UAF and UV Angel Working on Innovative Solutions to Mitigate COVID-19 – Now and In the Future
Perhaps today more than ever, hospitals and other healthcare providers are in a daily battle to control the spread of potentially deadly viruses and bacteria throughout their facilities. The CDC issues comprehensive guidance on cleaning for healthcare environments, and individual hospitals and departments often build on those guidelines to ensure the safety of their patients.
Fundamentally, hospital cleaning guidelines look to address all elements of a possible transmission pathway, from the infected patient to contaminated surfaces to hands/gloves of caregivers and ultimately to susceptible patients. Wearing masks, disinfecting surfaces, washing hands and isolating at-risk patients are routine protocols in healthcare, but one area that poses unique challenges is cleaning the air that circulates throughout the facility.
While reducing pathogens from the air in healthcare facilities is an immediate concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s becoming clear that all facilities and institutions will need to consider air quality and cleanliness for the foreseeable future. Schools, factories, airports, office suites, entertainment venues and anywhere else large groups of people may congregate will have to consider air quality in addition to all of the other strict cleaning protocols they’ll be following.
HEPA filtration can be effective but traps pathogens instead of neutralizing them. Enter UV Angel.
The UV Angel Air product took years of research and development and is a complex engineering air purification system that uses UV-C light to reduce levels of fungus, viruses and bacteria. Using a series of fans and filters, air is drawn quietly through an in-ceiling system where it’s treated with high-intensity UV-C which neutralizes pathogens. The purified air is then returned to the room. According to 3rd party laboratory testing, air treated by the UV Angel Air was found to eliminate up to 99.99% of bacteria, viruses and fungus.
“Reducing the level of contamination in the air is really a combination of factors,” said Tom Byrne, CEO of UV Angel. “Not only is the wavelength and intensity of the UV lamp critical, but the filtration process to ensure that pathogens travel over the lamp free of dust and debris while close enough to be neutralized almost instantly is invaluable to the effectiveness of the UV Angel Air technology. Engineering a customized filter to maximize the efficacy of the product was the clear goal and we achieved it with the help of UAF.”
Even though UV light is the key feature in eliminating pathogens, air filtration plays an important role as well. Given the unique requirements of the system, UV Angel partnered with Universal Air Filter to develop a core filtration process to keep the system at peak performance.
“For the UV Angel Air to perform optimally, airborne particulate needs to be minimized while allowing ample airflow. A standard drop-in filter would not work due to the design constraints of the system,” said Keith Kunz, lead design engineer at UAF. “Through the use of 3D CAD, UAF and UV Angel were able to collaborate on free, rapid prototype variations. With our extensive technical data library, we were able to quickly recommend the best possible media that provides benefits beyond just strictly airflow and filtration capability. The end result is a filter that is easily maintained, efficient, UL900 & UL94 listed, and resistant to microbial growth.”
While UAF always embraced the unique challenge of the UV Angel Air project, they also realized that the stakes had changed dramatically for UV Angel since the project started in late 2019.
“When UV Angel first approached us with a design need, we were excited to work on a project so in line with our vision and values. We listened to their requirements and set out to create a filter that was right for their specific application,” said Braeden Fields, Sales Manager at UAF. “We couldn’t have expected that this product would become so critical to the world, and throughout the project we were consistently committed to its success.”
These days, everyone is doing their part to control the transmission of COVID-19 and in most cases, we can see what’s working. We see people wearing masks, washing their hands and routinely disinfecting the surfaces we touch every day. But as for the equally dangerous particles we can’t see in the air, UV Angel and UAF are hard at work on innovative solutions to help make the environments we live in safer, healthier, and more productive.
More About UV Angel
UV Angel is a pathogen control technology company that uses years of advanced research and development in ultraviolet light to help make the environments around us cleaner and safer by reducing harmful pathogens. Fully automated, patented and proven safe, the company’s UV-C technology monitors and cleans the surfaces we touch and the air we breathe. UV Angel’s technology is complemented by a proprietary data analytics platform that delivers critical insights and strategic advantages to leaders in healthcare, food service, corporate, education and many more industries. Learn more uvangel.com
More About Universal Air FIlter
Headquartered in Sauget, IL, UAF operates within the Filtration Group – the world’s leading filtration company. UAF designs and manufactures custom air filters and EMI shielding products used to protect commercial equipment and electronics enclosures. Engineering design support and quick-turn, free custom prototypes are provided to engineer prospects and customers to address the challenges of thermal management, dust contamination, airflow control, fire safety, and EMI shielding for indoor and outdoor applications. UAF products satisfy the most stringent end market certification standards and performance criteria, including NEBS Certification, IP Ratings, UL 900, UL 94, CE, RoHS, and REACH. Together with Filtration Group, we are dedicated to making the world safer, healthier, and more productive. Visit www.uaf.com for more information.