that my bulb was wrapped in four layers of newspaper with tape around it. I tapped it with a broom handle three feet away. I had a full face shield and metal body apron. It blew through the paper and tape. These things are definitely not toys. I was destructing one for a movie theater that I was working at. These two are lucky they still have eyes.

[HopefulSwine]

our GM let us blow up a couple

[Nivicoman]

Why were't they wearing PPE? Oh, I forget, the shitholes I used to work in aren't the only ones by a long shot when it comes to safe working conditions. (Actually, the lack thereof).

[mima14031985]

OUCH!!!!!!!!!! o.O

[xXxmidgexXx]

crazy camera man/woman

[baccus61]

Ha ha ha ha. Love the shirt.  Bad luck about the glass on the bloke though.

[tvcrazy08]

the projector bulb in english blew up today, and there was stunned silence cause no one knew it was the projector, wat was funny was it happen in a french class jut before lol!

[cookwanted]

I took a class on followspot maintenance by an ex Strong employee. I learned a better respect for xenon lamps. Just tonight I replaced 2, 2K's, and I have 1 more to do tomorrow. I am currently looking for kevlar gloves and a kevlar vest to replace the welding leather one I use now. I take this seriously, It's almost a "zen" like approach. I can't believe the risky behaviour others take with these lamps.

[cpmisalive]

A Zen like attitude is very wise, blindness and nerve damage would probably end your career.

Its crazy when people think, oh, its just a bit of glass, no, its fused silica quartz, it doesn't show up in X-rays, except, where contaminated with Thorium and/or Mercury (nice). The bulbs you would deal with won't have Mercury as you're not after UV output - there's a lovely peak at 253.65nm ;)

Good old Strong, the guys that brought us the SuperTrouper, I can't get that song outta my mind :)

[BenHutchinson1]

The description says it went boom from "the air rushes in" as if it were an imploding cathode ray tube. They obviously don't know it is an explosion, just like when you pop a balloon, only with what I assume to be a lot more pressure than in a balloon!

And why kevlar vest? Thats "bullet proof" vest. Bullets are metal and penetrating. Glass (even if traveling at bullet speed) would need only leather to stop it, because it is irregular shaped and would be slowed by air friction, and break on stop

[cpmisalive]

Nah, they're not that thick! It's just as thick as a cotton apron, but the tight weave stops any penetration. Leather is ok, just a bit bulky and very uncomfortable if you need to wear it for any length of time.

[cookwanted]

Where is this theater? Who runs it? Who gives these "kids" permission to destroy lamps like this?

[cookwanted]

What is the story behind this?

There are standard practices for handling these lamps.

No safety precautions were taken by the handlers. They should armored up with face, eye and body protection. While it's good to educate technicians about these lamps, it is extremely amatuerish and dangerous to do what they did.

[lightman47]

Very true especialy since these bulbs are presurized to about 60 PSI.

[sportswearlover]

Starts up "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann and starts singing....

Blinded by the light,

revved up like a deuce,

another runner in the night.............

while dropping one of these bulbs right after pulling it out of a lamphouse that was just shut down

[FriedGames]

.....And this my friends is why you should never touch the glass part of the bulb. Luckily he has both eyes still.

[BenHutchinson1]

The one thing that seems strange is that in this video the bulb exploded without being dropped, or twisted or anything that could have put a strain on it. Do these bulbs really become that fragile after the rated hours of use have been used? So fragile that just touching it can make it blow up?

[corruptionalliance]

yes they are that fragile. according to one manufacturer,

"Even when cold these lamps have pressure well over one atmosphere and protective gear, full face and body protection is recommended even before opening the box for handling. As an added precaution we ship our short arc lamps in multi-layer protective packaging.

[corruptionalliance]

Under operation lamp temperatures of 900 to 1050 degrees C are not uncommon and pressures up to 10 or 20 atmospheres are possible. Lamps do have the potential to explode. Under these conditions extremely hot pieces of quartz shrapnel can be ejected in all directions. Care needs to be taken to operate these lamps in special fixtures designed to contain a lamp explosion."

[BenHutchinson1]

Is it more fragile usually after the bulb has run for it specifed life span? I heard somewhere that it is. Which might explain why this well used (and blackened) projector bulb blew up even though it was just moved a couple inches with not much external force.

Also I'm curious what reference pressure was used for the the description "... well over one atmosphere". 1ATM = 15PSI. So is that 15PSI over a vacuum (0PSI)? Or is it 15PSI over the regular air pressure (thus 30PSI over a vacuum)?

[lightman47]

From what I have read and going off memory, the pressure in these bulbs is about 60PSI

[BitHacker666]

Tards...

[form109]

those lamps are at very high pressures even when they are not powered,so the bulb actually exploded,not imploded.

[corruptionalliance]

these kids are lucky they weren't more seriously injured. a xenon lamp is no joke, it's basically a fragmentation grenade. when i relamp the followspots at the arena i work in, i wear a heavy leather jacket, kevlar gloves, and a face shield. the manager who allows them to play around with used lamps in such a manner is criminally negligent, in my opinion.

but hey, looked like fun! great video

[AmericansSexualPreds]

fragmentadion grenade shure my dick fragment when i fuck your mom bitch ahhaha

[BenHutchinson1]

There iss a BIG difference between a high pressure lamp and a frag grenade (more commonly known as a hand grenade). Grenades can kill just from the force of the explosion (forget the shrapnel it causes). The high explosive in a grenade would literally blow you apart if you were standing as close to one when it went off as these guys were by the light bulb.

[INFLATECO]

I think it is quite interesting that a video camera just happened to be running. Very unlikely that this just exploded. These bulbs are used everywhere in thousands of installations. Xenon is not obsolete and when handled properly, are very safe. Even a simple Halogen light bulb can explode from the oil on someones fingers if touched while hot. Sadly, a searchlight company is trying to exploit this video to scare people away from using Xenon Searchlights.

[MANTLEBERG]

1 x bar of pressure = 14.55 Lbs...x 8=116.44Lbs..when cold.when hot = appx 300 psi of white hot quartz.

[XXsakurafan]

damn that could of killed u will at 8 bars of pressure damn

[Vkira02]

those light bulbs are scary. they can explode with no real reason. i was lucky, once the bulb exploded inside the projector the second i started it. scared the shit out of me, and the stupid alarm wouldnt stop going off. but yeah, not something to mess with

[funkyfreshjive]

Quartz shards resulting from Xenon lamp explosions do not show up in x-rays. Don't test your luck like these idiots.

[MANTLEBERG]

What bloody mercury?

[caboontool]

now that wasn't very "bright" was it?

[needleonthevinyl]

pun!!!!!!!! and true.

[MANTLEBERG]

How bloody stupid, he got off light...no pun..people have been blinded by these, most engineers wear a blast jacket, and hood, but at least it didnt take a mirror with it,this lamp had done in excess of 2000 hours by the look of it, the quartz envelope becomes brittle with age, he lucky he isnt blinded.

[vidfun101]

OMG

[aztlanlemus]

I don't think these guys understand how much Mercury is in those lamps...

[funkyfreshjive]

Try NONE.

[thermosalami]

Maybe you are thinking of florescent bulbs. These bulbs don't use mercury.

[kevinmwolf288]

Ah, but they do! They are mercury vapor lamps. But don't take my word for it.

[SilverlinerOV50]

NO they are Xenon short arc lamps that DO NOT CONTAIN MERCURY!

[THEblackjackGOD]

There are two types of xenon short arc lamps, those that contain mercury, and those that dont. Lamps containing mercury are brighter. Its absolutely possible that it has mercury in it, in case anybody else decides to go an blow up a xenon bulb from a movie projector

[BenHutchinson1]

@THEblackjackGOD

Mercury short arc (designated HBO) have mercury and have a cold fill below below the pressure of the air outside the bulb at sea level, (though higher than in a fluorescent tube).

Xenon short arc (designated XBO) have no mercury and a cold fill pressure of about 100PSI above the air outside the bulb at sea level.

Mercury xenon short arc lamps have both gasses and have a cold fill pressure about the same as air outside the bulb at sea level.

[heymike49]

Doesn't matter what this guy looks like he is extremely stupid, this lamp clearly was an older xenon arc lamp you can tell by the darkness in the glass just before he touches it, the older they are the more prone they are to exploding.

[horneyvirus]

Wikipedia which incidently sent me here says that the xenon gas inside these bulbs is in positive pressure unlike what is said in the description. This perhaps makes it all the more dangerous.

BTW evolution is pretty lenient sometimes.

[nineaclock]

wow you guys are stupid handling those bulb with rubber gloves are something. and leave them in the case they came from.

[yatucamp]

so how much damage on you guys did you walk away with?

[supressor2]

*fear* now i th

ink i know why u need to be edecuted to handle this lamps :O

[cpmisalive]

Oh, I've just read the extra comment on your video about a crack developing and air rushing in. Um, no, there is Xenon gas at extremely high pressure inside the envelope, the bulb explodes rather than implodes like a conventional tungsten lamp.

[theroastedpotatoman]

naaah the xenon is at low pressure not high pressure. if it was high pressure, when the bulb heats and causes the gas to expand it would make the bulb very unstable during operation.

[cpmisalive]

Ummm, not in any of the Xenon arc lamps I've come across. Check Wikipedia if you don't believe me ;)

[WNxDarkFire2]

There is a good deal of pressure in the bulbs. Otherwise it would IMPLODE instead of EXPLODE.

[theroastedpotatoman]

imploding is equaly as dangerous as exploding as seen in this video

[funkyfreshjive]

This lamp did not implode.

[Xeniczone]

It would probably explode. They are stored at extremely high pressures, 25atm according to wikipedia, which would cause the pieces to explode outward.

Imploding happens with the pressure is lower then the atmosphere. Then all the pieces would suck inward, but after the "missing" air is replace they would shoot outward. Implosion is an issue with CRT TV's since the Tubes are stored in a vacuum.

[BenHutchinson1]

@Xeniczone

Can you explain that to me what you said about the vacume in a CRT? You said

"after the 'missing' air is replace they would shoot outward."

I wonder WHY? I mean in an implosion (NOT what's shown in this video) the shards head toward the "center of vacume" sort of like the center of mass (if it had mass) of the vacume. This means they all head right at each other. When they colide they'll fall down and make a nice tidy pile of glass in the the center of the TV.

[Xeniczone]

@BenHutchinson1 Well I'm not expert, but when you fracture the glass all the air sucking inward gives the glass energy.  When they all meet in the middle, All the air particles collide, but still have energy. They ricochet of each other and head in the other direction.

If they all when to the center and stopped, what happened to the energy?

Again, I'm no expert, so that is the best way I can explain it. Maybe someone else will be more suited to answer it.

[cpmisalive]

Doh! where's the protective gear, gauntlets, apron and mask.

I use a lamp extractor, a metal cylinder that clamps around the necks of the lamp (loosely) so if it does decide to let go the blast is kept very localised.

This is a brilliant demonstration to my students on what happens if you don't read the safety blurb that comes with the bulb.

You do these things, so we don't have to ;)

[cookwanted]

Is this in a followspot or a projector? I'd like to know more about it.

[cpmisalive]

Neither, its in a device called a Solar Simulator (SS).

An arc lamp produces a spectrum strong in the UV, visible and Infra Red - like the sun. It is used in experiments such as the measurement of polymer stability in UV light or transmission via polythene used in agriculture.

The extractor is in a kit supplied by Sciencetech, who make the SS.

If you wear the safety gear, the lamp extractor is really superfluous, its just University Health & Safety - (watch the eyes roll if you're in the UK)

[danagol1985]

Why is it not possible to use two layers of glass like metal halides, one for discharge, and one thick one for protection against explosion? sounds like a sensible idea to me. But then wheres the fun in safety :P

[RudyMe]

Because glass under these temperatures and pressures would melt!

[420sightings]

That guy with the beard looks like he's got PLENTY of brains!

[thewhistlingrat]

Please keep your stupid prejudices to yourself smart alec, judging someone's intelligence based on their looks is pretty low. Why don't you post a picture of yourself so we can sneer at you too?

glennser

[pegbars]

As you found out, these things are unpredictable. They can go off just sitting on the shelf. On the other hand, I've seen one dropped and it just bounced. :c/

You're very lucky it didn't get your eyes.

[killer1479]

dude i hope you are alright

[TheTerminator97]

lol retard

[smarts53]

Wow scary. Probably the reason manufactures of these lamps tell you to wrap them in some HEAVY towel or something. Lucky it didn't happen while it was in the projector, then you have hot glass flying everywhere (altho most projectors are designed to protect you from this) But I am still surprised it just blew like that because those lamps are designed for higher pressure than they are at.

[filmteknik]

OK...that does it. I guess I really ought to start using the face mask.

[DSM1G90]

..can you imagine if a 6 or 7k bulb let go around those two, especially being those Osrams? Those two wouldn't be standing to tell this story.

[dheckler587]

Duuoooiiiiii

[Cassie188706]

how stupid... be glad it didnt blow off ur hand.. i work at a theater and those are used for movies... u dont wanna mess with that shit.

[hazd]

you idiots.

[DrMario2007baka]

Whoa, damn.... Those big guy are compressed with Xenon gas. And, don't even think about tapping the glass - they're ticking bomb waiting to burst.

[jackotouchedme]

Dude are dumb?

Have some common sense with those lamps. You were lucky you came out of it with what you did. Their is a reason those lamps have warnings all over the packaging.

Have fun and don't kill yourself.

[avalonds]

I'm sending this out to all my workers at my theaters!

[yuandrew]

Xenon Short Arc lamps used in theater projectors have an internal gas pressure of about 5 atmospheres (around 70 psi) even when off and cold.

Break one of those and you'll have broken glass flying into you at high speeds. Not good if you're right next to the lamp.