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24VAC Electronic Ballast for Germicidal UV Light for HVAC Purification
A custom ballast with integrated UV-C lamp socket for 425mA lamps used for residential HVAC Air Purification systems.
Overview
One of our customers manufactures products for air and water purification via the use of germicidal lamps. We were asked to design a uvc ballast that would power 425mA UV-C lamps in residential HVAC systems. The integration needed to be simplified so it could be installed by the end consumer instead of by a licensed electrician, like previous ballasts required. They wanted a simple, plug-and-play solution.
Challenge
The customer wanted us to build a ballast that would be wired directly to a residential HVAC air handler, 24VAC electrical system. The ballast was to be installed by the average consumer. The germicidal lamp our ballast was operating needed to survive at least 10,000 on/off cycles.
The system is designed to turn on and off with the air handler within a the HVAC system. The difficulty with such a system is the harsh start up conditions that the germicidal lamp is subjected to along with the frequency, being tied into the air handlers duty cycle.
An air handler within an HVAC system can go on and off 30 or more times per day. That means that the UV lamp, similar to a fluorescent lamp, needed to have a pre-heat startign cycle and reach a strike voltage every time the lamp was lit. If this is done without considering the life of the bulb, the bulb could die after 1,000 starts.
In order for the customer to get a full replacement warranty from the bulb manufacturer, the bulb manufacturer required the bulb to survive 10,000 on/off cycles.
Solution
ISL collaborated with the customer’s lamp manufacturer to design this ballast. This ballast features a Programmed Start feature which allows the lamp to start up and last over the 10,000 cycles without lamp burnout. We also designed a custom housing with an integrated lamp socket so that the ballast could be installed directly into the UVC air purifier, without any additional wiring. It's a simple, plug and play design that simplifies the installation process making it a true DIY project for any homeowner.
Once the design was complete and cycle testing was finished, ISL submitted the product through the safety agency for UL and cUL certification.
Conclusion
By engineering a custom 24VAC electronic ballast with a Programmed Start feature and an integrated lamp socket, ISL delivered exactly what the customer needed: a germicidal UV-C solution that could stand up to the demanding on/off cycling of a residential HVAC system while remaining simple enough for homeowners to install themselves. The finished design exceeded the 10,000-cycle durability requirement set by the lamp manufacturer, safeguarding the bulb's warranty and the reliability of the system as a whole. With UL and cUL certification secured, the ballast was ready for the market as a true plug-and-play component, eliminating the need for a licensed electrician and making effective in-duct air purification accessible to everyday consumers.
