Open AccessEstimation of the Ultraviolet-C Doses from Mercury Lamps and Light-Emitting Diodes Required to Disinfect Surfaces
Author(s) -
Pablo Fredes,
Ulrich Raff,
E. Gramsch,
Marcelo Tarkowski
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of research of the national institute of standards and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.202
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 2165-7254
pISSN - 1044-677X
DOI - 10.6028/jres.126.025
Subject(s) - irradiance , ultraviolet , irradiation , optoelectronics , radiation , materials science , diode , mercury (programming language) , wavelength , optics , mercury vapor lamp , light emitting diode , ultraviolet radiation , computer science , physics , chemistry , radiochemistry , nuclear physics , programming language
Disinfection of surfaces by ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation is gaining importance in diverse applications. However, there is generally no accepted computational procedure to determine the minimum irradiation times and UV-C doses required for reliable and secure disinfection of surfaces. UV-C dose distributions must be comparable for devices presently on the market and future ones, as well as for the diverse surfaces of objects to be disinfected. A mathematical model is presented to estimate irradiance distributions. To this end, the relevant parameters are defined. These parameters are the optical properties of the UV-C light sources, such as wavelength and emitted optical power, as well as electrical features, like radiant efficiency and consumed power. Furthermore, the characteristics and geometry of the irradiated surfaces as well as the positions of the irradiated surfaces in relation to the UV-C light sources are considered. Because mercury (Hg) lamps are competitive with UV-C light-emitting diodes, a comparative analysis between these two light sources based on the simulation results is also discussed.