UV Reactor Manifold for Parallel Lamp Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional UV reactor designs face inefficiencies when scaled up, resulting in 'blind spots' and overkill radiation due to the arrangement of multiple lamps in a single chamber, leading to increased manufacturing costs and reduced processing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A UV reactor design featuring multiple concentric light source/sleeve units in parallel, with a single inlet and outlet manifold to evenly distribute fluid pressure and flow, eliminating the need for overlapping radiation and reducing power usage by using a single UV lamp per chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple UV lamps are placed in parallel within a single flow chamber, then the reactor can process larger volumes of contaminated fluid, but blind spots and overkill radiation occur leading to reduced UV flux efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The single flow chamber is divided into multiple separate flow chambers, each containing a single UV lamp. This segmentation eliminates the blind spots and overkill radiation problems that occur when multiple lamps are placed in parallel within a single chamber, while still allowing the reactor to process large volumes of fluid through the multiple parallel chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-chamber design to a multi-chamber parallel configuration, adding the dimension of spatial separation between treatment zones. This dimensional change allows each UV lamp to irradiate its own dedicated chamber without overlap, improving UV flux efficiency while maintaining high processing capability.
2Productivity
If multiple parallel UV lamps are used in a single chamber, then higher processing capability is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase due to complex lamp arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the reactor into multiple identical chambers each with a single UV lamp, the manufacturing complexity is reduced compared to arranging and positioning multiple lamps within a single chamber. Each chamber can be manufactured and assembled using the same standardized process, simplifying production while maintaining high processing capability.
3Device complexity
If a single long chamber design is used, then the reactor structure is simple, but up-scaling to larger sizes creates significant performance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The single long chamber is segmented into multiple smaller parallel chambers. This segmentation allows the reactor to be scaled up in total processing capacity while each individual chamber maintains simple structure and optimal UV irradiation characteristics. The modular design enables easy up-scaling without sacrificing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of extending the chamber length in a single dimension, the patent adds chambers in parallel, utilizing a different spatial dimension for scaling. This approach maintains structural simplicity in each chamber while achieving high processing capability through the parallel arrangement of multiple chambers.
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
This design achieves a 30% power reduction and 16% lower sleeve transmission loss, enabling more efficient decontamination of fluid media with a smaller reactor footprint and reduced manufacturing costs, while maintaining high processing capability.
Implementation Method 1
UV reactor design for photo-based (e.g., photocatalytic) treatment of contaminated fluid media
Implementation Method 2
photolytic and photocatalytic decontamination of contaminated fluid media
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed principles employ a UV reactor design for photo-based treatment of contaminated fluid media using a concentric single light source/single sleeve design, with multiple such concentric light source/sleeve units placed in parallel. In one embodiment, such a reactor may comprise an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, and a plurality of tubular chambers connecting the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold. A plurality of such irradiating units are located within corresponding ones of the tubular chambers such that a fluid path is provided between each of the transparent sleeves and its corresponding tubular chamber where the contaminated fluid is irradiated as it passes through the chambers. The inlet ends of all of the chambers are connected to a single fluid intake manifold. This design allows the contaminated fluid pressure and flow to be evenly distributed among all of the fluid chambers via the intake manifold.