Plasma atomizer for disinfecting long and thin bifurcated pipeline structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a plasma atomizer for disinfecting a long and thin bifurcated pipeline structure. The plasma atomizer comprises a power module, a control module, an air pump, a plasma generation module, a flow meter, a handheld activation and atomization integrated module, a waste gas treatment module and a pipeline connector atomization guide sleeve. Wherein the gas pump, the plasma generation module, the handheld activation and atomization integration module and the waste gas treatment module are sequentially connected through gas circuits, and the gas pump is used for driving gas flow; the plasma generation module is used for generating active particles; the handheld activating and atomizing integrated module is used for activating water or a prefabricated solution and spraying mist particles with active particles; and the waste gas treatment module is used for collecting and harmlessly treating the plasma activation gas in the solution activation chamber. The specific prefabricated aqueous solution is used for generating plasma activation mist, and a better atomization effect can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of plasma treatment technology, and more specifically to a plasma atomizer for disinfection of slender, branched pipe structures. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, plasma disinfection, as a novel green technology, has been gradually applied to surface and space disinfection due to the strong oxidizing properties of active particles (such as hydroxyl radicals and ozone ions), as well as its advantages of convenient preparation, high disinfection efficiency, and green residue-free operation. Studies have shown that atmospheric pressure cold plasma reacting with water can generate plasma-activated water carrying active particles, which has a broad-spectrum inactivation effect on common bacteria. By atomizing the plasma-activated water, the contact area between the active substances and the surface of the object to be disinfected can be increased, further improving the disinfection efficiency, indicating its great potential to replace chemical disinfectants such as chlorine-containing disinfectants.

[0003] However, there is still a technological gap in plasma atomizer devices for slender, branching pipes. Slender, branching pipe structures are characterized by "narrow channels, numerous branching nodes, easy adhesion of contaminants to the inner walls, and difficulty in uniformly covering the disinfection medium," as seen in applications such as the human respiratory tract, hydraulic branching lines inside precision instruments, and branching lines in household water purification equipment. Existing devices are mostly designed for space or object surface disinfection, employing high-frequency ultrasound or compressed air principles, each with the following problems: Ultrasonic atomizers use the high-frequency vibration of an ultrasonic plate to convert the disinfectant into aerosol particles, resulting in a fast atomization rate but producing relatively large droplets that struggle to flow smoothly within slender pipes. Most droplets only settle at the inlet of the branching pipe, failing to reach the distal end for disinfection and sterilization. Compressed air atomizers use the Venturi effect to break the disinfectant into droplets under the action of an external airflow, with a secondary filtration process allowing large droplets to fall back and small droplets to be ejected. However, these devices are bulky and generate significant noise pollution during operation, easily causing user frustration. According to research, micro-mesh atomization has advantages over the two atomization methods mentioned above, such as smaller mist diameter, lower noise, and smaller size, which can meet the needs of disinfection for slender and branched pipe structures.

[0004] The human respiratory tract, a typical long and narrow branching tube structure, is often treated with nebulized inhalation when pathogens invade, causing inflammation and sputum production. Nebulized inhalation involves inhaling medication into the respiratory tract, where it deposits and acts directly on the lesions in the lungs. It effectively moistens the respiratory tract, reduces the protein cross-linking of thick sputum in tuberculosis patients, thus diluting the sputum. Furthermore, it stimulates the respiratory mucosa, triggering a cough reflex and inducing expectoration, draining residual material from the lesions, and purifying the lesions. Combined with appropriate nursing care, this ensures therapeutic efficacy and promotes recovery in tuberculosis patients. Studies have shown that plasma-activated aqueous solutions can not only effectively inactivate drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis but also enhance its sensitivity to the tuberculosis drug rifampin. Compared to traditional antibiotic nebulization, it is less irritating to the respiratory mucosa, reducing liver toxicity and drug resistance caused by antibiotics and other chemical drugs, and has the potential to replace antibiotics as a nebulized medication. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (a) Purpose of the invention The purpose of this invention is to provide a plasma atomizer for disinfecting slender, bifurcated pipe structures. This device can be used for disinfection and sterilization of common slender, bifurcated pipe structures. It integrates plasma activation solution and micro-mesh atomization, and can spray plasma activation mist with active particles. The mist is then connected to a pipe interface atomization guide sleeve that is compatible with the spray nozzle and the opening of the target slender, bifurcated pipe, resulting in a better atomization effect.

[0006] (II) Technical Solution To address the aforementioned issues, this invention provides a plasma atomizer for disinfecting slender, bifurcated pipe structures, comprising a power module, a control module, an air pump, a plasma generation module, a flow meter, a handheld activation atomization integrated module, an exhaust gas treatment module, and a pipe interface atomization guide sleeve. The handheld activation atomization integrated module includes a solution activation chamber and a micro-mesh atomization zone; the solution activation chamber includes a detachable chamber cover with an air inlet and an air outlet and an activation chamber body; the micro-mesh atomization zone includes an atomization nozzle with a micro-mesh atomizing plate; the solution activation chamber is used to contain the aqueous solution to be activated and generate plasma-activated water; the micro-mesh atomization zone is used to atomize the plasma-activated water. The plasma generating module is powered by a power source. One end of the plasma generating module is connected to a gas pump, and the other end is connected to the air inlet pipe of the detachable chamber cover. Gas is input into the plasma generating module via the gas pump and generates plasma activation gas containing plasma active particles. The plasma activation gas is introduced into the main body of the activation chamber under the action of the gas pump to activate the aqueous solution to be activated, generating plasma activated water. The air pump is powered by a power module and is used to pump ambient air into the plasma generation module. The power module is used to supply power to the air pump, the plasma generation module and the micro-grid atomization zone respectively. The control module is connected to the power module and is used to control the working status of the air pump, the plasma generation module and the micro-mesh atomization zone respectively. The control module issues control commands to control the air pump to pump ambient air into the plasma generation module at a stable flow rate; controls the power module to provide a predetermined amount of electrical energy to the plasma generation module to generate plasma active particles; and controls the micro-mesh atomizing plate to spray activated water mist particles from the atomizing nozzle at a predetermined rate. The flow meter is used to visualize the magnitude of the plasma activation gas flow rate introduced into the handheld activation atomization integrated module; The atomizing guide sleeve at the pipe interface is used for precise docking with the pipe opening, guiding the atomized particles carrying active substances into the pipe and extending them further into the distal end. The atomizing guide sleeve is made of a composite of rigid medical-grade plastic and flexible sealing silicone, with an overall stepped tubular structure. One end is a tapered flow guide cavity, which is sealed to the atomizing nozzle of the micro-mesh atomization zone. The flow guide cavity has streamlined guide ribs inside, which can straighten the flow direction, increase the spray pressure of the atomized particles, and push the atomized plasma deeper along the pipe axis, preventing the particles from diffusing at the pipe opening or depositing at bifurcation points. The other end is a replaceable adapter interface, which can be adapted to various pipe ports, such as circular and tubular, by replacing silicone bushings with different inner diameters. An annular sealing gasket is provided on the inner side of the interface to prevent leakage of the atomized particles after docking. The atomized particles, guided by the atomizing guide sleeve at the pipe interface, continuously penetrate deeper at a set flow rate under the action of the air pump, depositing and disinfecting various parts within the slender bifurcation pipe. The waste gas treatment module is used to collect and harmlessly treat the plasma activation gas in the solution activation chamber.

[0007] Furthermore, the control unit is connected to the micro-mesh atomizing plate, and the control unit sends instructions to the atomizing plate, which generates activated water mist particles based on the instructions.

[0008] Furthermore, the end of the air inlet pipe is also equipped with a small air outlet hole, which is used to reduce the volume of bubbles when the active gas is introduced into the aqueous solution, thereby increasing the specific surface area of ​​the bubbles and the aqueous solution.

[0009] Furthermore, the control unit is a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit includes a memory and a timer. The memory includes one or more read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), flash memories, or electronically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs).

[0010] Furthermore, the plasma atomizer also includes a voltage sensor for measuring DC voltage, a flow rate sensor for measuring the velocity of the emitted activated water mist particles, and an alarm unit. The control unit is connected to the voltage sensor, the flow rate sensor, and the alarm unit. When the sensor detects that the voltage or flow rate has decreased beyond a predetermined range, the control unit will send an alarm command to the alarm unit.

[0011] Furthermore, the plasma generating module operates in the form of tubular dielectric barrier corona discharge. The plasma generating module includes a central copper core configured as a high-voltage electrode. An inner glass tube and an outer glass tube are sleeved around the central copper core. The outer glass tube is connected to the ground electrode. Gas input via an activation gas pump flows through the gas channel between the inner and outer glass tubes to generate atmospheric pressure cold plasma.

[0012] Furthermore, the handheld activated atomizing integrated module controls the diameter of the mist particles ejected by the atomizing plate by setting the oscillation frequency or the mesh with a predetermined diameter, and the diameter of the mist particles does not exceed 5 micrometers.

[0013] Furthermore, the discharge mode of the plasma generating module includes dielectric barrier discharge, jet discharge, corona discharge, or sliding arc discharge, and the aqueous solution includes physiological saline, medical purified water, or other pre-prepared solutions.

[0014] (III) Beneficial Effects The above-mentioned technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects: The present invention provides a plasma atomizer for disinfection of slender bifurcated pipe structures. In this device, ambient air is pumped into the plasma generation module by an air pump to generate plasma activation gas with active particles. The air pump continues to operate, causing the plasma activation gas to flow through a flow meter to visualize the flow rate. The air pump continues to operate, causing the plasma activation gas to pass through the air inlet pipe of the handheld activation atomization integrated module and be pumped into the solution activation chamber below the liquid surface of the solution to be atomized. The solution is activated by contact with the plasma activation gas bubbles. Then, the activation solution is atomized into water mist with multi-size distribution through the micro-mesh atomization zone. The water mist is guided by the atomization guide sleeve of the pipe interface to spray the mist particles carrying active substances directionally into the inside of the pipe and penetrate to the far end, depositing in various parts of the slender bifurcated pipe for disinfection. This device uses a modular design of the pipe interface atomizing guide sleeve to adapt to different pipe diameters. By adjusting the air pump flow rate and discharge parameters, it can adapt to different bifurcation angles of slender pipes. It also combines a miniaturized, low-noise micro-mesh atomization method with a low-cost plasma-activated water atomization solution. It has the advantages of adapting to slender bifurcation pipe structures, being green and environmentally friendly, having high disinfection efficiency, being miniaturized, low-noise, and low-cost. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the plasma atomizer principle provided by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the plasma generating module of the present invention; Figure 3 These are comparative images showing the disinfection effect of the device of the present invention on Staphylococcus aureus.

[0016] Figure label: 1. Power module 1; 2. Power module 2; 3. Power module 3; 4. Handheld activation atomization integrated module; 5. Air pump; 6. Plasma generation module; 7. Flow meter; 8. Waste gas treatment module; 9. Pipe interface atomization guide sleeve; 10. Control module; 11. Heat dissipation shell; 12. Thin copper outer electrode; 13. Dielectric tube; 14. Tubular gap; 15. Inner dielectric tube; 16. Copper sheet; 17. Air nozzle; 4-1. Solution activation chamber; 4-2. Micro-mesh atomization zone. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted in the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the invention.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a plasma atomizer for disinfecting slender, branched pipe structures, comprising a power module 1, a power module 2, a power module 3, a handheld activation atomization integrated module 4, an air pump 5, a plasma generation module 6, a flow meter 7, an exhaust gas treatment module 8, a pipe interface atomization guide sleeve 9, and a control module 10. The air pump 5, plasma generation module 6, flow meter 7, solution activation chamber 4-1, and exhaust gas treatment module 8 are sequentially connected via air paths.

[0019] The air pump 5 is powered by a DC power supply and pumps ambient air through the air path into the plasma generation module 6, the flow meter 7, the solution activation chamber 4-1, and the waste gas treatment module 8 in sequence.

[0020] The plasma generating module 6 is equipped with a small cooling fan to reduce the heat effect accumulated during long working time on the active particles. Both are powered by DC power supply, and the plasma discharge mode can be selected from dielectric barrier discharge, corona discharge, sliding arc discharge, etc.

[0021] The handheld activation and atomization integrated module 4 is used to activate and atomize the solution to form a water mist with active particles, that is, to atomize the aqueous solution into small droplets to form a water mist with a particle size in the range of 3-5 micrometers. The handheld activation and atomization integrated module 4 includes a solution activation chamber 4-1 and a micro-mesh atomization zone 4-2. The solution activation chamber 4-1 is used to hold and activate the pre-prepared solution to be activated and atomized. The solution to be activated and atomized includes pure water, or a mixed solution of pure water with one or more of H2O2 and HNO3 added.

[0022] The micro-mesh atomization zone 4-2 includes a single micro-mesh atomizing sheet or an atomizing sheet group formed by multiple micro-mesh atomizing sheets with different pore sizes. The micro-mesh atomizing sheet includes a piezoelectric ceramic and a microporous mesh, which are connected. The microporous mesh has uniformly distributed micropores at its center to atomize the solution into a cone-shaped mist zone. The piezoelectric ceramic generates high-frequency stretching and contracting vibrations in the thickness direction according to changes in the applied voltage. These high-frequency vibrations are transmitted to the connected microporous mesh. When the microporous mesh generates high-frequency vibrations, the solution to be atomized overcomes surface tension at the micropores and is drawn into a filament. Under the continued action of vibration, the filamentous liquid breaks into droplets with a particle size approximately equal to the micropore diameter, thus achieving atomization.

[0023] The atomizing guide sleeve 9 at the pipe interface is made of a composite of rigid medical-grade plastic and flexible sealing silicone, and has an overall stepped tubular structure. One end has a tapered guide cavity that is compatible with and can be sealed to the atomizing nozzle of the micro-mesh atomizing zone 4-2. The guide cavity has streamlined guide ribs inside, which can straighten the direction of the mist flow, increase the spray pressure of the mist particles, and push the atomized plasma into the pipe along the axial direction, preventing the mist particles from diffusing at the pipe opening or depositing at the bifurcation node. The other end is a replaceable adapter interface, which can be adapted to various pipe ports such as round and tubular by replacing silicone bushings with different inner diameters. The interface has an annular sealing gasket on the inside to prevent mist particle leakage after docking. Under the action of the air pump, the mist particles continuously penetrate into the pipe interface atomizing guide sleeve 9 at a set flow rate and are deposited in various parts of the slender bifurcation pipe for disinfection.

[0024] In this embodiment, the solution to be atomized is deionized water or a mixed solution of HNO3 with pH 2.5 and 0.5% H2O2; the flow rate of the air pump 5 is 3 L / min; as shown below. Figure 2The plasma generating module 6 adopts a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge structure, including a thin copper outer electrode 12 and a copper inner electrode 16. The thin copper outer electrode 12 is wrapped around the outer wall of the dielectric tube 13, and the copper inner electrode 16 is in close contact with the inner wall of the inner dielectric tube. A glass tube or a ceramic tube can be selected as the dielectric tube; in this example, a glass tube is selected. The power supply module 1 is a DC power supply with an output voltage of 10 V and a power of 9 W; the power supply module 2 is a DC power supply with an output voltage of 12 V and a power of 9 W; the power supply module 3 is a DC power supply with an output voltage of 5 V and an output power of 5 W; 220 V AC power is used as the power input for the control module.

[0025] In this embodiment, the control module is an STM23F103 series microcontroller, which monitors the discharge power of the plasma generating module 6 to ensure the normal operation of the system. When the plasma generating module discharges abnormally, the control module immediately cuts off the power and starts an alarm. The basic principles of this application have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this application are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for illustrative and facilitative purposes, and are not limitations. The above details do not limit the application to the necessity of using the above specific details for implementation.

[0026] like Figure 3 The image shows the effect of the device in eliminating Staphylococcus aureus. During treatment, the micro-mesh atomization zone 4-2 was initially kept inactive. The control module activated the air pump and plasma generator to activate 10 ml of the solution to be treated for 10 min. The solution was either deionized water or a pre-prepared aqueous solution made of HNO3 with pH 2.5 and 0.5% H2O2. Afterward, the air pump and plasma generator were kept on to continue activation, while the micro-mesh atomization zone 4-2 was activated for atomization. The cone-shaped activation mist generated by the 10 ml solution was used to treat the surface of a polypropylene plastic sheet coated with a 500 μl suspension of Staphylococcus aureus with an OD 600 of approximately 1. The atomizing nozzle was 15 cm away from the surface of the polypropylene plastic sheet. Polypropylene plastic sheets are commonly used materials in everyday items. Measurement of the number of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria after disinfection showed that using only deionized water activation solution or only the pre-prepared aqueous solution resulted in poor sterilization; however, using the pre-prepared water activation solution achieved complete elimination. The experimental results show that the mist particles generated by the pre-prepared water-activated solution can completely kill Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of polypropylene materials, verifying the bactericidal effectiveness of the plasma atomizer.

[0027] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative or explanatory of the principles of the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention should be included within the protection scope of the invention. Furthermore, the appended claims are intended to cover all variations and modifications falling within the scope and boundaries of the appended claims, or equivalent forms of such scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. A plasma atomizer for disinfection of slender, bifurcated pipe structures, characterized in that, It includes a power module, a control module, an air pump, a plasma generation module, a flow meter, a handheld activation atomization integrated module, a waste gas treatment module, and a pipeline interface atomization guide sleeve; The handheld activation atomization integrated module includes a solution activation chamber and a micro-mesh atomization zone; the solution activation chamber includes a detachable chamber cover with an air inlet and an air outlet and an activation chamber body; the micro-mesh atomization zone includes an atomization nozzle with a micro-mesh atomizing plate; the solution activation chamber is used to contain the aqueous solution to be activated and generate plasma-activated water; the micro-mesh atomization zone is used to atomize the plasma-activated water. The plasma generating module is powered by a power source. One end of the plasma generating module is connected to a gas pump, and the other end is connected to the air inlet pipe of the detachable chamber cover. Gas is input into the plasma generating module via the gas pump and generates plasma activation gas containing plasma active particles. The plasma activation gas is introduced into the main body of the activation chamber under the action of the gas pump to activate the aqueous solution to be activated, generating plasma activated water. The air pump is powered by a power module and is used to pump ambient air into the plasma generation module. The power module is used to supply power to the air pump, the plasma generation module and the micro-grid atomization zone respectively. The control module is connected to the power module and is used to control the working status of the air pump, the plasma generation module and the micro-mesh atomization zone respectively. The control module issues control commands to control the air pump to pump ambient air into the plasma generation module at a stable flow rate; controls the power module to provide a predetermined amount of electrical energy to the plasma generation module to generate plasma active particles; and controls the micro-mesh atomizing plate to spray activated water mist particles from the atomizing nozzle at a predetermined rate. The flow meter is used to visualize the magnitude of the plasma activation gas flow rate introduced into the handheld activation atomization integrated module; The atomizing guide sleeve at the pipe interface is used for precise docking with the pipe opening, guiding the atomized particles carrying active substances to be directionally sprayed into the pipe and deeper into the distal end. The atomizing guide sleeve at the pipe interface is made of a composite of rigid medical-grade plastic and flexible sealing silicone, and has an overall stepped tubular structure. One end is a tapered flow guide cavity, which is sealed to the atomizing nozzle of the micro-mesh atomization zone. The flow guide cavity has streamlined guide ribs inside, which can straighten the direction of the atomized flow, increase the spray pressure of the atomized particles, and push the atomized plasma into the pipe axial direction, avoiding the diffusion of atomized particles at the pipe opening or deposition at the bifurcation node. The other end is a replaceable adapter interface, which can be adapted to various pipe ports such as round and tubular by replacing silicone bushings with different inner diameters. The inner side of the interface has an annular sealing gasket to prevent atomized particle leakage after docking. The atomized particles pass through the atomizing guide sleeve at the pipe interface and, under the action of the air pump, continue to penetrate into the pipe at a set flow rate, depositing and disinfecting in various parts of the slender bifurcation pipe. The waste gas treatment module is used to collect and harmlessly treat the plasma activation gas in the solution activation chamber.

2. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is connected to the micro-mesh atomizing plate, and the control unit sends instructions to the atomizing plate, which generates activated water mist particles based on the instructions.

3. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air inlet pipe also has a small air outlet hole at the end. The small hole is used to reduce the volume of the bubbles when the active gas is introduced into the aqueous solution, thereby increasing the specific surface area of ​​the bubbles and the aqueous solution.

4. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is a microcontroller, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit includes a memory and a timer. The memory includes one or more read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), flash memory, or electronically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROM).

5. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plasma atomizer also includes a voltage sensor for measuring DC voltage, a flow rate sensor for measuring the velocity of the emitted activated water mist particles, and an alarm unit. The control unit is connected to the voltage sensor, the flow rate sensor, and the alarm unit. When the sensor detects that the voltage or flow rate has decreased beyond a predetermined range, the control unit will send an alarm command to the alarm unit.

6. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plasma generating module operates in the form of tubular dielectric barrier corona discharge. The plasma generating module includes a central copper core configured as a high-voltage electrode. An inner glass tube and an outer glass tube are sleeved around the central copper core. The outer glass tube is connected to the ground electrode. Gas input via an activation gas pump flows through the gas channel between the inner and outer glass tubes to generate atmospheric pressure cold plasma.

7. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The handheld activated atomizing integrated module controls the diameter of the mist particles ejected by the atomizing plate by setting the oscillation frequency or the mesh with a predetermined diameter, and the diameter of the mist particles does not exceed 5 micrometers.

8. The plasma atomizer as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge methods of the plasma generation module include dielectric barrier discharge, jet discharge, corona discharge, or sliding arc discharge, and the aqueous solution includes physiological saline, medical purified water, or other pre-prepared solutions.

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