Device for photocatalytic treatment of fluids

1. A reactor unit for photocatalytic treatment of fluids including a housing, a catalyser device comprising a catalytic material support being formed from a plastic material and having a generally tubular shape defining a fluid flow channel extending around and along a fluid flow path, and a radiation source received in a central axis of the catalyser device, wherein the catalytic material support comprises a wall portion and a plurality of tapered protrusions extending from an internal surface of the wall portion to a tip positioned at a distance to the radiation source within a range of 0 to 50% the distance separating the radiation source and the internal surface of the wall portion, the tapered protrusions being arranged around the central axis of the radiation source and along the fluid flow channel, and the tapered protrusions have an average height to average base diameter ratio in a range from 6:1 to 1:1, wherein the catalytic material support is in contact with the whole internal surface of the housing, and wherein the internal surface of the wall portion and the protrusions are coated with a photocatalytic material defining meandering air paths through the fluid flow channel around the central axis.

2. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the tips of the tapered protrusions are within a range of 0 to 30% the distance separating the radiation source and the internal surface of the wall portion.

3. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the tapered protrusions extend substantially perpendicularly from the internal surface of the catalytic material support wall portion towards the central axis.

4. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the tapered protrusions have a generally conical form.

5. The reactor unit according claim 1 , wherein tapered protrusions at different positions along the fluid flow channel are arranged in an angularly offset manner around the internal surface of the catalytic material support.

6. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the catalytic material support is formed from a sheet of flexible plastic material folded to form a tubular shape, and the tapered protrusions are formed integrally from the sheet of flexible material.

7. The reactor unit according to claim 6 , wherein the tapered protrusions are formed by moulding, extrusion or thermoforming of the sheet of flexible material.

8. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation source is in the form of one or more UV light tubes.

9. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a generally tubular body with a cavity for receiving the catalyser device.

10. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a fluid inlet module, a fluid outlet module and a filter comprising one or more active metal components mounted in at least one of the fluid inlet and fluid outlet modules.

11. The reactor unit according to claim 10 , wherein the filter is in the form of a plastic foam having an open pore structure coated with the active metal.

12. The reactor unit according to claim 11 , wherein the active metal is selected from the group comprising silver, copper, gold, platinum, zinc, palladium, rhodium or zirconium.

13. The reactor unit according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of the fluid inlet module and fluid outlet module comprises a radiation baffle having multiple fluid-flow passages.

14. The reactor unit according to claim 13 , wherein the fluid-flow passages of the radiation baffle are formed by multiple concentric S-shaped vanes running from an axially interior surface to an exterior surface of at least one of the inlet and outlet modules.

15. The reactor unit according to claim 1 , wherein the catalytic material support is formed from a single planar sheet of flexible plastic material bendably formed into a generally tubular shape around the central axis of the radiation source.

16. A reactor unit for photocatalytic treatment of fluids including a housing, a catalyser device comprising a catalytic material support being formed from a plastic material and having a generally tubular shape defining a fluid flow channel extending around and along a fluid flow path, and a radiation source received in a central axis of the catalyser device, wherein the catalytic material support comprises a wall portion and a plurality of tapered protrusions extending from an internal surface of the wall portion to a tip positioned at a distance to the radiation source within a range of 0 to 50% the distance separating the radiation source and the internal surface of the wall portion, the tapered protrusions being arranged to substantially surround the radiation source along the fluid flow channel, and the tapered protrusions have an average height to average base diameter ratio in a range from 6:1 to 1:1, wherein an entire outer perimeter of the catalytic material support is supported by the internal surface of the housing, and wherein the fluid flow channel is defined by the volume between the central axis and the internal surface of the wall portion less the volume of the tapered protrusions and any photocatalytic material coated thereon.

17. The reactor unit according to claim 16 , wherein the catalytic material support is formed from a single planar sheet of flexible plastic material bendable formed into a generally tubular shape around the central axis of the radiation source.

18. The reactor unit according to claim 16 , wherein the tips of the tapered protrusions are within a range of 0 to 30% the distance separating the radiation source and the internal surface of the wall portion.

19. The reactor unit according to claim 16 , wherein the tapered protrusions extend substantially perpendicularly from the internal surface of the catalytic material support wall portion towards the central axis.

20. The reactor unit according to claim 16 , wherein the tapered protrusions have a generally conical form.