Breath Safe System - Airborne - Bus and Rail Vehicles
The Breath Safe System is a patented system that provides new Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation
Technology (UVGI) for transit vehicles. This new technology kills harmful viruses, bacteria, mold
that are present in the air of a transit vehicle. When passengers are in a confined space such as
a bus or rail car, any time one passenger is contaminated with a disease and they cough or sneeze,
the air condition/ heating system picks up these harmful airborne pathogens and recirculates them
over all other passenger for the during of the trip. One person can infect many others if no
precautions are taken. There are several factors in the spread of pathogen in transit vehicles.
First, 80% to 90% of all harmful disease and pathogen are spread airborne from person to person and
the air condition/heating system greatly contributes to the spread whether it is in a transit vehicle,
office building, school or home. The Breath Safe System placed at the evaporator of the air
conditioning/heating system will produce up to a 99% kill rate of harmful pathogens each time the
air passes over the new Ultraviolet Germicidal Lamps. In transit vehicles that means about every
five (5) minutes the harmful pathogens would passing over the UV Lamps and killed. UVGI technology
has been used in hospitals, clean rooms, office buildings and many other places for years providing
protection. The same technology has now been adapted to transit vehicles to offer a high degree of
protection for passengers.
Testing has be conducted by EPA-Homeland Security, National Science
Foundation, Transportation Research Board, Independent testing, see TESTING REPORTS.
Test have shown up to a 99% kill for H1N1, Influenza, MRSA, Polio, Pneumonia, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa,
MS-2, PRD-1, Legionella, Escherichia Coli, Cholera, Small Pox, Salmonella, SARS and many others. The
pathogens when passed over a ultraviolet germicidal lamps causes the DNA or RNA of that pathogen to
be disrupted, which means it can not reproduce if inhaled, it is dead and can not cause the infection.
Installation Photos
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Mold Samples from typical Transit Buses
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Mold Samples after Breath Safe Installation
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Typical Installation Rear Mount Bus A/C System
Safety Switch turns system off when rear cover is removed
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Typical Ballast Bracket and Safety Switch Configuration
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Typical Vibration Free Lamp Bracket
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Sight Glass to View Operation
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Maintenance Benefits of UVGI
UVGI provides a major cost reduction in the maintenance of the vehicles air conditioning system.
It eliminates coil cleaning, by keeping the evaporator coils in like new condition by eliminating
the mold and biofilms that form on the evaporator fins. Tests have shown that just one (1) mil,
(one thousands of a meter) on the evaporator coils will reduce the cooling efficiency by up to 15%.
This means additional fuel, components don’t last as long, more maintenance and cooling is compromised
for the passengers. One important note, when maintenance personnel clean evaporators with water they
are only adding to more rapid growth of mold and biofilm.
If chemicals are used there is a problem of run off, cost of chemicals, labor time and toxic effect
on personnel to deal with.
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Bus Evaporator before Installation
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Bus Evaporator 120 Days after Installation
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Reflection of UV Ray in A/C System
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Testing Reports
Cost Justification Worksheet
Specifications
- The air purification system shall be JKA Company, BREATH SAFE SYSTEMS or approved equal.
- The system shall be designed for transit bus application to eliminate and prevent the spread of virus, bacteria, odors, mold and fungus growth within the bus air conditioning evaporator coils, drain pan and ducting.
- Heavy-duty materials and components are used to meet difficult duty cycles of transit vehicles and provide maximum radiation safety.
- All major components have specially designed mountings to handle high vibration encountered in transit vehicles to increase component life.
- Mounting brackets and hardware are to be constructed of aluminum or stainless steel.
- Reflector shall have a minimum 86% reflectance at 254 nm.
- Sockets are to be four (4) pin type, constructed of UVC resistant polycarbonate.
- The UVC Lamp shall be mounted in the plenum chamber of he bus air conditioning system.
- UVC Lamp shall be high output, hot cathode, four pin, minimum of 32 to 42 inches in length depending upon evaporator size.
- UVC lamp shall be mounted within eighteen inches (18”) of the evaporator/heater coils and within 14 inches (14”) of the drain pan.
- UVC Lamp shall have visual method for checking operation.
- The UVC lamp shall produce broadband UVC of 250-260 nm.
- Each UVC Lamp shall have a minimum output of 158W/cm2 at 68F at 400 fpm and a minimum of 122W/cm2 at 45 F at 400 fpm.
- It shall produce no ozone or other secondary contamination.
- Power source shall be rapid start type with a power factor of 0.99 and an efficiency of not less than 89%.
- AMP draw shall not exceed 4 amps at 24 volts, DC.
- Ballast shall have low voltage cutout at 23 volts to prevent battery drain and high voltage spike protection of 30 volts.
- It will be 24 volts and designed to maximize photon production, radiance and reliability in cold or moving air-streams of 45-170 F, 100% RH and at any velocity.
- The UVC Lamps shall have been tested by EPA and Homeland Security and have a minimum one pass inactivation efficiency of 99%on bacterial virus, 99.96% on vegetative bacteria and 96% on spore form bacteria.
- UVC Lamps shall have been tested for H1N1 Influenza A and show a 99.99% kill rate.
- Bidder is required to provide two references where like systems are in transit operation for a minimum of two years.
