Reliable Disinfection Performance

When designing the Supercritical UV™ disinfection system we took inspiration from the computing industry. We designed a single module which we then rack and stack to delivery the flowrate you need.

Andy Shilton, PhD

Chief Technology Officer

The Challenge for Ultraviolet Treatment

Ultraviolet light is well-established as an effective treatment for water, process liquids and wastewater.

The mechanics of the treatment are simple:

Specialised lamps emit a specific wavelength of light, UV-C
UV-C is highly effective at inactivating the DNA and RNA of pathogens
Inactivated pathogens = disinfected liquid

The effectiveness of ultraviolet treatment lies in how well light can penetrate liquid, and when ultraviolet light intensity drops off at an exponential rate through liquid, clarity means everything.

Conventional ultraviolet systems were designed for clarity and are excellent for drinking water and high-clarity wastewater however the reality is that liquids aren’t always clear.

Talk to an Expert

The Difference is in Delivery

Conventional systems submerge ultraviolet lamps within the fluid meaning ultraviolet light must travel a great length to reach target pathogens.

NovoLabs™ flips the geometry and drastically reduces the distance light needs to travel to inactivate pathogens.

The Supercritical UV™ system projects a thin, fast-moving, turbulent sheet of liquid along a reflective channel, and irradiates the liquid from above with a unique top-down delivery system.

The result is that ultraviolet intensity is maintained throughout the liquid meaning an effective dose delivery even in ultra-low UVT liquids. We have achieved up to 5-log reduction of pathogens in a single pass at <1% UVT.

View Our Case Studies

UVT Isn't Always Clear

A common misconception is that clear liquid always has high UVT. Carbonated soft drinks may look completely clear but the UVT is actually remarkably low.

Dissolved compounds that are invisible to the naked eye, absorb and scatter the ultraviolet light at the exact wavelength used for disinfection, 254nm.

Several of the variables affecting ultraviolet treatment include:

Wastewater sample with a high total suspended solids load

Wastewater sample with a high total dissolved solids load

Wastewater sample discoloured by dissolved iron

Wastewater sample with strong colour blocking light

UVT Isn't Always Clear

A common misconception is that clear liquid always has high UVT. Carbonated soft drinks may look completely clear but the UVT is actually remarkably low.

Dissolved compounds that are invisible to the naked eye, absorb and scatter the ultraviolet light at the exact wavelength used for disinfection, 254nm. Several of the variables affecting ultraviolet treatment include:

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

Iron

Colour

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

Particles such as algae and silt scatter and absorb ultraviolet light in the liquid, effectively shading and shielding pathogens from an effective dose.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

TDS negatively impacts ultraviolet performance in a similar way to TSS although as a performance metric it's often harder to characterise.

Iron

Iron ions, both ferric and ferrous, absorb ultraviolet light at the critical 254nm wavelength

Colour

A visible indicator of dissolved organics such as tannins, humic acid and industrial compounds, all of which absorb strongly at 254nm.

Disinfection system treating meat plant effluent

Non-contact lamp design

Rather than submerge the lamps, the Supercritical UV™ system suspends the ultraviolet lamps above the liquid behind their own quartz sheet. During operation, and changing of lamps, there is zero between lamps and liquid.This removes the fouling and film build up that can occur on traditional sleeves which inhibits performance over time.

Cutaway view of a disinfection module showing the treatment channel

Peace of mind with parallel processing

Individual modules can be taken offline for service without interrupting other module’s flow.If a lamp fails, the SCADA system automatically diverts flow to other available modules and treatment continues

Modular layout of the disinfection system

Operator safety & ease of maintenance

Access to lamps and channels can happen within seconds with our slide-out rack design.A step platform is integrated for 3+ module stacks.Multiple safety switches across each module ensure there is no chance of ultraviolet exposure.

NovoLabs disinfection system installed on site

Modular design for easy scalability

The Supercritical UV™ system can grow with your site’s requirements.New modules can be retrofit on top of existing stacks to increase throughput.

Optimised to save you power

High disinfection performance is delivered at a fraction of the energy footprint of a comparable conventional system.

Better Disinfection Starts with Better Engineering

NON-CONTACT LAMP DESIGN

PEACE OF MIND WITH PARALLEL PROCESSING

OPERATOR SAFETY & EASE OF MAINTENANCE

MODULAR DESIGN FOR EASY SCALABILITY

OPTIMISED TO SAVE YOU POWER

Better Disinfection Starts with Better Engineering

NON-CONTACT LAMP DESIGN

Rather than submerge the lamps, the Supercritical UV™ system suspends the ultraviolet lamps above the liquid behind their own quartz sheet.

During operation, and changing of lamps, there is zero between lamps and liquid.

This removes the fouling and film build up that can occur on traditional sleeves which inhibits performance over time.

Talk to an Expert

PEACE OF MIND WITH PARALLEL PROCESSING

Individual modules can be taken offline for service without interrupting other module’s flow.

If a lamp fails, the SCADA system automatically diverts flow to other available modules and treatment continues

Talk to an Expert

OPERATOR SAFETY & EASE OF MAINTENANCE

Access to lamps and channels can happen within seconds with our slide-out rack design.

A step platform is integrated for 3+ module stacks.

Multiple safety switches across each module ensure there is no chance of ultraviolet exposure.

Talk to an Expert

MODULAR DESIGN FOR EASY SCALABILITY

The Supercritical UV™ system can grow with your site’s requirements.

New modules can be retrofit on top of existing stacks to increase throughput.

Talk to an Expert