SBIR Phase I: Ultraviolet Germicidal Optical Flow Cell

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段研究项目将开发一种低功率杀菌流动池，其外形系数降低，用于使用点(POU)水消毒。它将使用紫外线发光二极管(UV LED)以及新颖和专有的流动电池设计。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、镇流器和相对较大的外形系数。使用UV LED代替放电灯，将允许光源位于较小的外形系数内，并在没有线路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截然不同和相辅相成的消毒机制。一种是流动池本身的结构和材料，其设计目的是通过最大化水中微生物接收的紫外线剂量来改进传统的流动池。另一种是流动细胞的物质成分与水之间的特殊光化学机制，导致了一条独立的化学消毒途径。该项目的更广泛影响是，低功率POU消毒以更小的外形系数将允许更多的紫外线水消毒装置在更多的地点使用。随着紫外线LED的成本持续下降，该系统对消费者的商业吸引力将越来越大。低功率方面将使该系统潜在地适用于由电池供电的现场应用，其中没有可用的线路电压。

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.