Patent ID: 6773584
Filing Date: 2004-08-10
Classification: A61L,B01D,C02F,F24F

Abstract:
A system to disinfect water using ultraviolet radiation (UV), said system comprising:(a) a fluid inlet tube (10), for carrying a fluid (5) to be disinfected, said fluid having a first refractive index, said fluid inlet tube constructed from a material having a second refractive index and comprising an entrance end (11), a distally opposing exit end (12), an internal surface (13) in contact with said fluid, and an external surface (14); (b) an optical cladding tube (20) disposed around the external surface of the fluid inlet tube defining a concentric gap (15) between said fluid inlet tube and said optical cladding tube, wherein said concentric gap has a third refractive index; (c) a fluid containment vessel (30) around said fluid inlet tube and said optical cladding tube wherein a portion of said fluid inlet tube extends from said fluid containment vessel and said concentric gap is hydraulically isolated from said fluid containment vessel; (d) an ultraviolet inlet aperture (35) disposed on and forming a portion of said fluid containment vessel; (e) a high intensity ultraviolet lamp (40) providing ultraviolet radiation that passes through said ultraviolet inlet aperture and impinges upon said internal surface of said fluid inlet tube at a predetermined range of incidence angles; (i) wherein said predetermined range of incidence angles is limited in accordance with said first, second and third refractive indices such that the inlet tube acts as a light pipe wherein substantially all of the ultraviolet radiation is propagated through said inlet tube via total internal reflection; and (f) a fluid outlet tube (50) extending from said fluid containment vessel.