METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR DISINFECTING AIR AND/OR SURFACES

Abstract

To provide a method for disinfecting air and/or surfaces which can be carried out truly continuously, in particular for essentially 24 hours a day, with people and/or animals present, the a method for disinfecting air and/or surfaces is proposed, wherein a disinfectant is dispersed continuously into a volume and/or area to be disinfected, wherein the disinfectant comprises electrolyzed and/or sterilized water containing hypochlorous acid, and wherein the disinfectant is dispersed at a dispersion rate between 0.5 ml/m.sup.3/h and 12 ml/m.sup.3/h.

Claims

1. Method for disinfecting air and/or surfaces, wherein a disinfectant is dispersed continuously into a volume and/or area to be disinfected, wherein the disinfectant comprises electrolyzed and/or sterilized water containing hypochlorous acid, characterized in that the disinfectant is dispersed at a dispersion rate between 0.5 ml/m.sup.3/h and 12 ml/m.sup.3/h.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispersion rate is between 0.75 ml/m.sup.3/h and 7.5 ml/m.sup.3/h, preferably 1.0 ml/m.sup.3/h and 3.0 ml/m.sup.3/h, further preferably between 1.5 ml/m.sup.3/h and 2.0 ml/m.sup.3/h, and/or that the disinfectant is dispersed for at least 12 hours a day, preferably for at least 16 hours a day, further preferably for at least 20 hours a day, particularly preferably for essentially 24 hours a day.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the disinfectant is dispersed as an aerosol, wherein a mean value of a droplet size distribution is between 0.5 μm and 50 μm, preferably between 1 μm and 10 μm, further preferably between 2 μm and 8 μm, particularly preferably between 3 μm and 7 μm, and/or that the disinfectant has a pH between 5 and 9, preferably between 6 and 8, further preferably between 6.5 and 7.5, and/or that the hypochlorous acid has a concentration in the disinfectant between 10 ppm and 1.000 ppm, preferably between 100 ppm and 500 ppm, further preferably between 200 ppm and 400 ppm, and/or that the disinfectant has a redox potential between 500 mV and 1.500 mV, preferably between 700 mV and 1.200 mV, further preferably between 900 mV and 1.000 mV.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the disinfectant comprises at least one additive, wherein the additive preferably is present in the disinfectant with a weight percentage or a volume percentage between 0.1% and 5.0%, further preferably between 0.25% and 1.0%, still further preferably between 0.5% and 0.75%, and/or wherein preferably the at least one additive comprises an essential oil, wherein the essential oil further preferably is at least one out of cinnamon oil, carvacrol oil, thymol oil, cajuput oil, clove oil, eucalyptus oil, sage oil, tea tree oil.

5. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the aerosol of the disinfectant stays in the air of the volume and/or area for at least 4 hours, preferably for at least 5 hours, further preferably for at least 6 hours.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispersion rate is adjusted based on at least one of the parameters: concentration of hypochlorous acid in disinfectant, air exchange rate, humidity, atmospheric pressure, surface area and/or material of surfaces present in the volume and/or area, decay rate of disinfectant, number of people present in volume and/or area.

7. Apparatus for disinfecting air and/or surfaces, in particular for dispersing disinfectants, for use in a method according to claim 1, comprising a housing with an outlet opening and a nozzle, wherein the apparatus is configured to eject and/or disperse droplets, in particular an aerosol, of a disinfectant, characterized in that the apparatus comprises an air pump, in particular a Venturi pump, employing Bernoulli's principle to pump a disinfectant through the nozzle.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises a micro sieve arranged essentially at the outlet opening, wherein the micro sieve has openings, wherein a diameter of the openings is less than 10 μm, preferably less than 5 μm, further preferably less than 3 μm, still further preferably less than 1 μm.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the apparatus is configured such that a disinfectant pumped through and ejected from the nozzle subsequently passes through the micro sieve to form droplets, and/or that the housing comprises a cavity, wherein the micro sieve is disposed in the cavity and wherein a mouth of the nozzle opens into the cavity.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the housing comprises a return passage, which fluidically connects to the cavity, wherein the return passage is configured to return disinfectant pooling in the cavity and/or not being ejected from the apparatus back to a disinfectant reservoir.

11. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the nozzle comprises a rotation nozzle piece, wherein the rotation nozzle piece is configured to be rotated by operation of the air pump, and/or that the apparatus further comprises at least one sensor, wherein preferably the at least one sensor comprises a pump pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a dispersion rate sensor, a flow rate sensor, a reservoir level sensor.

12. Disinfectant for a method according to claim 1, comprising is electrolyzed and/or sterilized water containing hypochlorous acid, characterized in that the disinfectant further comprises at least one additive, wherein the at least one additive preferably comprise an essential oil, in particular cinnamon oil, carvacrol oil, thymol oil, cajuput oil, clove oil, eucalyptus oil, sage oil, tea tree oil.

13. System for disinfecting air and/or surfaces, configured for conducting a method according to claim 1, characterized in that the system comprises at least one sensor and a data processing unit, wherein the data processing unit is configured to receive measurement data from the at least one sensor, wherein the data processing unit is configured to, preferably dynamically, adapt a dispersion rate of a disinfectant based on the measurement data.

14. Disinfectant reservoir, comprising a container, wherein the container has an interior coating, preferably of ZnO, and/or wherein the container has an exterior coating, preferably of ZnO, further preferably a lamination of a ZnO film, and/or wherein the container is a double-walled container.

15. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of claim 6.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0103] The invention is described in the following with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0104] FIG. 1 shows a system for disinfecting air and/or surfaces,

[0105] FIG. 2a shows a cut out view of an apparatus for dispersing a disinfectant,

[0106] FIG. 2b shows an exploded view of an apparatus for dispersing a disinfectant,

[0107] FIG. 2c shows a cross sectional view of an apparatus for dispersing a disinfectant,

[0108] FIG. 3 shows a nozzle for an apparatus for dispersing a disinfectant, and

[0109] FIG. 4 shows an apparatus for dispersing a disinfectant mounted on a disinfectant reservoir.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0110] FIG. 1 shows a system 100 for disinfecting air and/or surfaces. The system 100 comprises an apparatus 200 for dispersing a disinfectant as well as an HVAC system 10 comprising ducts 11. The apparatus 200 has a shell 12a. Inside the shell 12a housing 12 comprising an outlet opening 13, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, is disposed. Furthermore, an air pump 32 is arranged inside shell 12a. An aerosol of a disinfectant is ejected through the outlet opening 13 of the apparatus 200 and guided to the HVAC system 100 via a delivery tube 14. During operation of the system 100, the aerosol of the disinfectant is distributed via the ducts 11 throughout a building. The system further comprises a sensor 33 for measuring, for example atmospheric pressure or room humidity. A data processing unit 35 is disposed inside shell 12a. Based on measurement data of the sensor 33, and of additional sensors 34 of the apparatus (FIGS. 2a and 2b), the data processing unit adjusts a dispersion rate of the disinfectant.

[0111] FIG. 2a shows a cut out view of an apparatus 200 for dispersing a disinfectant, which can be used in the system 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 2b shows an exploded view of the apparatus of FIG. 2a. FIG. 2c shows a cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIGS. 2a and 2b.

[0112] The apparatus 200 comprises a housing 12 having an outlet opening 13. A cavity 14 is disposed inside the housing 12. A mouth 15 of a nozzle 16 opens into the cavity 31. A micro sieve 17 is arranged essentially at the outlet opening 13. The housing 12 further comprises a connector 18 for an air pump 32. When the air pump 32 is operated, a low pressure region is created inside the nozzle 16 and a disinfectant is syphoned from a disinfectant reservoir 19 (FIG. 4) through an inlet pipe 20. The disinfectant is mixed with air in a mixing chamber 21 of the nozzle 16 and ejected from the mouth 15 of the nozzle 16 into the cavity 31. Because of the high ejection velocity of the disinfectant from the nozzle 16, the disinfectant is pushed against the micro sieve 17. The micro sieve 17 has openings 22 with a diameter of about 1 μm to 10 μm. Disinfectant passing the micro sieve 17 is dispersed into an aerosol with droplet sizes in the range of preferably 3 μm to 7 μm. The aerosol is then ejected through the outlet opening 13 either directly into a volume and/or area to be disinfected or the aerosol is guided via a delivery tube 14 into the ducts 11 of an HVAC system 100 (FIG. 1). The nozzle 16 further comprises a rotation nozzle piece 23 configured as an atomization device 24. The rotation nozzle piece 23 comprises the mouth 15 of the nozzle 16. The rotation nozzle piece 23 is mounted rotatably in the nozzle 16 and is rotated by the operation of the air pump 32. Because of the rotation of the rotation nozzle piece 23 the disinfectant ejected from mouth 15 of nozzle 16 is accelerated in the radial direction to form a spray cone with an opening angle of approximately 160°. The apparatus 200 also comprises a sensor 34, configured for measuring a flow rate of the disinfectant through the nozzle or to measure the air pump pressure.

[0113] The housing 12 further comprises a return passage 25 fluidically connected to the cavity 31 and the disinfectant reservoir 19 (FIG. 4). Any disinfectant pooling inside cavity 31 is returned to the disinfectant reservoir 19 via return passage 25.

[0114] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the nozzle 16 of the apparatus 200. The nozzle 16 comprises a rotation nozzle piece 23 configured as an atomization device 24. The mouth 15 of the nozzle 15 is disposed in the rotation nozzle piece 23. A disinfectant syphoned from a disinfectant reservoir 19 and pumped through nozzle 16 is ejected from mouth 15 of the rotation nozzle piece 23 into a spray cone with an opening angle of about 160°.

[0115] FIG. 4 shows the apparatus 200 mounted on top of a disinfectant reservoir 19. The disinfecting reservoir 19 is configured as a container 26 having an exterior coating 27 of a ZnO laminate. On the inside the container 26 is also covered with ZnO. The container 26 is configured as a double-walled container 28. The apparatus 200 is connected to the disinfectant reservoir 19 via a connecting section 29 (FIGS. 2a and 2b). The disinfectant reservoir 19 also comprises a latch 30 for mounting the disinfectant reservoir to a wall.