Metrological Traceability and Crucial Detector Characteristics for UVC Metrology in UVGI Applications

Abstract

Ultraviolet-C (UVC) radiation-based sanitization has globally gained enormous importance in the current COVID-19 (caused by SARS-COV-2 virus) pandemic situation. The effectiveness of radiation sanitization is quantified in terms of ‘radiation dose’, which in turn is derived from a radiometric parameter ‘irradiance’, measured using UVC radiometer. Metrological traceability of irradiance/dose measurement is essentially required for achieving requisite accuracy of measurements, and hence germicidal efficacy. In the present article, the derivation of traceability for irradiance measurement using UVC radiometer is demonstrated. The critical conditions to be considered while using detector/radiometer for measuring UVC irradiance/dose in practical conditions are elaborated, avoiding which, significant errors in the UVC irradiance/dose may arise, and hence, may compromise the performance of the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) devices.