Improvement of Laboratory Spectral Irradiation Bactericidal System of Pathogens

This paper presents the development of an UV monochromator for the bactericidal irradiation of microorganisms in the 200–400 nm wavelength range and a numerical analysis of the optical radiation path within it. The optical system utilizes a continuous optical discharge (COD) in xenon as a broadband UV radiation source. Two UV monochromator configurations were analyzed: one using a commercial XWS-65 device and another using a COD supported by a 220 W laser with λ = 1.064 μm as radiation sources. Ray tracing simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics were used to calculate the irradiation parameters for test plate wells. The results show that the new COD source provides, on average, a twofold increase in irradiation intensity compared to the XWS-65 source, resulting in a proportional reduction in the irradiation time required to achieve the dose required to kill bacteria. The computational model has proven effective in predicting the radiation distribution in an optical system and can be useful for improving the design of an UV monochromator.