Device for disinfecting gases and/or liquids

1. A device for disinfecting at least one of gases and liquids, the device comprising:

a tube formed of an ultraviolet (UV)-transparent glass and having a hollow interior space defining a fluid flow path and a tube wall including a tube inside wall and a tube outside wall, said UV-transparent glass tube defining a tube axis and having an indentation extending into said hollow interior space on at least one location, said indentation progressing generally parallel to said tube axis; and

a UV-light source arranged in said indentation.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said outside tube wall does not include said indentation and said UV-light source is positioned at least partially within said outside tube wall of said UV-transparent glass tube.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein said UV-light source is positioned completely within said outside tube wall of said UV-transparent glass tube.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-light source is one UV-light source of a predetermined number of UV-light sources and said indentation is one indentation of a predetermined number of indentations corresponding with said predetermined number of UV-light sources.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein only one of said predetermined number of UV-light sources is provided in a corresponding one of said predetermined number of indentations.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources provided in said UV-transparent glass tube is between 1 and 8 and only one of a single of said predetermined number of UV-light sources and a group of said predetermined number of UV-light sources is provided in a corresponding one of said predetermined number of indentations.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources provided in said UV-transparent glass tube is between 1 and 6.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources provided in said UV-transparent glass tube is between 1 and 5.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources provided in said UV-transparent glass tube is between 1 and 4.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources provided in said UV-transparent glass tube is between 1 and 3.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-transparent glass forming said tube is selected from one of a quartz glass and a silicate glass.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein said silicate glass is one of a borosilicate glass and a sodium-potassium-barium-silicate glass.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-transparent glass forming said tube has a composition including:

SiO 2

75-85

weight percent (wt. %);

B 2 O 3

 8-15

wt. %;

Al 2 O 3

0.5-4  

wt. %;

Na 2 O

1-6

wt. %;

K 2 O

0.1-2  

wt. %;

ZrO 2

<0.005

wt. %;

a content of Fe 2 O 3 which is one of <100 parts per million (ppm) and <10 ppm;

a content of TiO 2 which is one of <100 ppm and <10 ppm; and

a content of a fining agent.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-transparent glass forming said tube has a composition including:

SiO 2

  65-75

weight percent (wt. %);

B 2 O 3

  15-22

wt. %;

Al 2 O 3

4.5-7

wt. %;

Na 2 O

1.5-4

wt. %;

K 2 O

0.5-3

wt. %;

Li 2 O

  0.1-1.5

wt. %;

BaO

0.5-4

wt. %;

CaO

0.1-2

wt. %;

MgO

<0.01

wt. %;

a content of Fe 2 O 3 which is one of <100 parts per million (ppm) and <10 ppm;

a content of TiO 2 which is one of <100 ppm and <10 ppm; and

a content of a fining agent.

15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-transparent glass forming said tube has a composition including:

SiO 2

65-78

weight percent (wt. %);

B 2 O 3

0.5-4  

wt. %;

Al 2 O 3

0.5-4  

wt. %;

Na 2 O

 5-10

wt. %;

K 2 O

 8-14

wt. %;

BaO

5-8

wt. %;

a content of Fe 2 O 3 which is one of <100 parts per million (ppm) and <10 ppm;

a content of TiO 2 which is one of <100 ppm and <10 ppm;

a content of CaO which is one of <100 ppm and <10 ppm;

a content of MgO which is one of <100 ppm and <10 ppm; and

a content of a fining agent.

16. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a reflector which is one of:

a) arranged around and completely encasing said tube;

b) mounted on or applied to said outside tube wall and said reflector is not provided in an area of said indentation;

c) mounted on or applied to said inside tube wall and said reflector is not provided in an area of said indentation;

d) arranged around said glass tube, mounted on or applied to said outside tube wall except in an area of said indentation, wherein an additional reflector is provided for said UV-light source; and

e) mounted on or applied to said inside tube wall except in an area of said indentation, wherein an additional reflector is provided for said light UV-light source.

17. The device according to claim 16 , wherein said reflector applied to one of said outside tube wall and said inside tube wall is in the form of a UV-reflective coating except in said area of said indentation.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said UV-light source is one of a medium pressure UV-lamp, a high pressure UV-lamp, a low pressure UV-lamp, a UV-light emitting diode (LED) and a cold cathode light (CCL).

19. The device according to claim 18 , wherein said low pressure UV-lamp is a mercury low pressure lamp.

20. The device according to claim 4 , wherein said predetermined number of indentations are locally limited in said UV-transparent glass tube.

21. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a shape of said indentation is adapted to a corresponding shape of said UV-light source.

22. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a wall thickness of said UV-transparent glass tube is constant along a tube circumference when providing said indentation.

23. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a cross section of said UV-transparent glass tube is one of round, oval and angular.

24. The device according to claim 23 , wherein said angular shape of said UV-transparent glass tube has one of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 corners.

25. The device according to claim 1 , said UV-transparent glass tube further including at least one recess in addition to said indentation, wherein no UV-light sources are positioned in said at least one recess.

26. The device according to claim 4 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources are arranged symmetrically.

27. The device according to claim 26 , wherein said predetermined number of UV-light sources are in an arrangement which is one of axially symmetric, mirror symmetric, rotationally symmetric and centrically symmetric.

28. A method for disinfecting at least one of a liquid and a gas, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a tube formed of an ultraviolet (UV)-transparent glass and having a hollow interior space defining a fluid flow path and a tube wall including a tube inside wall and a tube outside wall, said UV-transparent glass tube defining a tube axis and having an indentation extending into said hollow interior space on at least one location, said indentation progressing generally parallel to said tube axis;

providing a UV-light source arranged in said at least one indentation; and

using said tube and said UV-light source arranged in said indentation of said tube to disinfect at least one of a liquid and a gas in one of a stationary and a flowing condition.