Device with irradiation gain for UV sterilization

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and a device for sterilizing transparent fluids – air / gas or transparent liquids – wherein the fluid flows through a specially designed conduit that strongly multiplies the radiation density through multiple reflections of UV radiation, employing the LARLA principle – Light Amplification by Reflections in the Local Area. This effectively creates a build-up of the incoming UV radiation from diffuse light sources. One wall of the conduit contains an arrangement of mirrors at 90° angles to each other and 45° angles to the conduit axis, such that the incident rays are reflected back to their source, while the other three walls exhibit normal mirroring and reflections. Ellipsoidal projectors are used to generate UV radiation, which concentrate the radiation through narrow and long transparent surfaces into the conduit. The special feature of the device is that the power of the UV radiation source(s) is many times lower than the power that would be necessary for the normal generation of the present radiation density in the line.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a radiation gain device for UV sterilization.

[0002] DE 10 2021 003 356 describes a device for light amplification using reflections in cables. The present invention utilizes the principle of light amplification by reflections in the local area, or LARLA for short, described therein, using a special device design.

[0003] The present invention aims to create a device for sterilizing fluids in a special line using UV radiation. The sterilized medium is introduced into the line according to the invention and freed of germs by intensive UV radiation. What is special about this device is that the radiation sources' power is relatively low, while a multiplication process achieves a radiation density in the fluid that is many times higher—essentially a photon accumulation, corresponding to a much higher power.

[0004] One advantage is that, due to the high degree of reflection of the walls of the device according to the invention, there are hardly any losses through them and almost all of the energy introduced is used to sterilize the medium.

[0005] A further advantage is that the radiation used does not have to be unidirectional—i.e., coherent—as is the case with lasers, for example, but can be diffuse, allowing the use of inexpensive, high-energy radiation sources. Furthermore, it is possible to choose as many radiation sources as the application requires. The state of the art also includes

[0006] DE2146504A "Device for conducting chemical reactions in a medium, in particular for removing impurities contained in air (gas)" and GB2334873A "Sterilization device comprising a plurality of elliptical reflectors." The principle used for treating the medium with UV radiation requires significantly greater energy consumption to achieve the same sterilization effect as the device according to the invention, making them extremely inefficient.

[0007] The embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown in the drawings and is explained in more detail below.

[0008] It shows Fig. 1 - Longitudinal section through the device Fig. 2 - Cross section through the device: Section AA Fig. 3 - Longitudinal section through another embodiment of the device

[0009] The device according to the invention with irradiation gain for UV sterilization, uses a line 1 with an approximately rectangular cross-section through which the fluid 2 to be sterilized - air / gas or transparent liquids - flows, wherein the inner walls 3, 4, 5 of the line 1 are smooth and mirrored and the fourth inner wall 6 has an arrangement 10 of mirror surfaces placed next to one another at an angle of 90° to one another and 45° to the axis of the line 1. The line 1 is made of a transparent and heat-resistant material, such as quartz, glass, plastic, or alternatively of metal with passages.

[0010] The UV beam 7 from the projector 8 enters through a transparent surface 9, the arrangement 10 being interrupted at regular intervals by narrow, but long, surfaces 9, seen transversely to the axis of the line 1, without mirroring. If the line (1) is transparent, and if the line (1) is made of metal, the surfaces 9 are formed by a transparent part 23 inserted into a recess in the wall 6, such that these beams 7 have a quasi-stationary and unchanging repetition path with a multiplier effect for the radiation caused by reflections according to the LARLA principle, the wall 6 always sending the rays back to where they came from through double reflections, while the other walls 3, 4, 5 have simple normal reflections, so that the irradiance inside the line 1 2, where the fluid 2 to be sterilized is located,a multiple of the radiation density of the beam 7 when passing through the transparent surface 9, whereby the multiplication factor increases with the degree of reflection of the mirror coating.

[0011] The radiation beam 7 from the respective projector 8 originates from a thread-shaped source 11 which is placed in one of the two centers 12 of the reflector 13 which is ellipsoidal in cross-section and mirrored on the inside, in such a way that the second center 14 of the ellipsoidal reflector 13 is placed in the middle of a transparent surface 9 of the wall 6 in order to form a reduced back-reflection for the incoming rays, thereby ensuring that there is an airtight separation between the interior of the line 1 and the respective projector 8.

[0012] The transparent surface 9 preferably has a parallel surface 22 with a larger radius and curvature to the projector 8, wherein the likewise cylindrical surface (9) with a small radius is placed in the corner between two mirror surfaces 10 in such a way that the beam 7 just fits through it.

[0013] The respective projectors 8 are fastened with their plates 16, 17 to the outer surface of the wall 6, so that two of the upper corners of the outer part of the mirror coating of the wall 6 correspond to the inner edge of the plates 16, 17, such that all rays that do not pass through the transparent surface 9 into the duct 1 return to the projector 8 by means of back reflection, without unwanted rays escaping into the environment, wherein the plates 18, 19 are fastened to a bracket 20 surrounding the duct 1 and thus create a reliable fastening between the projectors 8 and the duct 1, wherein a series of ribs attached to the projectors 8 transfer the heat generated therein to the environment.

[0014] The thread-shaped source 11 uses a thin and long discharge tube, preferably a mercury vapor lamp, or another suitable radiation source to generate the beams of the projector 8.

Claims

[1] Device with irradiation gain for UV sterilization, wherein a line (1) with an approximately rectangular cross-section is flowed through by the fluid (2) to be sterilized - air / gas or transparent liquids - wherein the inner walls (3, 4, 5) of the line (1) are smooth and mirrored and the fourth inner wall (6) has an arrangement (10) of mirror surfaces placed next to one another at an angle of 90° to one another and 45° to the axis of the line (1), while the line (1) is made of a transparent and heat-resistant material, such as quartz, glass, plastic, or alternatively of metal with passages, a. wherein UV beams (7) from the projector (8) enter through a transparent surface (9), the arrangement (10) being interrupted at regular intervals by narrow, but long surfaces (9) seen transversely to the axis of the duct (1) without mirroring, if the duct (1) is transparent, and if the duct (1) is made of metal, the surfaces (9) being formed by a transparent part (23) inserted into a recess in the wall (6) in such a way that these beams (7) have a quasi-stationary and unchanging repetition path with a multiplier effect for the radiation caused by reflections on the mirrored walls (3, 4, 5, 6), the wall (6) always sending the rays back to where they came from by double reflections, while the other walls (3, 4, 5) have simple normal reflections, so that the irradiance inside the duct (1), where the fluid (2) to be sterilized is located,a multiple of the radiation density of the beam (7) when passing through the transparent surface (9), the multiplication factor increasing with the degree of reflection of the mirror coating, b. wherein the radiation beam (7) from the respective projector (8) originates from a thread-shaped source (11) which is placed in one of the two centers (12) of the reflector (13) which is ellipsoidal in cross-section and mirrored on the inside, such that the second center (14) of the ellipsoidal reflector (13) is placed in the middle of a transparent surface (9) of the wall (6) in order to form a reduced back-reflection for the incoming rays, thereby ensuring that there is an airtight separation between the interior of the duct (1) and the respective projector (8), c. wherein the part with which the transparent surface (9) has a surface (22) with a larger radius and curvature towards the projector (8) and a likewise cylindrical surface with a small radius in the corner between two mirror surfaces (10), such that the beam (7) just fits through it. [2] Device according to claim 1 characterized bythat the respective projectors (8) are fastened with their plates (16, 17) to the outer surface of the wall (6) in such a way that two of the upper corners of the outer part of the mirroring of the wall (6) correspond to the inner edge of the plates (16, 17), in such a way that all rays that do not pass through the transparent surface (9) into the duct (1) return to the projector (8) by means of back reflection, without unwanted rays escaping into the environment, wherein the plates (18, 19) are fastened to a bracket (20) enclosing the duct (1) and thus create a reliable fastening between the projectors (8) and the duct (1), wherein a series of ribs attached to the projectors (8) transfer the heat generated therein to the environment. [3] Device according to claim 2 characterized bythat the thread-shaped source (11) uses a thin and long discharge tube, preferably a mercury vapor lamp, or another suitable radiation source to generate the rays of the projector (8).

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