One of the factors using UVC is the ability to focus the rays on the target. As an example when the V-254 is used over a wound it is desirable to focus the light in the most contaminated areas. The V-254 Wound lamp is powereed by a 4 watt bulb which is very safe for the patient and the clinician, but not nearly as strong as what we use in the Mobile UV Sterilizer (MUVS) which has 150 watt bulbs. The question is how do we maintain the safety but have enough energy to destroy the pathogens.....
The secret to increasing the power without upping the wattage is to narrowly focus the energy to a given area. This is done by the use of aluminum reflectors. The V-254 as well as the MUVS use aluminum reflectors bent to channel the light to given areas. The aluminum reflector is bent to angles that will take the light and rather than have it go toward the device itself the reflectors literally turn the light around and send it the target area being focused on. The reflective values increase rapidly when the anles are greater than 75%.
Listed below are some of the substances that reflect the light and what % of the light is reflected. You will easily see why we use aluminum reflectors with the below comparisons.
Material % Reflectance
Aluminum, etched 88
Aluminum, foil 73
Chromium 45
Glass 4
Silver 22
Water paints 10-30
White porcelain 5
In operating rooms the walls and ceilings use non-reflective materials which limits the energy being reflected back to the operating personnel.
