Device for disinfecting water comprising a UV-C gas discharge lamp

• US 6,398,970 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2000
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Signify North America Corporation (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Wiechert, Detlef U., Dirscherl, Jürgen, Nikol, Hans, Jüstel, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Simmons, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRINCE JR, FREDDIE GARY
• Application Number:
  US09/561,613
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 210/748, 210/512, 422/24, 422/186.3, 252/301.4, 313/486, 313/487, 313/568, 313/572, 313/581, 313/637, 313/643, 313/607, 313/635, 250/432.R, 250/461.1
• US Class Current: 210/198.1
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/325 Irradiation devices or lamp constructions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3228 Units having reflectors, e.g. coatings, baffles, plates, mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 65/04 Lamps in which a gas filling is excited to luminesce by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation, e.g. for indicating plasma display panels

Abstract

The device for disinfecting water comprises a gas discharge lamp including a discharge vessel with walls composed of a dielectric material, which walls are provided on their outer surfaces with at least a first and a second electrode, and which discharge vessel contains a gas filling containing xenon, the inner surface of the walls being at least partly covered with a coating containing a phosphor emitting in the UV-C range. Such a device for disinfecting water can always be made 100% operation within milliseconds, and the UV-radiation of the device has a spectral composition which lies exclusively in the range relevant for disinfecting, i.e. between 230 and 300 nm.

Claims

1. A device for disinfecting water comprising a gas discharge lamp including a discharge vessel with walls composed of a dielectric material, comprising a first electrode on the outer surface of said walls and a second electrode, said discharge vessel containing a xenon-containing gas filling, wherein the walls are provided, at least on a part of the inner surface, with a coating containing a phosphor emitting in the UV-C range.

2. A device for disinfecting water as claimed in claim 1, wherein the phosphor comprises an activator selected from the group consisting of Pb²⁺, Bi³⁺ and Pr³⁺ in a host lattice.

3. A device for disinfecting water as claimed in claim 1, wherein the phosphor contains Pr³⁺ and lanthanum.

4. A device for disinfecting water as claimed in claim 1, wherein the phosphor is selected from the group consisting of LaPO₄:

Pr, LaBO;

Pr, YBO₃;

Pr , YPO₄;

Pr and Y₂SiO₅;

Pr.

5. A device for disinfecting water as claimed in claim 1, wherein the phosphor is selected from the group consisting of YPO₄:

Bi; and

LaPO₄;

Bi.

6. A device for disinfecting water as claimed in claim 1, wherein the phosphor contains Pr³⁺ and yttrium.

7. A device for disinfecting water as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodes are composed of a metal or an alloy reflecting UV-C light.

8. A gas discharge lamp comprising a discharge vessel with walls composed of a dielectric material, the outer surface of said walls being provided with at least a first and a second electrode, and the discharge vessel being filled with a gas containing xenon, wherein the walls are provided, at least on a part of their inner surface, with a coating containing a phosphor emitting in the UV-C range.