Systems and methods for fluid disinfection with ultraviolet light

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11530141-B2
Application number	US-201916672450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2019
Priority date	Nov 2, 2018
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A fluid treatment system includes a reactor chamber fluidly coupled with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The reactor chamber is defined by one or more chamber walls. The system includes a UV LED, and a light pipe. The light pipe extends into the reactor chamber through at least one of the chamber walls. The light pipe has a proximal end disposed outside of the reactor chamber. The proximal end is coupled with the UV LED to transmit UV light into the reactor chamber through the light pipe. To that end, the light pipe also has a distal end, opposite the proximal end, that is disposed within an interior volume of the reactor chamber. The light pipe includes a central section disposed between the proximal end and the distal end. The central section is configured to transmit the UV light from UV LED to the distal end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid treatment system comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
a reactor chamber fluidly coupled to the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the reactor chamber being defined by one or more chamber walls;
an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED), wherein the UV LED has a bare semiconductor surface from which UVC light is emitted;
a light pipe extending into the reactor chamber through at least one of the chamber walls, the light pipe having:
a proximal end disposed outside of the reactor chamber coupled to the UV LED to transmit UV light into the reactor chamber through the light pipe,
a distal end opposite the proximal end, the distal end disposed within an interior volume of the reactor chamber, and
a central section disposed between the proximal end and the distal end, the central section configured to transmit the UV light from the UV LED to the distal end of the light pipe; and

a UV transmissive attachment material between the proximal end of the light pipe and the bare semiconductor surface.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central section of the light pipe is hollow and has a central section wall with an inner surface, the inner surface of the central section wall having, or being formed from, a UV reflective material.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central section of the light pipe is solid, and includes an inner portion formed from a UV transmissive material, and an outer portion formed from a UV reflective material.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the distal end is roughened or textured.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of one of the chamber walls through which the light pipe extends is removable from and/or attachable to the reactor chamber.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light pipe is formed from quartz, fused silica, and/or sapphire.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein all the chamber walls include material reflective to UV light.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the UV reflective material is aluminum, and/or a fluoropolymer.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the UV transmissive attachment material has a material index of refraction, the light pipe having a pipe index of refraction, the UV LED having an LED index of refraction, the material index being between the pipe index and the LED index.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the proximal end is thermally conductively coupled with the UV LED.

11. A UV reactor comprising:
one or more walls defining a disinfection chamber, the disinfection chamber configured to have fluid flowing therethrough,
an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) configured to transmit UV light into the disinfection chamber;
a light pipe having a proximal end, a distal end, and a central section disposed between the proximal end and the distal end,
the distal end extending into the disinfection chamber through a wall of the disinfection chamber,
the proximal end being outside of the disinfection chamber and being coupled with the UV LED, and
the central section having a UV-reflective portion configured to reflect UV light; and

a UV transmissive attachment material between the proximal end of the light pipe and a bare semiconductor surface, wherein the UV transmissive attachment material has a material index of refraction, the light pipe having a pipe index of refraction, the UV LED having an LED index of refraction, the material index being between the pipe index and the LED index.

12. The reactor of claim 11 , wherein the central section of the light pipe is entirely disposed within a chamber wall.

13. The reactor of claim 11 , wherein a cross-sectional dimension of the distal end of the light pipe is larger than a cross-sectional dimension of the central section.

14. The reactor of claim 11 , further comprising a seal formed between the light pipe and an interior volume of the disinfection chamber.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the seal comprises one or more O-rings.

16. The reactor of claim 11 , wherein the UV LED has a bare semiconductor surface from which UVC light is emitted.

17. A method of disinfecting fluid, the method comprising:
providing a fluid treatment system, the fluid treatment system including:
a reactor chamber fluidly coupled to a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the reactor chamber enclosed by one or more chamber walls,
one or more ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the one or more UV LEDs having a bare semiconductor surface from which UVC light is emitted, and
a light pipe extending into the reactor chamber through at least one of the chamber walls, the light pipe having:
a proximal end disposed outside of the reactor chamber,
the UV LED coupled to the proximal end to transmit UV light into the reactor chamber through the light pipe,
a distal end, opposite the proximal end, and disposed within an interior volume of the reactor chamber, and
a central section disposed between the proximal end and the distal end, the central section configured to transmit the UV light from the one or more of the UV LEDs to the distal end, and

a UV transmissive attachment material between the proximal end of the light pipe and the bare semiconductor surface, wherein the UV transmissive attachment material has a material index of refraction, the light pipe having a pipe index of refraction, the UV LED having an LED index of refraction, the material index being between the pipe index and the LED index;

flowing the fluid through the fluid inlet into the reactor chamber; and
activating the one or more UV LEDs.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising electrically coupling the one or more UV LEDs to a power source using one or more conductive contacts.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein one or more of the conductive contacts is configured to urge at least one UV LED toward the proximal end of the light pipe.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more of the conductive contacts is a spring contact.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein (i) the disinfection chamber includes a main section and a submodule, (ii) the light pipe extends through a chamber wall of the submodule, and (iii) the submodule is removably coupleable with the main section.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising threading the submodule with the main section.

Assignees

• Crystal Is Inc

Inventors

• Schowalter Leo J
• Miller Amy C Wilson

Classifications

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title

• A61L2202/11

  Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps · CPC title

• A61L2202/122

  Chambers for sterilisation · CPC title

• A61L2/10

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• C02F1/325 Primary

  Irradiation devices or lamp constructions · CPC title