Decontamination Reactor with Meandering UV Pathway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid treatment technologies fail to effectively combine UV light, photocatalytic coatings, and optimized flow control to simultaneously address hazardous biological organisms and toxic chemical contaminants, leading to suboptimal exposure and reduced decontamination efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A compact apparatus featuring an elongate housing with a UV light source, baffles, and fins that create a meandering pathway for continuous exposure to UV light and photocatalytic coatings, ensuring maximum interaction and extended treatment time for contaminated fluids, allowing for sequential connection of reactors for increased volume treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fluid treatment technologies use UV light, photocatalytic coatings, and flow control separately, then each component can be optimized individually, but the overall decontamination efficiency is reduced due to suboptimal exposure and lack of integration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines UV light sources, photocatalytic coatings, and optimized flow control baffles into a single integrated reactor system. The housing contains all components in a coordinated arrangement where UV lamps are positioned to illuminate photocatalytic coated surfaces, and baffles direct fluid flow to maximize exposure to both UV light and coated surfaces, achieving synergistic decontamination effect
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it contains the UV light sources, supports the photocatalytic coatings on internal surfaces, directs fluid flow through integrated baffles, and provides structural support for all components. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate treatment devices while maximizing decontamination efficiency
2Productivity
If the fluid pathway is simplified for easier flow, then processing speed increases, but UV light exposure and photocatalytic reaction effectiveness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid pathway is divided into multiple segments by baffles that create a meandering flow pattern. This segmentation forces the fluid to pass through multiple exposure zones containing UV lights and photocatalytic coated surfaces in sequence, ensuring thorough decontamination while maintaining continuous flow. The segmented approach prevents shortcuts while preserving processing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the fluid pathway in the longitudinal dimension of the housing by using meandering flow paths that travel the length of the reactor multiple times. This dimensional extension increases exposure distance and time without reducing flow velocity, allowing thorough decontamination while maintaining productivity through extended contact length rather than increased residence time
3Reliability
If photocatalytic coated surface area is increased for better reaction, then decontamination effectiveness improves, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses planar photocatalytic coated surfaces arranged in flat panels and baffles rather than complex curved or three-dimensional structures. This approach maximizes the photocatalytic surface area within a compact footprint while maintaining simple geometric forms that are easy to manufacture, assemble, and maintain. The flat surfaces provide optimal UV light exposure and straightforward coating application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies photocatalytic coatings to all internal surfaces that contact fluid, including baffles, housing walls, and support structures. This excessive coating approach ensures that every surface the fluid encounters contributes to decontamination, maximizing effectiveness without requiring complex selective coating patterns. The uniform application simplifies the manufacturing process while providing comprehensive coverage
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus achieves enhanced decontamination by ensuring uninterrupted UV light exposure and optimized photocatalytic reaction, effectively inactivating pathogens and oxidizing toxic chemicals, with the ability to treat larger volumes without compromising efficiency or requiring major configuration changes.
Implementation Method 1
an energy source, such as a UV light
Implementation Method 2
a photocatalytic reactant... exposure to UV light and photocatalytic coatings, ensuring maximum interaction and extended treatment time
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for treating contaminated fluid has a UV lamp within an elongate housing, typically rectangular shaped. Deflector baffles within the housing create a meandering pathway perpendicular to the lamp for exposing the fluid to the UV light along the entire length of the pathway. Fins create multiple channels in the pathway to substantially increase internal surface area contact with the fluid. A photocatalytic coating on the baffles, fins and internal surfaces of the housing is maintained within a pre-set radial distance, preferably within about 75 mm, from the lamp for optimal creation of a photocatalytic reactant. The fluid flowing along the pathway, including channels, is also maintained in close proximity to the lamp and has adequate time for exposure to the ultraviolet light and photocatalytic reactant for treatment before exiting the housing. Baffles and fins are removably positioned within the housing for convenient maintenance, pathway length alteration or accommodating fluid volume flow adjustment, with little or no housing re-sizing. This apparatus is an affordable and compact environmental protection device capable of “air quality refinement”, especially for building ventilation systems, by mitigating the spread of harmful pathogens and/or toxic chemicals.