UVC Self-Sanitizing Sink Faucet Knobs

Overview

Viral pathogens are minute organisms that infect host cells and are commonly the source of epidemics due to their ability to spread quickly and survive on several surfaces for a long period of time. As a result of this, many epidemics and pandemics in the past were caused by the transmission of enveloped viruses such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Spanish Flu, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The design team was tasked with preventing the spread of the next epidemic or pandemic.

Objectives

-Improve sanitation in the healthcare industry and other high-traffic public environments (i.e. airports and universities) in Asia
-Create a device that a device that quickly kills a virus, effectively sanitizes a surface, is easy to use, safe, and long-lasting
-Design a new sink system that can automatically sanitize its faucet knobs and prevent the spread of viral pathogens

Approach

– Participate in weekly sponsor and advisor meetings to receive feedback
– Research past epidemics, pandemics, current sanitation devices, and all aspects of viruses
– Identify customer needs through surveys and create device specifications
– Generate sanitation device concept ideas to meet specifications
– Assess device risks and develop risk management strategies
– Build working AutoCAD model of device
– Perform power research, analysis, and calculations
– Conduct light propagation and stress analysis tests in COMSOL

Outcomes

– A surface plot of UVC irradiance per unit area was generated
– Simulated irradiance range 1.14 W/in^2 -1.24 W/in^2 was above targeted -3.668 W/in^2 value
– A stress analysis was performed with a boundary load of 5N hand force
– Computational stress 1E5 Pa did not exceed the failure stress, 4.7E7 Pa
– Run time for UVC LED without power from electrical outlet was ~18 hours