UV LED Support Element with Coolant Passageway for Water Disinfection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water disinfection devices using UV light often lack efficient cooling and exchangeability of UV light sources, which can lead to reduced effectiveness and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
A device with a releasably mounted elongated support element for UV LEDs, incorporating a coolant passageway for cooling and allowing for easy exchange, along with a quartz glass tube for protection and a design that ensures uniform UV irradiation and spiral flow path for enhanced disinfection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If UV LEDs are used for water disinfection, then energy efficiency and longevity are improved, but heat generation reduces LED lifespan and effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
A heat sink is introduced as an intermediary component between the UV LEDs and the water flow. The heat sink absorbs heat from the LEDs through thermal conduction and dissipates it to the water, which acts as a cooling medium flowing through channels in the heat sink structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The water being disinfected serves a dual function: it is both the target of UV irradiation and the cooling medium for the LEDs. The water flow through the heat sink channels provides passive cooling without requiring separate cooling systems.
2Ease of repair
If UV light sources are made exchangeable for maintenance, then ease of repair is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The UV LED assembly is segmented into a modular unit comprising the LEDs mounted on the heat sink, with electrical connections integrated into the assembly. This modular structure allows the entire UV lighting component to be exchanged as a single unit, simplifying maintenance while the internal integration keeps the overall structure manageable.
3Reliability
If UV LEDs are distributed along the flow path, then disinfection effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support element combines multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the UV LEDs, serves as part of the electrical connection system, and integrates with the heat sink structure. By merging these functions into a single component, the design achieves distributed LED placement for effective disinfection without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
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
Ensures efficient and uniform disinfection of water with extended UV exposure, easy maintenance, and adaptable UV light source configurations, while maintaining effective cooling and reducing the need for additional filters.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant passageway which extends through the support element and through which a coolant can flow in order to cool the UV LEDs
Implementation Method 2
a UV irradiation device with a plurality of UV LEDs; and an elongated support element on which the UV LEDs are disposed and which is configured to extend at least partially into the reactor housing so that by means of the UV LEDs, UV light can be emitted into the reactor chamber along the flow path
Data Source
AI summary
A device (20) for disinfecting a fluid, in particular water, has a reactor housing (15) with an inlet (19) for ingress and an outlet (9) for discharge of a fluid to be disinfected, wherein a reactor chamber (16) is formed in the reactor housing (15). The fluid to be disinfected flows through the reactor chamber (16) from the inlet (19) to the outlet (9) along a flow path (18). A UV irradiation device (21) with a plurality of UV LEDs (11) is provided, wherein the UV LEDs (11) are disposed on an elongated support element (7) and the support element (7) is configured to extend at least partially into the reactor housing (15) so that by means of the UV LEDs (11), UV light for disinfecting the fluid can irradiate the flow path in the reactor chamber. The support element (7) is releasably and exchangeably mounted in the reactor housing (15) and has a coolant passageway (5, 17) which extends through the support element (7) and through which a coolant can flow in order to cool the UV LEDs (11).