Design and Development of a low cost Ultraviolet Disinfection system to reduce the cross infection of SARS-CoV-2 in ambulances

Abstract

In this study, a low-cost Ultraviolet disinfection system is proposed to be used inside ambulances for minimizing the cross-infection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) during patient transfer. The disinfection system consists of a tower unit that contains the Ultraviolet type C (UVC) light fixture and a control box where the power unit is placed. The UVC tower unit is portable, lightweight, and can be easily placed anywhere inside an ambulance. Two ultraviolet (UV) lamps used in the tower part have 254 nm wavelength with a total power of 180 Watt. The disinfection system can provide a dose of 16.9mj/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> within 1.06 seconds and 26.83 seconds if the distance of the targeted surface inside the ambulance from UV sources are 0.3 meters and 1.5 meters respectively. We have chosen various distances from UV source to targeted surface inside an ambulance and calculated the required corresponding times to reach the required dose to inactivate all viral concentrations. The designed disinfection system not only reduces the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by the semi-autonomous way inside ambulances but also requires the least labor efforts which are crucial in the current Covid-19 pandemic.