US-based LED water disinfection giant AquiSense Technologies has developed a mercury-free technology with a significantly smaller footprint, says LEDs Magazine. Its PearlAqua Micro A point-of-dispense (PoD) disinfection system measures just 3.81cm in diameter, less than half the size of its Micro B predecessor.
“Customers have been using the B unit as a PoD solution, but the Micro A unit is the first of its kind designed specifically for PoD. And yet it can still deliver the same flow/dose as the larger B unit,” says a spokesperson from AquiSense.
The Micro A reactor provides greater than 99.99% pathogen reduction at 2 litres per minute flow with up to 10 000-hour UV-C LED lifetime. The self-contained device comprises the reactor, light source, ballast and controls for simplified integration into water dispensing systems.
AquiSense CEO Oliver Lawal says, “The industry has expressed a need for a smaller unit, treating dispensing flow rates, but at high UV dose levels. The challenge was also to simplify the product design to reduce assembly time and cost for very high-volume OEM customers.” He noted that the company has already received large volume pre-orders.
LED benefits such as instant on/off and unlimited power cycling, consistent operating temperature, and select wavelengths between 250 and 300 nm enable a more energy-efficient design with reduced water-fouling potential compared to shorter lifetimes, operating temperature fluctuations, and the potential for wasted radiation with mercury-lamp-based systems, according to AquiSense.
