| Generally all the SOX lamps are designed for horizontal burning position (with some fed degree tolerance).
The shortest ones (for sure the 18W one, about the 35W I'm not sure) are on top of that allowed any position with the socket on the upper end.
The thing is, when the liquid sodium may flow to the socket end, where are the lead wire seals, it may destroy them. So to really prevent this, the gravity should neer pull the liquid sodium towards the socket end, so that means if it is not really horizontal, the socket must always be on the upper side.
The horizontal is the best, because the sodium will not have any tendency to flow anywhere within the tube, so stay well distributed along the lamp length.
But with the shortest lamps the diffusion is so strong, it may redistribute the evaporated gaseous sodium as well, so with these short ones the horizontal is not really a 100% must. But if the distribution has to rely only on the diffusion alung the whole tube, you will wait longer time till the lamp reaches full output (you will have to wait till the Sodium gas diffuses along the tube). Therefore if it is easy to do, it is always better to keep the lamp as close to horizontal as possible.
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