Demonstrating UVC LED Inside Automobile HVAC Chambers for Clean Cabin Air and Airborne Transmission Risk Reduction
2022-01-0223
03/29/2022
- Event
- Content
- The COVID-19 pandemic affected mobility in many ways- from changing business models of moving passenger to delivering packages and food, developing cleaning protocols for interiors and increasing the awareness of consumers to the hidden dangers of pathogens and viruses in an enclosed space. A trend towards healthy cars is believed to remain after the current pandemic and has led to the emergence of new safety features, from CO2 gas sensors, to antimicrobial fabrics, and enhanced air purifiers. While air purifiers trap contaminants using cartridge filters, they are not particularly efficient at removing viral particles and create large pressure drops, which must be compensated with larger fans, increasing noise and power consumption, both of which are not optimal for vehicle HVAC systems. However, air purifiers act as a pressure head, which limits their utility. UVC was not previously an option because mercury lamps pose their own electrical and chemical hazards. But because of recent improvements in UVC LED lifetime and power, they may be a better alternative, as highlighted by recent studies of in-air inactivation of H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2. Here, we present the concept of equivalent air changes per hour and the results of integrating a UVC LED system into a car. The impact on HVAC materials over the simulated lifetime of a car is also shown, to prove compatibility of UVC LED technology with existing materials and ease of integration.
- Citation
- Randive, R., Mariita, R., Davis, J., Schwegler, T. et al., "Demonstrating UVC LED Inside Automobile HVAC Chambers for Clean Cabin Air and Airborne Transmission Risk Reduction," SAE Technical Paper 2022-01-0223, 2022, .