Low-voltage ballast-free energy-efficient ultraviolet material treatment and purification system and method
OwnerJorge M. Parrainventor
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Abstract
A low-voltage ballast-free energy-efficient ultra-violet material treatment and purification system and method having an ultraviolet (UV) source comprising a gas discharge UV lamp having spaced electrodes, a source of a low-voltage, high-frequency alternating current square wave voltage and connected directly to the spaced electrodes to non-thermionically excite the gas discharge UV lamp. A flow sensor is used to proportionately control the intensity of UV generation as a function of flow rate.
Claims18
In a fluid purification system in which fluid flowing in a path is subjected to ultraviolet (UV) energy, the improvement comprising:
- a fluid flow rate sensor for measuring the fluid flow rate of fluid flowing in said path and producing a fluid flow rate control signal,
- an ultraviolet (UV) source positioned in said path, said UV source having a UV lamp and a square wave alternating current driver circuit connected to said UV lamp to non-thermionically start and operate said lamp with a square wave alternating current voltage,
- a controller connected to said ultraviolet source and said flow rate sensor for proportionately controlling the intensity of ultraviolet energy emitted in said path by said intensity control as a function of said fluid flow rate control signal.
In an ultraviolet (UV) material treatment system, the improvement comprising an ultraviolet (UV) source, said UV source comprising in combination:
- a UV lamp and
- a source of low-voltage, high-frequency, square wave alternating voltage in the frequency range of about 100 kHz to about 1.5 MHz connected to said UV lamp to non-thermionically start and operate said UV lamp.
A method of non-thermionically energizing an ultraviolet (UV) lamp device having spaced electrodes immersed in a gas at voltages far below the required starter ignition voltage for cold cathodes comprising:
- providing a low-voltage square wave alternating voltage source of between about 4-16 volts and between about 100 kHz and 1.5 MHz,
- and applying said low-voltage square wave alternating voltage from said source directly to said UV device so that the voltage on said UV lamp electrodes reverses its polarity more rapidly than the pattern of electron and ion density in the gas can shift.
An ultraviolet (UV) source comprising one or more UV lamps, each UV lamp having a transparent envelope filled with a gas emitting UV on ionization thereof, spaced electrodes in each of said one or more envelopes, respectively, and a source of low voltage, high-frequency square wave alternating voltage directly connected to said electrodes to non-thermionically start and operate said UV lamp.
The UV source defined in claim 9 wherein said source of low voltage, high-frequency square-wave alternating voltage is variable.
A non-thermionic ultraviolet (UV) source comprising in combination a gas discharge UV lamp having spaced electrodes, a source of a low-voltage, high-frequency alternating current square wave voltage and a circuit applying said low-voltage, high frequency square wave voltage to said spaced electrodes of said gas UV discharge lamp wherein said spaced electrodes are non-thermionically excited.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.