A Novel System for Water Disinfection with UV Radiation

• Main Authors: Bassam A. Younis, Laura Mahoney, Nicholas Palomo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-09-01
• Series: Water
• Subjects: UV treatment system; swirling flow; lamp fouling; 3D printing; CFD
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/9/1275

We present a novel system for water disinfection with ultra-violet (UV) radiation. In this system, the UV lamps do not come into contact with the water and hence remain free of fouling. The system incorporates a diffusor and a nozzle, with stationary guide vanes built into each. Their combined purpose is to reduce the hydraulic losses while imparting a strong swirl component to the flow. The swirl significantly enhances turbulent mixing processes and provides a self-cleansing mechanism that renders the system tolerant to high levels of turbidity and scaling. The hydrodynamic performance of the system was optimized using Computational Fluid Dynamics, while the manufacture of its key components was accomplished using advanced mechanical design software and three-dimensional (3D) printing. Biodosimetry testing with the bacteriophage MS2 indicated the delivery of a UV dose of 215.6 mJ/cm2. This produced a 6.9 log10 reduction of E. coli and 7.12 log10 reduction of MS2. Assessment of the system with hard water containing high Ca, Mg, and Fe concentrations, and with water with turbidity of 18 NTU indicated that the log10 removal of E. coli remained above 5.