WO2022211679A2

WO2022211679A2 - Air recirculator

Info

Publication number: WO2022211679A2
Application number: PCT/RU2022/050090
Authority: WO
Inventors: Алексей Сергеевич ИВАНОВ
Original assignee: ОБЩЕСТВО С ОГРАНИЧЕННОЙ ОТВЕТСТВЕННОСТЬЮ "ДезАир"
Priority date: 2021-03-29
Filing date: 2022-03-18
Publication date: 2022-10-06
Also published as: WO2022211679A3; RU2753896C1

Abstract

The invention relates to devices for disinfecting air, and more particularly to air recirculators, and can be used for decontaminating air in various spaces using ultraviolet radiation. The technical result consists in improving air decontamination efficiency while also improving the operating reliability and ease of maintenance of an air recirculator. The technical result is achieved by means of the proposed air recirculator comprising a housing having a fan mounted therein and a source of UV radiation in the form of longitudinally mounted mercury lamps, wherein the air recirculator additionally comprises a mounting plate for attachment of the lamps, which is fixed in slots formed inside the housing, a reflector plate and an electrical connector comprising a plug and a corresponding socket, the housing being made as a single piece from aluminium.

Description

AIR RECIRCULATION

The invention relates to air disinfection devices, in particular to air recirculators, and can be used for air disinfection in various rooms using ultraviolet radiation.

An ultraviolet irradiator-ozonizer is known from the prior art (Russian Patent for utility model No. 39784, published on August 20, 2004), containing a low-pressure quartz bactericidal lamp, a reflector, a fan, an electronic ballast, and the ozonator irradiator is a chamber in the shape of a parallelepiped, the upper half of which is formed by two hinged covers fastened with locks, and the fan is located in one of the ends of the chamber, the sectional size of which is determined by its size, and the end walls of the chamber are perforated with holes, and the electronic ballast to ensure the operation of the lamp and fan is installed under the reflector.

The disadvantage of the known technical solution is the low efficiency of air disinfection due to the use of housing material with low reflective properties in the design of the irradiator-ozonizer, as well as due to the use of ozone UV lamps. In addition, the disadvantage is the absence of filter elements at the air inlet to the body of the irradiator-ozonizer, as a result of which, during its operation, UV lamps become contaminated with fine dust, forming a dusty film, and cease to perform their functions, in particular, to disinfect the air passing through them.

Known ultraviolet air sterilizer (Korean Patent Application No. 20170124845, published 11/13/2017), containing a housing having inlet and outlet openings on both sides, an air flow channel formed between the inlet and outlet openings, a fan unit located next to the inlet or outlet, a UV lamp, a control unit that controls the operation of the fan unit or UV lamp, and a communication unit for communicating with an external server or an external terminal.

The disadvantage of the known technical solution is the difficulty of operating the ultraviolet air sterilizer, in particular the difficulty of replacing UV lamps.

Known air decontaminator (Patent of Russia for utility model No. 197523, published 07/10/2004), containing a housing installed in its opposite ends of the fan and dust filter, and inside the housing circuit board fixed to it and electrically connected to the power source and between themselves ultraviolet lamps, electronic ballasts and a fan power supply, while the circuit board is made of aluminum material in the form of a plate with ends bent at 90 ° at its ends, which are light-insulating screens, located one at the inlet after the dust filter, and the other at the outlet between the power supply fan and fan.

The disadvantage of the known technical solution is the complexity of the installation and operation of the air disinfectant. In addition, the disadvantage is the low efficiency of air disinfection, since the design of the decontaminator uses a case made of a material with low reflective properties, in particular, a G771A brand case made of ABS plastic with aluminum side panels.

An improved device for sterilizing and purifying air is known (China Patent No. 201263805, published on 07/01/2009), containing a housing, at least two lamp covers, at least two lamps for ultraviolet sterilization, at least two supply fans for directing air into each a lamp cover and a negative ion generator, one end of the housing is provided with at least one air inlet, and the other end of the housing is provided with at least one air outlet. Each lamp cover is in the form of a closed door, two ends of each lamp are in the form of holes, and one end of each lamp cover corresponds to an air inlet and the other end corresponds to each air outlet.

The disadvantage of the known technical solution is the low efficiency of air disinfection, since the design uses a housing made of a material with low reflective properties. In addition, the disadvantage is the complexity of the operation of the device for sterilization and air purification, in particular the difficulty of replacing UV lamps.

In addition, a bactericidal irradiator is known (Russian Patent for utility model No. 38610, published on 07/10/2004), adopted as a prototype, containing a housing having an input window and an output window with louvered grilles, in which a fan, a filter, an ultraviolet (UV) source are installed. radiation, made in the form of one or more longitudinally mounted low-pressure ozone-free mercury lamps, provided with an internal coating that blocks UV radiation of the ozone spectrum, and a means of protection against UV radiation from the source is provided, while the walls of the housing have reflective surfaces from the inside, and the housing has a door with a lock to unlock it with a tool. The case is made of sheet steel and has a polymer coating that is resistant to UV radiation and disinfectants, while the walls of the case and the door from the inside have reflective surfaces.

The disadvantage of the known technical solution is the low efficiency of air disinfection, since the body material of the bactericidal irradiator is made of a material with low reflective properties. In addition, the disadvantage of the solution is the complexity of the operation of the bactericidal irradiator, in particular the difficulty of replacing UV lamps.

A common disadvantage of the technical solutions described above, including the prototype, is the low efficiency of air disinfection due to prefabricated buildings, the structures of which are made of materials with low reflective properties (steel, plastic). In addition, the coatings that are applied to the internal parts of the housing fade, crack and become unusable under the influence of UV rays, as a result of which an unpleasant, pungent odor appears in the rooms where air recirculators are installed and operated, and the efficiency of air disinfection decreases. Also, the structures described above are characterized by the complexity of their operation, in particular, the complexity of replacing UV lamps and servicing devices in general.

The present invention solves the technical problem of the low efficiency of air disinfection and the increased complexity of the operation of air recirculators.

The technical result consists in increasing the efficiency of air disinfection while increasing the reliability of operation and the efficiency of servicing the air recirculator.

The technical result is achieved by the proposed air recirculator, which contains a housing in which a fan is installed, and a source of UV radiation, made in the form of longitudinally mounted mercury lamps, while the air recirculator additionally contains a mounting plate for mounting lamps, fixed in the grooves made inside the housing, and a reflective plate, an electrical connector that includes a plug and a corresponding socket, while the body is made of solid aluminum.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the recirculator contains an additional mounting plate for attaching lamps, fixed in additional grooves made inside the housing.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the mounting plate for mounting the lamps is made of stainless steel with a mirror surface.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the thickness of the mounting plate for mounting the lamps is set in the range from 1.5 to 2 mm.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the mounting plate for mounting the lamps is made with a hole.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the reflective plate is fixed inside the housing.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the lamps are fixed on the lamp mounting plate by means of clamps.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the recirculator contains filters installed in frames, which are fixed in the end parts of the housing.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized in that the filters and filter frames are treated with nano silver.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the inner surface of the housing is treated with nano silver.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the plug is fixed on the mounting plate for fixing the lamps, and the socket is fixed on the reflective plate.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the recirculator contains an electronics control unit.

In an additional aspect, the proposed technical solution is characterized by the fact that the recirculator contains a counter of hours of operation of the lamps.

The present invention is illustrated by drawings, which show:

Fig. 1 - General view of the air recirculator, where: 1 - housing, 9 - filter frame, 12 - lamp hours counter.

Fig. 2 - General view of the mounting plate for mounting lamps, where: 2 - UV lamps, 3 - mounting plate for mounting lamps, 7 - mounting plate hole, 8 - clamps, 10 - plug.

Fig. 3 - The end part of the air recirculator housing, where: 1 - housing, 3 - mounting plate for mounting lamps, 4 - grooves, 6 - additional grooves, 7 - mounting plate hole.

Fig. 4 - The end part of the internal part of the air recirculator, where: 3 - mounting plate for mounting lamps, 5 - reflective plate, 10 - plug, 11 - socket.

Fig. 5 - Graph of the dependence of the concentration of the virus in the room on the time of operation of the proposed air recirculator, where the sample of sample 1 was taken before the start of the recirculator, the sample of sample 2 was taken after 20 minutes of operation of the recirculator, the sample of sample 3 was taken after 40 minutes of operation of the recirculator.

Fig. 6 - Graph of the dependence of the concentration of bacteria and fungi in the room on the operating time of the proposed air recirculator.

Fig. 7 - Graph of the dependence of the concentration of bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and the fungus Candida albicans on the time of operation of the proposed air recirculator.

The proposed air recirculator contains a housing 1, in which an irradiation chamber is formed, and in which a fan is installed (not shown in the figures), and a source of UV radiation, made in the form of one or more longitudinally mounted mercury lamps 2. The air recirculator contains a mounting plate 3 for fastening lamps 2, fixed in the grooves 4, made inside the housing 1, and the reflective plate 5, fixed inside the housing 1, while the housing 1 is made of aluminum.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the air recirculator contains an additional mounting plate (not shown in the figures) for mounting lamps, fixed in additional grooves 6 made inside the housing 1. Mounting plate 3 for mounting lamps 2 and an additional mounting plate for mounting lamps are made of stainless steel with a mirror surface, and they are made with a hole 7, which allows you to freely pull out the mounting plate 3 and the additional mounting plate from the housing 1 and thereby increase the efficiency and safety of servicing the air recirculator. Hole 7 can be made in the form of a circle, rectangle and any other shape that meets the requirements of ergonomics. The lamps 2 are fixed on the mounting plate 3 and the additional mounting plate for mounting the lamps by means of clamps 8. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the mounting plate 3 for mounting the lamps 2 and the additional mounting plate for mounting the lamps is set in the range from 1.5 to 2 mm. With a thickness of less than 1.5 mm, the necessary rigidity of the plate 3 and the additional plate is not achieved, which prevents the effective maintenance of the air recirculator, in particular when replacing lamps 2, with a thickness of more than 2 mm, the metal consumption of the plate 3 and the additional plate increases.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air recirculator contains filters (not shown in the figures), for example, G2 and G4, installed in frames 9, which are fixed in the end parts of the housing 1, while the filters and filter frames 9 are treated with a highly concentrated agent with nano silver. In addition, the inner surface of the case 1 is also treated with a highly concentrated nano silver cleaner.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air recirculator comprises an electrical connector comprising a plug 10 and a corresponding socket 11, while the plug 10 is fixed on the mounting plate 3 for mounting lamps 2, and the socket 11 is fixed on the reflective plate 4. In addition, the air recirculator contains a control an electronics unit (not shown in the figures) that controls the operation of the air recirculator, in particular its operating time, fan speed and other functions, and a counter for 12 hours of operation of lamps 2, which informs the user about the need to replace lamps 2.

Due to the execution of the body 1 of the air recirculator, which is made of aluminum, the efficiency of air disinfection is increased, since UV light is unhindered from the walls of the body 1, and during the operation of the air recirculator lamps 2 are not illuminated through the slots in the body. In addition, aluminum, the metal of which the body 1 of the air recirculator is made, has the ability to denature proteins, forming strong complexes with them, and due to this property, the proteins of the outer shell of any virus, in contact with the aluminum surface, are inactivated, as a result of which the implementation of a solid aluminum body 1 increases the efficiency of air disinfection during the operation of the recirculator.

The advantage of the proposed air recirculator, containing a mounting plate 3 for fixing the lamps 2, fixed in the grooves 4 made inside the housing 1, is to increase the efficiency of the maintenance of the air recirculator, since the lamps 2 can be replaced without disassembling the housing 1. Replacement of the lamps 2 can be carried out by a person without special preparation, by pulling the mounting plate 3 out of the housing 1 through the slots 4. Also, the user can freely install an additional mounting plate for mounting the lamps in the housing 1 in the corresponding additional slots 6, due to which the efficiency of air disinfection and the performance of the air recirculator can also be increased . Mounting plate 3 for mounting lamps 2 and an additional mounting plate for mounting lamps are made of stainless steel with a mirror surface, which also improves the efficiency of air disinfection due to the effective reflection of UV light coming from lamps 2.

The source of UV radiation, made in the form of one or more longitudinally mounted mercury lamps 2, emits ultraviolet radiation in the housing 1 of the air recirculator, which has a wide spectrum of action on microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. The lamps 2 are fixed on the mounting plate 3 and an additional mounting plate for mounting the lamps by means of clamps 8, which provide rigid fixation of the lamps 2 inside the housing 1 during transportation and operation of the air recirculator, as well as ensuring simple maintenance of the air recirculator, in particular, the replacement of lamps 2 when they exit from building.

The reflective plate 5 rigidly fixed inside the air recirculator body 1 provides reflection of UV light, and in addition, it prevents the UV light from escaping from the body 1, thereby increasing the efficiency of air disinfection.

Filters installed in frames 9, which are fixed in the end parts of the housing 1, provide purification of the air entering the housing 1, as a result of which fine particles (dust, etc.) do not adhere to the lamps 2, thereby increasing the efficiency of air disinfection. Two or more filters can be installed on each side in the end parts of the housing 1. It should be noted that the treatment of filters and filter frames 9, as well as the inner surface of housing 1 with a highly concentrated agent with nano silver, makes it possible to inactivate all particles deposited in the filters, which become safe for humans. In addition, due to the described treatment, the efficiency of air disinfection is increased. On the end side of the housing 1, from which the purified air exits, a fan is installed that provides the supply of purified air to the room from the recirculator.

The electrical connector, which includes a plug 10 fixed on the mounting plate 3 for fixing lamps 2, and the corresponding socket 11, fixed on the reflective plate 4, increases the reliability of the air recirculator due to the uniquely oriented connector, which is always in the correct position when connected (when the socket 11 fits tightly inside the plug 10, an inter-screen electrical contact is formed), as well as a vibration damping system for the contact group itself, which allows the wires to be rigidly fixed and not subjected to dynamic loading.

The proposed air recirculator works as follows. The air taken from the room passes through the filters installed in the frame 9 and fixed in the end part of the housing 1 on one side (at the air inlet) and is cleaned from dust and other fine particles. Further, the air enters the irradiation chamber and passes along the inner part of the housing 1 through the lamps 2 being continuously reflected from the walls of the inner part of the housing 1, the mounting plate 3 for mounting the lamps 2, fixed in the grooves 4 made inside the housing 1, and the reflective plate 5, where under the action of ultraviolet radiation generated by lamps 2 is disinfected. Disinfected air passes through the filters installed in the frame 9 and fixed in the end part of the housing 1 on the other side (at the air outlet), and is directed into the room under the action of the fan.

In accordance with the proposed invention, a prototype air recirculator was made. To confirm the high efficiency of its work, studies were carried out during which air samples were taken in the room before the air recirculator was put into operation and after the air was processed by the recirculator (after 20, 40 and 60 minutes of processing).

At the first stage, studies were carried out regarding the inoculation of viruses according to the following method, described in general terms. Before testing, the air was pre-treated, namely, the environment in the room from which air samples were taken was pre-sprayed with a suspension of the virus. After that, air samples were taken in the room using a sampler, then the proposed air recirculator was launched and left in the working state, and samples were taken again after 20 and 40 minutes of its operation, after which the air results before and after the recirculator were compared. Mengovirus, a virus of the family Picornaviridae, to which the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 belongs, which causes the disease COVID-19, was used as one example in the studies. Due to its similarity, this virus has been used to certify SARS-CoV-2 disinfection tests according to UNE-EN 14476 (Chemical bactericides and antiseptics. Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of virocidal activity in the field of medicine. Test method and requirements) for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed air recirculator. The results are shown in Table 1 and also in FIG. 5.

According to the results obtained, the proposed air recirculator showed 100% antiviral activity against inoculated viruses, in particular against mengovirus, already after 20 minutes of its operation.

At the next stage, studies were carried out with respect to the inoculation of general bacteria and fungi located in the room, according to the following method, described in general terms. Using a sampler, a sample of the air in the room was taken to assess the concentration of bacteria and fungi present in the room, then the proposed air recirculator was started and left in the working state, after which samples were taken again after 60 minutes of operation, then the results of the air before and after the recirculator compared. The results are presented in Fig. 6. According to the results obtained, it can be concluded that the proposed air recirculator is characterized by a high efficiency of air disinfection, since after 60 minutes of its operation, a decrease in bacteria in the room by 92% and a decrease in fungi by 83% were recorded.

In addition, studies were carried out on the effectiveness of the proposed air recirculator with pre-treatment of indoor air with bacteria and fungus, by spraying a solution in the room with Escherichia coli bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans fungus, then air samples were taken from the room. After that, the proposed air recirculator was launched and left in the operating state, and samples were taken again after 60 minutes of its operation, after which the results of the air before and after the operation of the recirculator were compared. The results are presented in Fig. 7. According to tests conducted in the research laboratory, the proposed air recirculator provides a level of germ reduction for the tested bacteria with an efficiency of 100%, and for the tested fungus 93% after 60 minutes after the start of the air recirculator.

Thus, as shown in the above description of the invention, a technical result is achieved, which consists in increasing the efficiency of air disinfection while increasing the reliability of operation and the efficiency of servicing the air recirculator.

Claims

Air recirculator containing a housing in which a fan is installed, and a source of UV radiation, made in the form of longitudinally mounted mercury lamps, characterized in that it additionally contains a mounting plate for mounting lamps fixed in the grooves made inside the housing, a reflective plate, an electrical connector, including a plug and a corresponding socket, while the body is made of solid aluminum.
The air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains an additional mounting plate for mounting lamps, fixed in additional grooves made inside the housing.
Air recirculator according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the mounting plate for mounting the lamps is made of stainless steel with a mirror surface.
An air recirculator according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the thickness of the mounting plate for mounting the lamps is set in the range from 1.5 to 2 mm.
Air recirculator according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the mounting plate for mounting the lamps is made with a hole.
The air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that the reflective plate is fixed inside the housing.
Air recirculator according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the lamps are fixed on the mounting plate for fixing the lamps by means of clamps.
The air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains filters installed in frames, which are fixed in the end parts of the housing.
Air recirculator according to claim 8, characterized in that the filters and filter frames are treated with nano silver.
Air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner surface of the housing is treated with nano silver.
Air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug is fixed on a mounting plate for mounting lamps, and the socket is fixed on a reflective plate.
An air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains an electronics control unit.
The air recirculator according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains a counter of hours of operation of the lamps.