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Analysis of New Standards in the Field of UV - C Disinfection

Article in Light & Engineering · June 2023

DOI: 10.33383/2022-068

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Light & Engineering https://doi.org/10.33383/2022-068
Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 11–20, 2023 Svetotekhnika, 2022, #6, pp.85–91

ANALYSIS OF NEW STANDARDS IN THE FIELD

OF UV - C DISINFECTION

Alexander V. Karev1* and Nikolay A. Malyshev2

1IGC Lighting Technologies, Moscow

2National Medical Research Centre for Surgery named after A.V. Vishnevsky, Moscow
E-mail: * [email protected]

ABSTRACTS 1. INTRODUCTION

The coronavirus pandemic continues to plunge The current COVID‑19 pandemic caused by the
the world into waves of a potentially deadly disease spread of the SARS-CoV‑2 coronavirus has updat-
caused by multiple strains of the SARS-CoV‑2 vi- ed the importance of anti-epidemic and disinfection/
rus. A well-known effective method of non-specif- sterilization measures for decontaminating indoor
ic prevention of the spread of respiratory viral in- air. The reason is that pathogenic viruses and other
fections in the Russian Federation is air disinfection microorganisms are mainly transmitted by airborne
using ultraviolet (UV) germicidal irradiation. To- droplets, causing pneumonia, influenza, and other
day, in medical institutions the application of this respiratory diseases [1]. This danger is exacerbat-
technology bases on domestic guidelines devel- ed by the presence of the “sick building syndrome”
oped without taking into account the characteristics that is an increase in nosocomial infections and
of new viruses, new knowledges and technologies relapses of tuberculosis in modern buildings and
in the field of UV radiation generation. A number premises. This problem is especially acute in med-
of new standards have been issued abroad, signifi- ical institutions, crowded places, in closed poor-
cantly deepening the knowledge and capabilities in ly ventilated rooms, as well as in rooms with air
the development and application of UV disinfection recirculation.
devices. This article provides an overview of new One of the most effective and widely tested
standards, highlights the provisions that are appro- methods of air disinfection is its treatment with UV
priate for harmonization with Russian rules and rec- radiation in the germicidal range of (205–315) nm
ommendations for the use of UV radiation. The ar- [2]. When exposed to microorganisms, such UV ra-
ticle shows: the necessity of updating the Russian diation causes destructive-modifying photochemi-
regulatory framework in the field of application of cal damage to their DNA or RNA, ultimately inacti-
UV disinfection technology, the development of vating viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. The technology
new or revision of existing documents by the bodies of disinfection with the germicidal UV radiation
of the sanitary and epidemiological service of the makes it possible to refuse or significantly reduce
Russian Federation in cooperation with competent the use of toxic chemicals for treating surfaces,
technical organizations and specialists. premises, and air. It allows us to use disinfection in
Keywords: ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, the presence of people, to automate the operation of
SARS-CoV‑2, semiconductor and discharge sources UV equipment, ensure dispatching and timely main-
of UV radiation, surface germicidal dose (fluence), tenance, and minimize the number of maintenance
UV disinfection devices, standards personnel.

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

Table 1. Values of UV Radiation Doses for SARS-CoV‑2 Viruses Inactivation

in Air by UV Source at Wavelength 254 nm

Турe Microorganism D90, J/m2 Source

Influenza A 8 bis 19 [Jensen, 1964], [McDevitt, 2012]
Adenovirus Type2 34 bis 59 [Walker, 2007]
[Sagripanti, 2020], [Kowalski et al.,
Viruses SARS-CoV‑2 6.9 bis 12.3
2020], [Biasin, 2021]
Co//-Phage MS2 4 bis 61 [Tseng, 2005], [Walker, 2007]
Pseudomonas-Phage Phi6 6.6 bis 8.6 [Tseng, 2005]
Escherichia coli 3 bis 15 [Kowalski, W., 2009]
Legionella pneumophilia 0.2 bis 0.5 [Li, 2003]
Bacteria
Mycobacterium tuberculosis 4.9 bis 10.8 [IUVA, 2005]
Staphylococcus aureus 2 bis 20 [Kowalski, W., 2009]

Note to Table 1: Experimental and calculated data are given in: a) ANSI/IES RP-44–21 [6]; b) DIN/TS67506–2022 [8]

In Russia, UV disinfection technologies are a safety of equipment, its testing, rules and methods
classic means of non-specific prevention of the of application, etc. Accordingly, even newly certi-
spread of respiratory viral infections, and air dis- fied products in the Russian Federation sometimes
infection equipment is included in the list of man- only formally correspond to their intended purpose
datory for use in organizations engaged in med- for air disinfection and serve only to demonstrate
ical activities [3]. Due to the current pandemic, concern for sanitary and epidemiological safety in
the growing interest in this equipment has caused fact.
a surge in commercial activity in the market and At the same time, in recent years, standards
an explosive growth in production and imports of have been developed abroad [6–8], which regu-
products in this segment. late the requirements for the development, mea-
Against this background, it should be noted that surement of parameters, testing, design, and safety
domestic regulatory documents that formulate re- of UV equipment. These documents and the stan-
quirements for equipment for UV air disinfection dards for measuring the parameters of discharge
[4, 5] were developed more than 10 years ago. They and LED sources of UV radiation [9, 10] together
do not take into account: the possibilities of new formed a modern regulatory and technical base for
technologies for obtaining and controlling UV ra- the development of UV disinfection technologies
diation, new data on the sensitivity of real viruses that ensure that products comply with their func-
to doses of UV radiation, new requirements for the tional purpose.

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

2. STANDARDS AND fact that a microorganism drifting in the air rotates

RECOMMENDATIONS randomly, and the source radiation is re-reflect-
ed from the all surfaces. Thus, the microorganism
Let us consider in more detail some of the issues is sensitive to radiation falling on it from all sides
set out in these documents, which are of great im- in contrast to a flat “receiver”. Accordingly, in this
portance from the point of their possible application case when measuring the fluence, a spherical radia-
on the territory of the EAEU. tion receiver (sensor) should be used that measures
An extremely important innovation is the in- light from all directions. When calculating the bac-
clusion in the standards under consideration of tericidal dose collected by a microorganism in a UV
data on the values ​​of UV radiation doses required field, it should be considered as an arbitrarily rotat-
to inactivate the SARS-CoV‑2 viruses that cause ing spherical object.
COVID‑19. Table 1 shows that, according to two It is important to note that the concept of “volu-
sources, the UV dose required to inactivate 90 % metric germicidal dose”, adopted in domestic sourc-
of SARS-CoV‑2 viruses (D90, J/m2) is in the range es, for example, in [4, 5], is absent in the considered
(6.9–12.3) J/m2 or (0.69–1.23) mJ/cm2. standards in principle.
It should be noted that this range is within the In the new standards, the following devices
range of UV doses of inactivation of the sanitary in- are considered as sources of germicidal UV - C
dicative microorganism Staphylococcus Aureus (2– radiation:
20) J/m2. This is of great practical importance, be- 1. Discharge lamps based on low pressure mer-
cause it is for these values ​​of UV doses that most cury are the most common and effective generators
devices for air and surface disinfection are current- of germicidal radiation, about 45 % of the power
ly calculated and tested. Accordingly, a properly de- supplied to the lamp is converted into radiation with
signed and properly operated device, such as a UV a wavelength of 253.7 nm;
recirculator designed to inactivate Staphylococ- 2. Medium pressure mercury discharge lamps
cus Aureus, should also successfully cope with the are used in small volumes for water disinfection;
SARS-CoV‑2 virus. 3. Impulse xenon lamps, short-arc xenon flash
Another significant, although not new, provision lamps emit an almost continuous spectrum in the
is the exclusive use in the standards of the concept UV range, requiring complex electronics to connect,
of surface germicidal dose (fluence). Fluence F(Δt) and they are used for air and surface disinfection;
is the total radiant energy dQ, passing from all in- 4. Excimer lamps are a type of gas discharge
cident directions onto a surface of a microorgan- lamps that use excited exciplex molecules to gener-
ism (infinitesimally small sphere) of cross-section- ate ultraviolet light, for example, the halogen exci-
al area da, divided by da, J/m2. If the fluence rate is mer of an inert gas – ​krypton chloride (KrCl*) has
constant in time, the fluence (J/m2) is the product of a maximum radiation at a wavelength of 222 nm in
the fluence rate (W/m2) and the exposure time (s).

F(Δt)=dQ/da=∫Δt​∫4π​Ldωdt, (1)

where L is the radiation intensity, dω is the differen-

tial solid angle, da is the cross-sectional area of the
sphere, and Δt is the exposure time.
Fig. 1. shows a graphical interpretation of the
fluence, where UV rays hit an infinitesimal sphere
from all directions. The cross section of a sphere
with area da is highlighted in blue.
Note that the F(Δt) is the most appropriate ra-
diometric quantity (fluence) to describe exposure
to airborne microorganisms. A sphere can describe
the form of such a conditional microorganism, with
known assumptions, and the radiation incident on it
is in most cases omnidirectional. This is because the Fig. 1. Graphical interpretation of the concept of “fluence”

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

the zone of germicidal sensitivity of some bacte- radiate the air and surfaces of the room in all direc-
ria and viruses; an asterisk (*) indicates that elec- tions, automatically moving, for example, through
tron-excited particles are emitted in the discharge, the offices and wards of a hospital in the absence of
but it should be remembered that radiation at this people.
wavelength leads to the formation of ozone in in- The following standard ISO 15714:2019 [7] con-
door air; siders the features of evaluating the effectiveness of
5. Progress in the development of LEDs for deep UV air disinfection in the ducts of heating, ventila-
ultraviolet radiation in the range of (255–275) nm tion, and air conditioning systems. In-channel UV
based on aluminium and gallium nitride (AlGaN) disinfection modules are installed in heating, ven-
has shown the promise of their use in disinfection, tilation, and air conditioning systems of buildings
primarily due to miniaturization of the radiation and structures to inactivate microorganisms in the
source, robust design and economy, and due to the passing air stream. The methodology outlined in
small size of UV - C LEDs and controlled radia- the standard includes requirements for the test fa-
tion, it has become possible to uniform irradiate ob- cility, type of microorganism, data calculation, and
jects, guaranteeing the necessary level of irradiation format for reporting results. The technique makes it
for surface treatment, but without exceeding critical possible to determine the doses of UV radiation and
doses of UV radiation and without the risk of dam- simulate the response of actual microorganisms at
age to the treated material [11, 12]. various airflow rates. The standard provides an op-
portunity to evaluate the effectiveness and compare
3. THE MAIN TYPES OF UV the capabilities of in-duct units installed in real ven-
DISINFECTION DEVICES tilation systems.
AND STANDARDS In the vast majority of practical applications of
UV disinfection technology, low-pressure mercu-
The standard [6] lists the main types of devic- ry-based discharge lamps remain the main source of
es that are in demand on the American market for UV radiation. In this regard, the international stan-
UV equipment mostly. In this case, the most pop- dard ISO15727:2020 “UV - C devices. Measure-
ular are: ment of the output power of a UV - C lamp” [9] is
– Devices for UV irradiation of heat exchangers of great practical importance.
of centralized air conditioning systems; The document is based on a method for measur-
– Next come UV lamps (lamp sections) built ing the radiant flux of low pressure linear UV ger-
into the air ducts, disinfecting the air passing micidal lamps in the UV - C range. This type of
through them on the fly; lamp is the main element of the most common UV
– In third place are shielded UV irradiators disinfection devices on the market. The quality of
of the upper zone of the premises “Upper-room such lamps and, above all, the magnitude of the bac-
UVGI”, which irradiate the air in the presence of tericidal flux must first be controlled when obtain-
people in a limited upper zone of the room (above ing certificates of conformity and admission to the
2.3 m), Fig. 2; Russian market. The standard describes two mea-
– A novelty of recent years can be considered surement methods of great practical importance.
mobile robotic devices with open UV lamps that ir-
3.1. Measurement of the Output Power
of a UV Lamp in a “Dark Room”.

“Dark room” – ​a room with minimized reflection

of UV radiation from internal surfaces, stabilized
air temperature and lack of drafts. When placing
the lamp and radiometer according to the scheme,
Fig. 3, the power of the UV - C radiation flux of the
lamp is calculated using the formula:

Fig. 2. An example of the placement of UV irradiators P= E2 π 2DL/(2 α +sin2 α), (2)

in the upper zone of the room

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

As an example, Fig. 4 shows the scheme of the

Fig. 3. Layout of the lamp
and radiometer when test chamber and the main elements of its design
measuring the output with the lamp placed longitudinally.
power of a UV lamp: The method allows realizing simulation mea-
A is the UV - C radiom-
eter; L is the UV lamp
surement of UV - C output power of UV - C lamps
length from electrode tip at different temperatures and different air speeds, as
to electrode tip, m; D is well as under conditions when the axial direction of
the distance (m) from the the lamp is parallel and perpendicular to the direc-
centre of the UV lamp
to the UV - C radiometer tion of the air flow. The results of such tests are of
(here D is not less than great practical importance in the application of ger-
Dmin, many test data show micidal lamps in recirculators and ventilation units
that Dmin is equal to 2L,
where the lamps operate in flowing air streams.
the recommended D is
from 2L to 4L); α is the Based on the data obtained for the same UV - C
half angle (rad) formed by lamp, it is possible to estimate the rate of inactiva-
the UV lamp at the posi- tion of microorganisms in a germicidal unit at dif-
tion of the radiometer; i.e.
tg a = L/(2D) ferent temperatures and air velocities.

3.3. The European Standard

where P is the power of UV - C radiation of the UV DIN/TS67506–2022
lamp (W);
E is the measured UV irradiance (W/m2); The European standard DIN/TS67506–2022 [8]
D is the distance from the centre of the UV - C deals exclusively with secondary UV air disinfec-
lamp to the UV - C radiometer (m); tion devices (UV - C secondary air units), closed de-
L is the length of the formed by the end of the vices with forced air circulation, which use germi-
UV - C lamp, the radiometer location and the mid- cidal ultraviolet radiation to irradiate the air stream
dle of the lamp (rad), tgα = L/(2D). in order to inactivate airborne microorganisms. In
Additional studies of this method for calculating Russian practice, such devices are called closed UV
the power of the UV - C radiation flux of a cylindri- irradiators or UV-recirculators.
cal lamp were carried out in [13]. The standard contains requirements for the de-
sign, testing, and use of devices. Particular attention
3.2. Measurement of the Output Power is paid to the safety of the device.
of the UV - C Lamp in the Test Chamber Let us dwell in more detail on some sections and
provisions of the standard that determine the essen-
The test chamber is a room with minimized re- tial novelty of the document.
flection of UV radiation from internal surfaces, and The standard defines the main sources of germi-
the possibility of changing temperature and air ve- cidal UV radiation:
locity, with a longitudinal and transverse arrange- a) Low pressure mercury lamps;
ment of the UV - C lamp. b) LEDs emitting in the UV wavelength range.

Fig.4. Scheme of the

test chamber and ele-
ments of its design

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

The design of the UV recirculator must neces- – The average residence time of the microor-
sarily provide for preliminary air filtration with a ganism in the irradiation chamber.
mechanical filter to prevent dust accumulation on Then the average dose per pass can be calculat-
UV sources and reflective walls of the irradiation ed as follows:
chamber.
Section 7 of the standard [8] is devoted to ways H=E · t, (3),
to prove the effectiveness of air disinfection in one
pass through the recirculator. The effectiveness of where E is the average irradiance along the path of
decontamination is a fundamental characteristic of the air flow, W/m2;
the device. For it confirmation, the standard offers t is the residence time, s;
three ways: H is the average single dose in J/m2.
1) Definition Based Modelling Method: Disinfection efficiency η, is determined as
– Air flow rate; follows
– The shortest time spent by the microorganism
in the irradiation zone; η = 1 – ​N/N0, (4)
– The calculated level of its exposure to deter-
mine the fluence – t​he guaranteed dose of UV. where N0 is the initial number of active micro-
2) Physical measurement of the level of UV irra- organisms;
diation in the disinfection chamber and determina- N is the number of active microorganisms after
tion of the shortest time the microorganism stays in irradiation.
the irradiation zone and, accordingly, the fluence. When implementing the bio-dosimetry meth-
3) Bio-dosimetry methods with direct determina- od, the effectiveness of disinfection is determined
tion of the UV flux density required for disinfection directly using calibrated test microorganisms.
on certain reference microorganisms (based on DIN Non-pathogenic test bacteria Bacillus subtilis is
ISO 16000–36). commonly used as a bio-dosimetry for bacteria and
When implementing the simulation method, the bacteriophages such as Phi6 or MS2 for viruses.
minimum effective UV dose per pass can be esti- For bio-dosimetry detection, the standard pro-
mated conservatively with an acceptable level of ac- vides two test methods that differ significantly in
curacy by the following parameters: the test scheme:
– Radiant flux and number of UV radiation – “Entry-exit method”, in which the test organ-
sources; ism is injected immediately before the air enters the
– Emission spectrum of UV sources; recirculator and is collected immediately after exit;
– The length of the irradiation chamber; – The “room-to-room” method, in which the in-
– The cross-sectional area of the UV irradiation put and output of the device are connected to two
chamber; different rooms.
– The average reflection coefficient in the irra- When implementing the “input-output method”
diation chamber; using a nebulizer, aerosols with a test microorgan-

Fig. 5. Scheme of
bio-dosimetry tests
according to the “inlet-
outlet” method

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

Fig. 6. Scheme of
bio-dosimetry tests ac-
cording to the “room-
to-room” method

N 
ism are formed, which are sprayed at the inlet to the ln  
recirculator. The aerosols are again collected at the  No  , (6)
H REF ,o = −
outlet by gelatin filters. The test is carried out in two kbiol
stages: the first time with the UV sources turned off
but with the fan on, and the second time with the Section 8 of the standard [8] introduces another
UV sources and fans on. The schematic structure is characteristic of the recirculator that determines the
shown in Fig. 5. efficiency of its work in the room in addition to the
With the room-by-room method, the input and amount of UV dose achieved per one pass. To as-
output of the device are connected to a separate sess the performance of the recirculator in relation
room, Fig. 6. In the “receiving room”, a reference to decontamination of air in the room as a whole,
aerosol containing the microorganism under test is the standard introduces the HADR (Hygienic Air
atomized and driven by an additional fan to main- Delivery Rate) metric.
tain a constant concentration of microorganisms HARD – ​room air disinfection rate is a mea-
and allow a homogeneous sample to be taken from sure of the volume of air purified to a given efficien-
the room. A similar fan is located in the “exit room” cy, which the recirculator can provide in a room for
where sampling takes place. a fixed period. As a method for measuring this pa-
Fig. 6 shows a possible scheme of the test setup. rameter, it is proposed to use the standard method
The effectiveness of disinfection can be verified by for determining the value of CADR (clean air de-
type tests, but for tests it is necessary to ensure that livery rate, ANSI/AHAM AC‑1:2020). During test-
fans and UV irradiators are turned on and off sepa- ing, the recirculator is placed in a room with a fixed
rately from each other. volume. The room air is forcibly mixed by addi-
Based on the test results, we obtain the values of tional fans. Since most of the devices on the mar-
the number of microorganisms before turning on the ket are expected to have volume flow rates between
UV irradiators and with the included UV irradiators. 50 m3/h and 1200 m3/h, the volume of the test room
The decrease in the concentration of active micro- is up to 200 m3.
organisms depends on the applied fluence according The test microorganism aerosols are sprayed into
to the equation: the test room and evenly distributed using a ceiling
fan. The ceiling fan then turns off. At certain points
N
= e − kbiol ·H 0 , (5) in the room, samples are taken to determine the
N0 initial degree of contamination, then the device is
where N0 is the initial number of microorganisms; turned on, and air samples are taken at certain time
N is the number of active microorganisms after intervals and the rate of air disinfection in the room
irradiation; is determined.
kbiol is the sensitivity of a microorganism to radi- This technique provides an opportunity to eval-
ation upon inactivation, m2/J; uate and compare the practical effectiveness of var-
H0 is the applied fluence, J/m2. ious devices in the room, taking into account the
By measuring the ratio of active microorganisms maximum performance of the recirculator, the dis-
before and after UV irradiation and knowing the UV infection efficiency per air pass and the air exchange
sensitivity of the test organism used, the equivalent efficiency provided by the device.
energy flux density (fluence) HREF, o can be calculat- Section 11 [8] presents a classification of recir-
ed according to equation (6). culators designed to provide a comparison of devic-

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

Table 2. Three Classes of UV Circulators Devices

Parameter CLASS100 CLASS70 CLASS25
Germicidal effective-
>99.9 % >99 % >80 %
ness of disinfection
UV dose (Fluence)
at maximum air flow, >100 >70 >25
J/m2
Areas with a high potential
for contamination, such as in Premises with mostly Premises with low require-
Scope of expedient medical or clinical settings, healthy people: open-plan ments for biological clean-
application areas with a high concentra- offices, group rooms, class- liness with little or no
tion of respiratory patients, rooms, seminar rooms, etc. presence of people.
food production areas.

Table 3. List of Parameters for the Three Classes to be Confirmed

Confirmed Parameter CLASS100 CLASS70 CLASS25
Validated modelling
UV dose value (fluence per Sensor or bio-dosimetry Manufacturer’s
or bio-dosimetry test
pass), J/m2 test method specification
method
Air disinfection rate in the
HADR at maximum air flow
room, m3/hour
Measurements at nominal and maximum air flow. ISO 3740:2019
Sound power level, dB Acoustics – ​Determination of sound power levels of noise sources – G
​ uidelines for
the use of basic standards
Volumetric air flow, m3/hour Measurement of nominal and maximum air volume flow

es in terms of disinfection efficiency after a single their use, a list of parameters confirmed during type
passage of air, to minimize the risk of mutagenesis tests in accordance with the proposed classification;
of microorganisms in case of insufficient UV dose, – Contains criteria for designers and decision
and to substantiate the expediency of using products makers in the selection and use of devices in specif-
in a room for a particular purpose. Requirements ic conditions.
for UV recirculators distinguishing devices of three The standard outlines the prospect of using LED
classes are given in Table 2. sources of UV radiation in UV recirculators. The
For each of the selected classes a list of parame- clear progress in the efficiency and reliability of
ters to be confirmed during type tests have been in- UV LEDs confirms the feasibility of considering
troduced, Table 3. these sources as an alternative to mercury-based
The functional control of the recirculator’s per- discharge lamps [11, 12].
formance is also regulated depending on the class. In this regard, the release by the American Na-
Table 4 lists the requirements for functional moni- tional Standards Institute (ANSI) together with the
toring devices included in the instrument. International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) of the
Thus, the presented standard DIN / TS67506– ANSI / IES LM‑92–22 Optical and Electrical Mea-
2022 is of great practical importance: surement of Ultraviolet LEDs standard [10] is ex-
– Provides comprehensive information that tremely relevant.
makes it possible to: calculate or experimentally This new standard provides guidance on how
confirm the main characteristics of UV recircula- to measure LEDs, arrays or modules that emit UV
tors, primarily germicidal effectiveness against ac- radiation to determine their performance and safety.
tual microorganisms, evaluate the effectiveness of Optical and other characteristics of LEDs (for ex-
air disinfection in specific rooms; ample, radiant flux, luminous flux, colour and peak
– Contains clear requirements for the design of wavelength) are determined at a given p-n junction
devices, incl. ensuring the reliability and safety of temperature. The junction temperature is an ideal

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Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

Table 4. Requirements for Functional Monitoring Devices Included in the Instrument

Device type CLASS100 CLASS70 CLASS25
Ensuring control with the
Monitoring and indication
help of electrical or opti-
of failure of components Ensuring control using electrical or optical sensors.
cal sensors, viewing win-
generating UV radiation.
dows, signal lights.
A display indicating failure
or reaching the calculated Availability of a signal generator (warning light or
No requirements
nominal life of the UV ra- buzzer) or hour meter or interface.
diation sources.

reference measurement condition because almost These limits are to ensure that the temperature
all LED characteristics are very sensitive to this pa- rise of the junction during testing is kept to a mini-
rameter. Thus, the main requirement for obtaining mum and that the influence of the junction voltage
universal and reproducible results when measuring is avoided.
UV LEDs is to ensure the specified temperature of Based on the test results obtained by this meth-
the p-n junction. od, it is possible to establish the equivalence of the
However, when performing optical and electrical results between the operation of UV LEDs in pulsed
measurements, the temperature of the p-n junction mode (commonly performed by UV LED manufac-
rises rapidly from the initial set points due to heat- turers) and their operation in constant current mode
ing. This difference must be eliminated, compen- under actual conditions of use. In addition, the stan-
sated, or minimized depending on the measurement dard provides a user-friendly framework of defini-
method used. tions and methods that should be understood by test
Traditionally, the characteristics are determined equipment suppliers, test and measurement profes-
by powering diodes by methods: direct current, sin- sionals, and LED manufacturers.
gle pulses or continuous pulses. The test method de-
scribed in the new standard sets the UV LED under CONCLUSION
test to a target junction temperature for measure-
ment in differential continuous pulse operation. In Amid the ongoing COVID‑19 pandemic and
this case, the pulse duration should be reduced by the emergence of new public health threats, UV
half (from 20 ms to 10 ms) with limited duty cy- disinfection technology remains a proven tool for
cle. This innovation is clearly shown in Fig. 7 [14], non-specific prevention. The considered package of
illustrating the joint contribution of two organiza- standards is a significant contribution to the tech-
tions: IES (International Illuminating Society) and nical and methodological support of progress in
CIE (International Commission on Illumination) this area. The presented methods for calculating
to the methodology for measuring the parameters of technical parameters, evaluating the germicidal
UV LEDs, namely, a significant reduction in the du- effectiveness of UV equipment, including in real
ration of current pulses during testing. operating conditions, testing methods for UV radi-
ation sources, including LEDs operating in the UV
range, make the information presented in the stan-
dards useful for UV equipment developers, plant
designers, end users in both healthcare and other
applications.
For further wide application, additional medical
and technical verification and adaptation of the pre-
sented material is required, taking into account do-
mestic knowledge and developments in the field of
UV disinfection, with the involvement of scientific,
medical and technical specialists with practical ex-
Fig. 7. IES and CIE are shortening the test pulse used for perience in using these technologies in the Russian
LED measurement according to the newest standard [14] Federation.

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 Light & Engineering Vol. 31, No. 3

The information given in the standards deserves 5. Wasserman, A.L. Design and operation of ultravio-
careful consideration and analysis by the sanitary let bactericidal installations [Ustroystvo i ekspluatatsiya
ul’trafioletovykh bakteritsidnykh ustanovok] / Moscow:
and epidemiological surveillance authorities of the
House of Light, 2009.
Russian Federation, in order to assess the feasibil- 6. ANSI/IES RP‑44–21, Recommended Practice: Ul-
ity of harmonizing the Russian regulatory frame- traviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) / New York:
work with the stated facts, proposed solutions and IES; 2021.
methods. 7. ISO 15714: Method for assessing the ultraviolet ex-
posure dose to airborne microorganisms using ultraviolet
REFERENCES germicidal devices installed in the ducts of heating, ven-
tilation and air conditioning systems, 2019.
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Alexander V. Karev,
Ph. D. He graduated in 1983 from MPEI. Currently, he is Director for Science at
LLC MGK Lighting Technologies. His research interests is lighting engineering
technologies

Nikolay A. Malyshev,
Doctor of Medicine Sc., Professor. He graduated in 1974 from the 2nd MOLGMI
named after N.I. Pirogov, infectious disease by speciality. Currently he works at
the National Medical Research Centre for Surgery named after A.V. Vishnevsky,
Ministry of Health of Russia. Author of numerous publications in the field
of treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, monographs and teaching aids

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