Abstract: This paper analyzes the factors influencing the failures of high power linear xenon-filled flash lamps in NOVA, NIF and Shenguang-Ⅲ. The factors include the correlations between the stress and flash lamp explosion, the correlation between lifetime and lamp size, microdefects of lamp wall, electrode sputtering, insulation, xenon purity, sealing reliability and the increase in energy deposition into flash lamp quartz envelopes caused by the absorption of radiation from neighboring flash lamps. Given the same input energy, the lifetime is longer for the lamp with longer arc length and bigger bore diameter. Direct causes of flash lamp explosion are the surface static tensile stress on the flash lamp quartz envelopes, the microdefects on the inner surface and the increase in energy deposition