Paraguni tat-teknoloġija
Mercury vapor lamps in various iterations (medium- and low-pressure) have been at the core of UV disinfection for several decades. Although the use of LEDs in the mass visible light market have become commonplace during the last decade, their use in the disinfection arena was initially restricted to specialized niche applications due to relatively high cost and limited UV output efficiency. In recent years, great strides have been made in refining UV-C LED technology to the point where the cost-benefit analysis has become more favorable, firstly in POU applications (e.g., water dispensing) and, most recently, in POE applications. The early negative aspects of material toxicity, heat management, and cost have been addressed. All materials used are now reduction of hazardous substances (RoHS)-compliant, integrated heat sinks handle thermal management effectively and continuously improving cost versus output is well demonstrated by the graphical representation of Haitz's Law (see Figure 1). Haitz's law is the observed and forecasted improvement of LEDs over the years. This law has found that every decade, the cost falls by a factor of 10 and the amount of light generated increases by a factor of 20. This evolution is taking place at the same time that pressure to eliminate the use and subsequent disposal of mercury is increasing.
At their core, UV disinfection systems are based on two principles – the efficiency of the UV lamp and the efficiency of the reactor design. Typically, conventional UV lamps are more efficient, producing more UV light than heat when compared to UV-C LED light sources. The opposite is true with conventional mercury lamp reactor design, as the cylindrical design is typically less efficient than modern UV-C LED reactors, which can be custom-designed based on the flexibility of the LEDs. In addition to the cost versus output improvements noted above, UV-C LED reactor and UV output efficiency are both benefitting from continuous improvement at a rapid pace, accelerating the penetration of LED technology into higher-flow applications. A particular advantage offered by UV-C LED technology is the ability to tailor UV wavelengths for specific, targeted applications due to not being constrained by the 254nm output of low-pressure mercury vapor lamps.
Filwaqt li s-sistemi konvenzjonali tad-diżinfezzjoni UV bbażati fuq il--lampi-merkurju se jkomplu jiddominaw xi setturi tas-suq, b'mod aktar speċjali l-applikazzjonijiet kummerċjali u industrijali ta' fluss-għoli, hemm fatturi addizzjonali (bħall-ispiża ta’ sjieda u rekwiżiti ta’ manutenzjoni fit-tul-) li se jmexxu l-adozzjoni ta’ apparati LED UV-C f’numru dejjem jikber ta’ applikazzjonijiet. Minħabba l-proprjetajiet uniċi tal-uv-c leds, il-fouling huwa ħafna inqas ta' tħassib peress li l-iskarigu tas-sħana huwa ġestit fuq wara tas-sistema bl-użu tat-teknoloġija tas-sink tas-sħana aktar milli l-interface tal-lampa/kmiem/ilma tal-kwarz, fejn il-fouling u konsegwentement trasmissjoni UV mnaqqsa tista 'sseħħ fl-ilma li fih minerali ebusija. F'sistemi konvenzjonali, it-teknoloġija instantanja -fuq l-LED tippermetti li l-LEDs jitħaddmu biss meta l-ilma jiċċirkola, u b'hekk telimina l-akkumulazzjoni tas-sħana-li tirriżulta f'fouling waqt kundizzjonijiet staġnati (l-ebda fluss) li spiss jinstabu fis-sistemi bl-użu ta' lampi tal-merkurju li jaħdmu b'mod permanenti. L-eliminazzjoni tal-isparatura tal-ilma sħun familjari assoċjata ma 'sistemi konvenzjonali mhux mgħammra b'valv ta' dump tal-ġestjoni tat-temperatura hija benefiċċju miżjud. Il-proprjetajiet instant on/off tal-LEDs u l-abbiltà konsegwenti li jitħaddmu biss meta jkun meħtieġ inaqqsu drastikament l-intervalli ta 'sostituzzjoni tal-bozoz meta mqabbla ma' lampi tal-merkurju konvenzjonali. Ibbażat fuq id-domanda medja għall-ilma tad-dar ta' 2-3 sigħat kuljum, l-intervall ta' sostituzzjoni għall-LEDs huwa tipikament ta' ħames snin, meta mqabbel mas-sostituzzjoni annwali tal-lampi tal-merkurju. Il-vantaġġ fuq talba, flimkien mad-domanda tal-enerġija rregolata mill-fluss, ifisser li r-rekwiżit tal-enerġija elettrika fit-tul-hija sostanzjalment aktar baxxa għas-sistemi LED UV-C.
