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Efficient, Cost-Effective Air Filtration System

IP Title

Infrared Radiation Filter Systems, Methods of Use, and Methods of Disinfection and Decontamination

Detailed Technology Description

None

Application Date

Sep 11, 2012

Application No.

8.963,109

Others

*Abstract

Invention

This state-of-the-art air filtration system uses infrared radiation heating to purify air by decomposing biochemical agents. As flu epidemics and bioterrorism risks threaten public health, concern about airborne pathogens has grown. While a number of disinfectors for airborne microorganisms are available on the market, their intricate designs make them slow to work, overly complicated, and extremely expensive to install. Available technologies are also inefficient when dealing with highly resistant bacterial spores. Additionally, the lack of proper decontamination for the filters themselves leaves the airway susceptible to surviving agents, negating most of the original cleansing processes.

Researchers at the University of Florida have designed a simple, inexpensive, and self-cleaning device for proper air purification in heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of both commercial and residential spaces. As concern grows about hazardous biological and chemical agents in government building, hospitals, businesses, and homes, this easy addition to existing air filtration devices offers a more cost-effective, safer solution for air purification.

Application

Efficient air filtration system that purifies and sterilizes air in residential and work settings

Advantages

• Uses a simple and inexpensive design, resulting in cheaper and more manageable air filtration with easier installation
• Cleans more rapidly than current systems while consuming less power, increasing efficiency and savings on overhead costs
• Destroys highly resistant endospores more effectively, providing cleaner, healthier air for employees and families
• Includes a self-cleaning capability, preventing the buildup of harmful pathogens common to filters in existing air filtration systems

Technology

In this filtration system, an infrared (IR) radiation process quickly heats contaminated filters to ultra-high temperatures. This heating rapidly sterilizes the filter and decomposes captured biochemical agents, offering quicker and more cost effective filter cleaning. Besides increased efficiency and cleaner air outputs, the device also boasts superfast heat-up times, less power consumption, and a simpler design when compared to existing bio-aerosol control systems. Additionally, an accompanying technology – a filter pack with multiple layers of low-pressure fiber mats and microwave absorbing ceramic mats -- would further improve inactivation system efficiency. The product, after effectively eradicating airborne agents collected within its filter, cleans itself through microwave irradiation, further promoting clean air and healthy environments.

Related to 15536

*IP Issue Date

Feb 24, 2015

*IP Publication Date

Jan 3, 2013

*Principal Investigator

Name: Chang-Yu Wu

Department:

Name: Brian Damit

Department:

Country/Region

USA