Next-gen UV treatment

Posted by: Rick_D

Next-gen UV treatment - 01/29/15 04:41 PM

It looks as though the puzzle of getting high-energy UV light from an LED has been solved.
Quote:
These deep UV LEDs emit even shorter wavelengths of light than blue LEDs, and they have promising applications. Nikkiso envisions applications for its deep UV LEDs in three broad fields.

First is the environmental field, where the sterilizing effects of deep UV radiation can be put to use disinfecting water and sewage. This is already done using mercury lamps, but the new LEDs have many advantages: They are smaller and can run on lower voltage, around 5-7 volts. They are far more durable, lasting more than 10,000 hours, compared to around 3,000 to 5,000 hours for mercury lamps. Finally, they do not use toxic mercury.

Could be a pretty big deal if the technology trickles down [heh] to our world. Imagine a UV sterilizer as efficient and reliable as our little UV flashlights.

Cheers,
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Next-gen UV treatment - 02/13/15 08:28 PM

This would be nice. Thanks for sharing...
Posted by: tramp

Re: Next-gen UV treatment - 02/13/15 09:22 PM

Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't that what this is? confused
Posted by: DTape

Re: Next-gen UV treatment - 02/14/15 09:42 AM

Originally Posted By tramp
Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't that what this is? confused


Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought the steripen uV lamp was NOT an LED. The steripen does use an LED for the visible light portion. If the new technology in the earlier post proves effective, the steripen uV lamp will last much longer as an LED.
Posted by: Pika

Re: Next-gen UV treatment - 02/14/15 10:33 AM

The lamp shown in the Opti add is not an LED. It looks pretty much the same as the lamp in my 8-year-old Steripen Adventurer. I'm not sure whether it is a Mercury vapor lamp or not but it is a doubled-over small-bore fluorescent tube. It produces a purplish visible (in low light) glow when working. There is also an LED indicator light on the side of the unit to indicate whether it is operating properly.
Posted by: Rick_D

Re: Next-gen UV treatment - 02/14/15 01:06 PM

Originally Posted By Pika
The lamp shown in the Opti add is not an LED. It looks pretty much the same as the lamp in my 8-year-old Steripen Adventurer. I'm not sure whether it is a Mercury vapor lamp or not but it is a doubled-over small-bore fluorescent tube. It produces a purplish visible (in low light) glow when working. There is also an LED indicator light on the side of the unit to indicate whether it is operating properly.

Yup, all the current UV devices use mercury discharge tubes that, IIUC function similarly to standard fluorescent lights but covering a different part of the spectrum.

Compared to these, an LED system would be much more efficient.
Posted by: tramp

Re: Next-gen UV treatment - 02/14/15 08:01 PM

Well then I stand corrected..........or sit as the case may be.