CA1128464A

CA1128464A - Ozone generator

Info

Publication number: CA1128464A
Application number: CA311,037A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Yu Pin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-09-13
Filing date: 1978-09-11
Publication date: 1982-07-27
Also published as: GB1591815A; MY8200194A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An ozone generator comprises a housing provided with a gas flow channel along which oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas is arranged to flow. A pair of electrodes are positioned on opposite sides of the glas flow channel, at least one of which is of a multi-finned construction and the fins of which extend towards the other of said electrodes.

Description

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"OZONE GENER~TOR"
This invention relates to an improved ozone genera-tor in which ozone is produced by passing oxygen or an oxygen-containing g~s such as air between opposed electrodes while such electrodes are oppositely charged so as to create an electric field between them.
The use of ozone as a powerful oxidizing sterilizing and purifying agent is well known but its use is not as wide-spread as it might be, due partly to the hitherto high cost of producing it. The ozone generator of the present invention is a relatively low cost, easily used and easily installed unit.
According to the present invention I provide an ozone generator comprising a housing provided with a gas flow chann~
along which oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas is arranged to flow, and a pair of electrodes positioned on opposite sides of said gas flow channel, at least oneof said electrodes being of a multi-finned construction the fins of which extend towards the other of said electrodes.
The fins of the multi-finned electrode are preferably arranged to extend into the gas -flow channel in such a way that the gas flows in a direction perpendicular to the dirsction in which the fins extend. Each individual fin together with the opposing electrode may then be considered as constituting an ionisation curtain so that as the gas flows along the gas flow channel it is subject to ionisation b~ a multiplicity of such curtains and complete ionisation occurs.
There should be at least two fins constituting the multi-finned electrode; the greater the number of fins the more complete is the degree of ionisation. Preferably there are from 5 to 31 such fins.
Preferably also the gap between the free end of each fin and the appposing electrode is no more than one inch, most preferably less than 0.5 inch.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
~igure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of apparatus to be used in the production of ozone;
~ igure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of an ozonizer;
Fig~e 3 is a transverse cross-section of the ozonizer ~hown in ~igure 1;
Eigure 4 is a perspective view of the electrode used in the ozonizer shown in Eigures 2 and 3; and ~ igure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the elec~,rode configuration showing the ionization curtain concept in more detail.
Ozone is produced when oxygen, or a gas such as air containing oxygen, is subjected to an electric discharge which ionizes the 2 molecules which on recombination form a proportion of 03 molecules. This procedure is used in the apparatus of the present invention.
As shown in Eigure 1, air enters the apparatus 'A' by way of a pump 5 through an inlet 1, passes through a filter 2, a heat exchanger 3 and a moisture removal unit 4. ~he outlet of the pump 5 passes the pressurized air through an ozonizer 6 where it is subjected to an electrical discharge. ~he ozonizer 6 is supplied with a high voltage from a power supply unit 7, which incorporates a transformer which steps the mains voltage of 110 or 240 volts up to 35,000 to 45,000 volts. ~he~
details of the construction of the ozonizer 6 will be ;~
described later.
Gas containing the ozone produced in the ozonizer 6 ~" is eæpanded into an expansion chamber 8 by way of a pressure ;~
reduction nozzle 9. ~he gas now passes through the heat eæchanger 3 in which the now cooled ozone containing gas acts to cool the incoming gas. ~his cooling of the incoming gas;;
acts to condense any moisture contained in the gas which is removed in the unit 4. At the downstream side 10 of the heat exchanger 3, the ozone containing gas is passed to an outlet pipe 11 from where it is collected for use.
As shown in ~igures 2 to 4, the ozonizer 6~includes e'ectrodes 12 and 13 mounted on opposite sides of a flow ;~
channel 14 along which the air passes. Each electrode is mounted in an insulated support member 16 and 15 respectively ::

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' :' ~3~28464 which are interconnected by screws 17. The electrode 13 consists of copper block 18 which is slotted on one face to receive a series of fins 19 (see Eigure 5). The other electrode 12 consists of a flat plate covered by an insulating partition 20. The partition prevents arcing between the electrodes 12 and 13. Springs (not shown) act to hold the partition 20 in place when the two support members are inter-connected.
Terminals 21 and 22 are connected to the electrodes 10 13 and 12 respectively and are connected to opposite terminals of the power supply 7.
The support member 16 is formed with air inlet and outlet nozzles 23 and 24 respectively which are connected by appropriate pipes to pump 5 and pressure-reduction nozzle 9 15 respectively. The sizes of the nozzles 23 and 24 can be adjusted to provide the appropriate gas flow rate.
It will be seen that air or other oxygen-containing gas entering gas flow channel 14 from inlet 23 passes along the channel in a direction at right angles to the fins 19 20 extending into the channel. The effect of this is illustrated in greater detail in ~igure 5, which is of a diagrammatic nature. The fins shown therein for explanatory purposes are designated a1 - a8 and in practice they are slotted into slots 30 in block 18. Each fin forms with opposing electrode 25 12 a notional ionization curtain, designated abcd in respect of the first one shown in -the Eigure. This "curtain" has a length of ~" and is sui~ably spaced 1~6" from the adjacent "curtain", i.e. the fins 19 are suitably 1/16" apart.
Ionization of the inflowing gas occurs with passage 30 through each ionization "curtain".
It will therefore be appreciated that the present invention provides an efficient, cheap and constructionally relatively single ozone generator. ~y virtue of its multi-plicity of electrode fins total ionization is achieved. It 35 is possible to manufacture the entire apparatus on a large scale, with the attendant economic advantages, and the apparatus is easy to maintain and provide spare parts for.

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9, It is of sa-fe construction, since it operates on a low voltage (l10 or 220v) and consumes little electriclty (1.5A, 0.3 KVA/hr). ~he entire ozone generator can occupy as little as 1.3 cubic -feet and even the longest model will occupy only 7.6 cubic fee.t.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An ozone generator comprising a housing provided with a gas flow channel along which oxygen or an oxygen-contain-ing gas is arranged to flow, and a pair of electrodes positioned on opposite sides of said gas flow channel, at least one of said electrodes being of a multi-finned construction, the fins of which extend towards the other of said electrodes to provide a series of ionisation curtains extending between said electrodes across said gas flow channel.

2. An ozone generator as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing is separable into two parts, each part supporting one of said electrodes.

3. An ozone generator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the other electrode of said pair is in the form of a flat plate forming a wall of said channel, said plate being covered by an insulating partition member between the electrodes.

4. An ozone generator as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein a heat exchanger is provided through opposite sides of which the gas entering and exiting from said flow channel are passed.

5. An ozone generator as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein means are provided for filtering and removing any moisture from the gas before it enters said housing.

6. An ozone generator as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the oxygen or oxygen-containing gas is carried to flow in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which said fins extend.

7. An ozone generator as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein there are between five and thirty-one fins con-stituting the multi-finned electrode.

8. An ozone generator as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the gap between the free end of each fin and the said other electrode is at most one inch.