Expandable Air Purification System with UV-C Disinfection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning systems and face masks are inadequate in protecting individuals from COVID-19 and other airborne viruses, as they fail to block fine virus particles, leading to reinfection and continued virus spread in confined spaces.
Innovation Solution
A universal expandable air purification and disinfection system that includes effective filters and UV-C chambers to neutralize airborne pathogens, creating a portable personal bio-protection device (PPBD) for individual use and adaptable for air conditioning systems, ensuring total destruction of viruses and other harmful agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional air conditioning systems and face masks are used, then basic air filtration is provided, but fine virus particles (0.1 micron) cannot be blocked, leading to continued virus spread
Solution Approach 1:
The air purification system is divided into multiple functional stages: pre-filtration stage, HEPA filtration stage, and UV-C disinfection stage. Each stage targets specific particle sizes and uses optimized filtration media, allowing the system to remove 0.1 micron virus particles effectively while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs composite filtration approaches combining mechanical filters (HEPA with 99.97% efficiency at 0.3 micron) with photodisinfection (UV-C radiation). This composite approach addresses the limitation of single-method filtration by combining physical barrier effects with biological neutralization, achieving complete virus particle removal
2Quantity of substance
If face masks are used to block virus droplets, then large droplet escape is reduced, but fine virus particles (10 microns or less) pass through, forcing reinfection
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary disinfection on exhaled air before it is released into the environment. UV-C irradiation is applied to neutralize virus particles in the breath, preventing their spread to others. This preliminary action occurs at the source of emission, ensuring that even fine particles that bypass mask filtration are neutralized
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces reliance solely on mechanical filtration (masks and AC filters) with a combination approach that includes photodisinfection. UV-C radiation provides a non-mechanical method of virus neutralization that works on particles regardless of size, complementing and enhancing the mechanical filtration of masks and air conditioning systems
3Object-affected harmful factors
If social distancing is implemented, then close contact transmission is reduced, but airborne virus droplets remain suspended in air for extended periods, creating invisible contamination zones
Solution Approach 1:
The air purification system operates continuously to maintain constant virus particle removal from the air. UV-C disinfection and HEPA filtration work continuously rather than intermittently, ensuring that virus particles are neutralized as they are generated. This continuous action prevents accumulation of airborne viruses over time, addressing the persistence issue without requiring extended social distancing
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces air purification devices as intermediary elements between infected individuals and the surrounding environment. These devices act as mediators that capture and neutralize virus particles before they can contaminate the air space, breaking the transmission chain without requiring physical distance between people
4Quantity of substance
If lockdowns are implemented, then immediate virus spread is reduced, but virus remains present in ambient air, providing temporary rather than permanent protection
Solution Approach 1:
The air purification system provides self-sustaining virus removal capability that operates independently of external containment measures. Once deployed, the system continuously removes and neutralizes virus particles from the air without requiring lockdown conditions. This creates lasting protection that persists beyond temporary lockdowns, as the system actively maintains low virus levels in the environment
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 system effectively eliminates harmful airborne pathogens, preventing short-term and long-term complications by ensuring air is completely devoid of viruses and other harmful agents, facilitating the development of polyvalent vaccines and providing enhanced protection in confined spaces.
Implementation Method 1
a UV-C light source positioned adjacent the interior surface... The UV-C light source irradiates the air flowing through the chamber
Implementation Method 2
The system eliminates harmful airborne particles and microorganisms from an air stream as it passes through the system
Data Source
AI summary
A universal expandable system for purification and disinfection of air and methods of its use, and in particular to a system and apparatus that eliminates harmful airborne particles and microorganisms from ambient air as it passes through the system, so as to prevent the organisms and particles from entering the body of an individual user of the system. An air purification and disinfection device that is a major component of the system includes a housing having at least one disinfection chamber. Each disinfection chamber has a UV light source and a helical air flow diverter. Air purified and disinfected as it is passed through the device before the air flow is delivered to the user(s) of the device.