Methodology for lighting optimization applied to photocatalytic reactors

Abstract

Replacement of conventional UV-lamps used in photocatalytic reactors by UV-LED sources with lower energy consumption and larger versatility has been proposed recently; However, the implementation of these types of sources in these reactors has not been studied in detail. In this article a methodology is proposed to find different LED arrays, whose distributions use the least amount of elements and optimum distance between them, using uniform irradiance models that satisfy the optical needs of photocatalytic processes. Experimental results presented show that it is possible to replace sources of high-energy consumption by LED arrays adapted to the specific needs of the photocatalytic reactor obtaining excellent oxidation results.