SBIR Phase I: Ultraviolet Germicidal Optical Flow Cell

该小型企业创新研究第1阶段研究项目将开发一种低功耗杀菌流通池，其外形尺寸较小，可用于使用点（PoU）水消毒。它将沿着使用紫外线发光二极管（UV LED）以及新颖且专有的流动池设计。目前的紫外线PoU水消毒是使用放电灯完成的，这需要高电压、镇流器和相对大的形状因子。使用UV LED代替放电灯将允许光源驻留在较小的形状因子内，并且在没有线电压和镇流器的情况下以较低的总电功率运行。拟议的单位还将促进两个不同的和互补的消毒机制。一个涉及流动池本身的结构和材料，其被设计为通过最大化水中微生物接收的紫外线剂量来改进传统流动池。另一个涉及流动池的材料成分和水之间的特定光化学机制，从而产生独立的化学消毒途径。该项目的更广泛影响是具有较小形状因子的低功率PoU消毒将允许在更多位置使用更多的紫外线水消毒装置。随着UV LED的成本不断降低，该系统将对消费者越来越具有商业吸引力。低功率方面将使该系统潜在地用于线路电压不可用的电池操作的现场应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 research project will develop a low power germicidal flow cell with a reduced form factor for point of use (PoU) water disinfection. It will use ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) along with a novel and proprietary flow cell design. Current ultraviolet PoU water disinfection is accomplished using discharge lamps, which requires high voltage, ballasts, and a relatively large form factor. The use of UV LEDs instead of discharge lamps will allow the light sources to reside inside a smaller form factor, and to function at lower overall electrical power, without line voltage and ballasts. The proposed unit also will facilitate two distinct and complementary disinfection mechanisms. One involves the structure and material of the flow cell itself, which is designed to improve upon the conventional flow cell by maximizing the ultraviolet dose received by microorganisms in the water. The other involves a specific photochemical mechanism between a material constituent of flow cell and water, resulting in an independent chemical pathway to disinfection.The broader impacts of this project are low power PoU disinfection with a smaller form factor will allow more UV water disinfection units to be employed in more locations. As the cost of UV LEDs continues to decrease, the system will become increasingly commercially attractive to consumers. The low power aspect will make the system potentially useful for battery operated field applications where line voltage is not available.