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UltravioletPhotography

Xenon-flash UV sterilizing robot


enricosavazzi

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enricosavazzi

Xenex makes robots designed to decontaminate hospital rooms from viruses and germs with powerful UV Xenon flash tubes. This company has recently gained media attention in connection with the Ebola epidemics.

 

http://www.xenex.com/xenex-robot/

 

Xenon flash tubes significantly more powerful than those found in battery-operated flash units might be useful to us, especially if designed to maximize UV-A emissions. On the other hand, it might well be that the capacitors and high-voltage circuits also end up weighting so much that they need to be mounted on a cart, so no portable solution, and not significantly better (in cost, weight and requirements for main power) than a battery of large studio flash units.

 

Added: link to CNN article

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I wonder if UVC is used in air conditioning & ventilation systems.....I know it can be used for water treatment, so why not air treatment ?

Col

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enricosavazzi
I seem to remember ozone generators being used in some air conditioners to remove stale smells from the air. UV-C is one of the commonly used ways to generate small amounts of ozone. This is not the same as UV sterilization, but UV-C used to generate ozone would most ikely also directly damage the DNA of airborne pathogens to a sufficient degree to make them non-viable (besides the damage to most complex organic molecules caused by the highly reactive ozone itself).
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UVC germicidal lamps are commonly used in air conditioning heating and ventilation systems.

Low pressure Hg emission with a massive 254nm line, requires a safety interlock to prevent accidental exposure.

These lamps will burn your skin in mere seconds and could land you in the hospital if you look at one, please do not try them.

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Looking for UV-sources to produce FL I found a UV lamp for water Treatment.

230VAC (common voltage here) and 22 Watts. A clear big twin-tube with a lamp socket.

I put it into a socket on my working bench and used a remote control to Switch it on and off. From a distance!

The light Looks cyan-blue and not very bright and not healthy at all. By the way it doesn't create much FL.

I can not tell you could smell ozone. No, immediately after switching the lamp on an absolute penetrating bestial stench of ozone filled the whole Workshop!

Often working with high voltage circuits I am used to the smell of ozone. But that was much more than a smell and I left the Workshop immediately. I didn't even open the Windows!

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"bestial stench of ozone filled the room" ... oh dear, I'd be careful with such a contraption ! UV-protective goggles may not be sufficient to cut the UV output to less dangerous levels. Take care we have no members to lose.
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Looking for UV-sources to produce FL I found a UV lamp for water Treatment.

230VAC (common voltage here) and 22 Watts. A clear big twin-tube with a lamp socket.

I put it into a socket on my working bench and used a remote control to Switch it on and off. From a distance!

The light Looks cyan-blue and not very bright and not healthy at all. By the way it doesn't create much FL.

I can not tell you could smell ozone. No, immediately after switching the lamp on an absolute penetrating bestial stench of ozone filled the whole Workshop!

Often working with high voltage circuits I am used to the smell of ozone. But that was much more than a smell and I left the Workshop immediately. I didn't even open the Windows!

If you can smell ozone it is emitting VERY SHORT WAVELENGTH UV. If you were exposed at all you may have injured yourself. When did your exposure occur, how many hours since exposure?

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I used a remote Switch to Switch on and off. I was about 20feet (7meters) away and switched on only for a short time. And I never switched it on again...

 

I didn't stare into the light.

 

After this test I left the Workshop immediately because of the ozone.

 

My Skin was not burnt, not even red and my eyes didn't suffer more than during welding.

 

These water-Treatment-lamps are too dangerous to be operated open.

 

I just wrote because I sometimes read of the "smell"

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I hope you understand that there is no safe exposure scenario for eyes or skin to this spectrum.

Depending on the exposure time even 7 meters may not be a safe distance.

 

When did you do this, how many hours since your exposure?

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The exposure time was just a few seconds. I even was outside during warm-up of the tube.

 

It was 11th of June.

 

Here a Picture of the Lamp and box.

 

http://up.picr.de/19903648ho.jpg

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OK, I am relieved to learn it was some time ago. I thought you had done this only today and the burn would peak in 12-24 hours.

 

With a lamp like this, sometimes a few seconds is all it takes, you are very fortunate that you were not injured.

It is clearly stated on the box, "....NEVER EXPOSE...." , NEVER = Zero seconds.

 

​I am sorry if I seem to chastise you, but I would be remiss if I did not admonish EVERYONE - Please, do not use these lamps.

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>I am sorry if I seem to chastise you...

 

No no it's ok John. One has to be very, very careful with These lamps. Independent from the Radiation one always has the ozone that is a strong poison. That was my message...

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enricosavazzi

Besides the health hazard, these UVC lamps are not useful for UV photography. The main emission lines are at 185 and 254 nm, i.e. far out of the sensitivity range of normal camera sensors. There is also a 365 nm line, but weaker than the preceding two. All in all, these UVC lamps are better left alone.

 

So-called UVB lamps for reptile terraria are more useful if you need wavelengths shorter than 365 nm but still within the sensitivity range of camera sensors. Despite the name, they have virtually no emission below 300 nm, but quite a bit of emission between 320 and 350 nm, i.e. in the UVA. The main peak however is at 365 nm.

 

Of course one must take precautions against skin and eye exposure also at these wavelengths, although they are not as extremely dangerous as UVC.

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