GAS PLASMA DISINFECTION AND STERILISATION APPARATUS

摘要

A sterilisation or disinfecting system in which non-thermal plasma is generated in pulses, in which pulses of microwave frequency energy are used to sustain each plasma pulse, and a detectable characteristic of each pulse of microwave energy is used to trigger a radiofrequency strike pulse which strikes the plasma. The system includes a strike signal generation circuit arranged to condition and/or process the signal from the microwave signal coupler to form a control signal based on the detectable characteristic, which may be the rising edge or amplitude of the pulse.

主权项

1. Plasma sterilisation apparatus comprising:
a microwave cavity connectable to receive pulses of microwave frequency radiation from a microwave source; a microwave coupler arranged to couple microwave energy out of the microwave cavity to a plasma strike zone, the plasma strike zone having a gas flow path therethrough; a gas feed connectable to supply ionisable gas to the gas flow path; and a strike signal generation circuit arranged to deliver a pulse of radiofrequency (RF) energy to the plasma strike zone to generate a high electric field therein for striking a non-thermal plasma in ionisable gas present on the gas flow path, wherein the strike signal generation circuit includes control circuitry arranged to use a detectable characteristic of a pulse of microwave frequency radiation received in the microwave cavity to trigger generation of the pulse of RF energy.