October 28, 2020

Karlsruhe engineers develop UVC-based air purifier youvee® for protection against coronaviruses

Karlsruhe, October 28, 2020 - The free-standing air purifier youvee® developed by the team of Karlsruhe engineers Dr.-Ing. Max Mertins and Martin Selig disinfects indoor air contaminated with viruses. The use of UVC radiation effectively kills 99.9% of viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, in the air flowing through it.

youvee® uses the active principle of UVC disinfection, which is proven in operating rooms, intensive care rooms and in the food industry. The ultraviolet radiation neutralizes more than 99.9% of the coronaviruses in the conducted air. By extracting the air contaminated with aerosols close to the ceiling, the air is led downwards in the column and disinfected. The air outlet of youvee® is designed in such a way that the sterile air spreads as far as possible in an air lake near the floor and displaces the air contaminated with viruses upwards. This reduces the spread of virus-laden aerosols in the field of vision of those present and reduces the risk of covid 19 infection.

"The innovation of youvee® lies in its intelligent functional design, which combines sophisticated room air circulation with powerful UVC disinfection," explains Dr.-Ing. Max Mertins, Chief Technical Officer of youvee® GmbH. "In addition to killing viruses, the movement of exhaled air in a transverse direction - from person to person - is reduced."

The managing directors of youvee® from left to right: Dr.-Ing. Max Mertins and Martin Selig (Photo: Hammer Fotografie)

"We see the great added value of youvee® in indoor spaces up to 80 m2 in size with a lot of public traffic," says Martin Selig, Managing Director of youvee® GmbH. "At maximum capacity, up to 800 cubic meters of room air per hour are disinfected. Especially in offices, restaurants, classrooms, but also in doctors' offices, pharmacies and waiting rooms of all kinds, youvee® offers measurable protection against Covid-19 infection. This means that people can be effectively protected in addition to the applicable hygiene regulations," explains Martin Selig. "We are pleased to be able to make a contribution against the corona pandemic with the development of youvee®," he adds.
youvee® ist platzsparend und als frei aufstellbares Umluftgerät universell einsetzbar. Neben der Entwicklung ist auch die Produktion in Karlsruhe angesiedelt. Das Produkt ist ab sofort für B2B-Kunden über den youvee® Webshop bestellbar.  

The operating principle of youvee®

Viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen are released with tiny liquid particles when we speak, cough or sneeze. Heat sources such as computers, beamers and, above all, us humans create an air current that rises due to the lower density of warm air. The viruses contained in aerosols reach the ceiling within a few seconds, are distributed throughout the room and fall down again on cooler external components. The room air is therefore constantly mixed and the risk of Covid 19 infection from corona aerosols is present, even if the minimum distances of 1.5 m are maintained.

youvee® uses the active principle of UVC disinfection. UVC light is a proven, highly effective disinfection method used, for example, in operating rooms, laboratories, and the food industry. With youvee®, highly efficient UVC fluorescent tubes and an intelligently arranged UVC radiation reflector ensure the neutralization of 99.9% of the viruses in the air carried through.

Figure 1 How youvee® works

Durch das deckennahe Absaugen der mit Aerosolen belasteter Luft, wird die Luft in der Säule nach unten geführt und desinfiziert. Der Luftaustritt ist so gestaltet, dass sich die sterile Luft in einem Luftsee in Bodennähe möglichst weit ausbreitet, bevor sie durch Körper- oder Geräteabwärme wieder nach oben steigt. Die von unten nach oben wirkende Kolbenströmung von youvee® im Raum, reduziert die Querbewegungen der Luft und die damit verbundene Verbreitung der mit Viren behafteter Aerosole im Gesichtsfeld der Anwesenden im Raum. So wird das Ansteckungsrisiko einer Covid-19-Infektion massiv reduziert. Gleichzeitig stellt der Aufbau der Desinfektionszone sicher, dass die UV-C-Strahlung so absorbiert wird, dass sie nicht nach außen dringen kann.