This Small Innovation Research (SBIR) project will bring to market a low power, point of use (PoU) water disinfection system designed to retrofit into existing passive (non-germicidal) filtration systems. This project will use ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) along with a novel and proprietary flow cell design, resulting in PoU water disinfection. Current ultraviolet PoU water disinfection is accomplished using discharge lamps, which requires high voltage, ballasts, and a relatively large form factor. The use of UV LEDs instead of discharge lamps will allow the light sources to reside inside a smaller form factor, and to function at lower overall electrical power, without line voltage and ballasts. Furthermore, the proprietary optical design of the flow cell will improve upon conventional flow cells by maximizing the ultraviolet dose received by microorganisms in the water, and increasing their residence time in the flow cell.
Currently, there are no PoU systems employing UV LEDs as the germicidal source. If successful, the product developed under the phase II program will be the first of its kind and provide a point of entry for UV LEDs into the large PoU water sterilization market. The low power aspect and small form factor of the flow cell will make the system potentially suitable for battery operated field applications where line voltage is not available. Such applications may include military or medical field operations. Overall societal impact should be significant, particularly in markets outside the United States where there is increasing concern about water sterility.
The objective of the Phase II program was to demonstrate a commercially viable UV-LED water disinfection system based on Dot Metrics’ patented design. This was accomplished through extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling and multiple design iterations. Progress in creation of the water disinfection system during the Phase II program created a commercially viable technology which resulted in Dot Metrics obtaining a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with one of the world’s largest producers of UV water disinfection equipment, Aquionics Inc. (Erlanger, KY). The result of the Phase II and JDA effort was a commercial product the UV Pearl™. The UV Pearl™ has recently been rebranded the Pearl Aqua™ To date the project has resulted in three commercial products. The Intellectual Merit of the project hinged on the advancement in the state of the art of water disinfection. This project resulted in the demonstration of the world’s most efficient water disinfection reactor. The efficiency is measured in terms of how many gallons per minute (GPM) of water can be disinfected per watt of optical input power. The UV Pearl uses the least amount of photons or UV light to disinfect as compared to other commercial systems. This reactor efficiency as we have termed it, allows the UV Pearl to have lower power consumption, and the system has been proven to be greater than 20 times more efficient than comparable commercial systems. Broader Impacts of the project include societal benefits from the creation of a method to provide microbiologically safe water. It is anticipated as this technology matures, the system could be deployed for point of use drinking water applications, requiring non-chemical disinfection methods with off-grid (battery powered) operation. This project also provided research experience for several undergraduate and graduate STEM students.
