Investigation of microbial inactivation efficiency of a UV disinfection system employing an excimer lamp

An ultraviolet (UV) disinfection reactor based on excimer lamp technology was designed by integration of the results of numerical simulations based on computational fluid dynamics and a fluence rate (E′) distribution model for cylindrical excimer lamps. The E′ distribution model was developed based on a point source approach that accounts for absorption, dissipation, reflection, and refraction within the reactor system. A prototype reactor was constructed with a xenon–bromide excimer lamp and an internal spiral baffle. Experiments were conducted on the reactor to test its effectiveness for disinfection of drinking water in situations where the use of mercury-based UV sources is restricted or undesirable; a similar design approach could be used to develop an excimer UV reactor for disinfection of other fluid media, including wastewater or air.