Design of optical cavity for air sanification through ultraviolet germicidal irradiation

Opt Express. 2021 Jun 7;29(12):18688-18704. doi: 10.1364/OE.422437.

Abstract

The transmission of airborne pathogens represents a major threat to worldwide public health. Ultraviolet light irradiation can contribute to the sanification of air to reduce the pathogen transmission. We have designed a compact filter for airborne pathogen inactivation by means of UVC LED sources, whose effective irradiance is enhanced thanks to high reflective surfaces. We used ray-tracing and computational fluid dynamic simulations to model the device and to maximize the performance inside the filter volume. Simulations also show the inhibition of SARS-Cov-2 in the case of high air fluxes. This study demonstrates that current available LED technology is effective for air sanification purposes.

MeSH terms

  • Air Microbiology*
  • COVID-19 / prevention & control*
  • Disinfection / instrumentation*
  • Disinfection / methods
  • Equipment Design*
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods*
  • Inhalation Exposure / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Ultraviolet Rays*