JPH05285484A - Ozone sterilizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a structure enhancing the dissolution rate of ozone to water and to certainly prevent the outflow of air bubles mixed with ozone from a reaction chamber to the outside. CONSTITUTION:A predetermined amount of ozonized air with a proper concn. is introduced into a reaction chamber 1 and the water in a bathtub 2 is introduced into the reaction chamber 1 by a predetermined amount to be dispersed in a shower like state by a reticulated sheet 16 to fall and forcibly and positively brought into contact with ozone present over a wide range in the reaction chamber 3 to be mixed therewith. The presence of a predetermined amount of water in the reaction chamber 1 is confirmed at first by an upper limit water level sensor 22 prior to supplying ozone and, when a water amount is insufficient, the supply of ozone is stopped. Therefore, the outflow of ozone from the reaction chamber 1 to the outside is prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ozone sterilizer for sterilizing and deodorizing drinking water or purifying bath water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional ozone sterilizer, ozone is continuously supplied from the bottom of a tank that stores water to be sterilized, and ozone is brought into contact with water in the tank while raising it like bubbles. Ozone is dissolved in water by this, and bacteria contained in the water are sterilized by this. Further, there is one in which ozone that could not be dissolved with water in the process of this rise is sent to the waste ozone treatment device from above the tank for decomposition treatment.

[0003]

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention The above-mentioned conventional device merely raises ozone and does not have a structure for forcibly and positively making contact between water and ozone. Therefore, the dissolution rate of ozone in water is high. However, the efficiency of sterilization with respect to the ozone supply amount is low, and there is room for improvement.

On the other hand, the applicant of the present application, as shown in FIG. 3, installs the introduction pipes 53, 54 of the water supply means 51 and the ozone supply means 52 on the ceiling surface of the reaction chamber 50 corresponding to the aforementioned tank. A structure is adopted in which a discharge pipe 55 for discharging ozone-dissolved water is connected to the bottom surface of the reaction chamber 50 while being connected to each other, and a predetermined amount of ozone is supplied to the reaction chamber 50 to supply water to be sterilized. We are considering an ozone sterilization device that drops ozone by a predetermined amount to forcibly and positively make contact between ozone and water.

By the way, in the above ozone sterilizer, a predetermined amount of water to be sterilized is stored in the reaction chamber 50, a predetermined amount of ozone is supplied, and water is dropped into the reaction chamber 50 by a predetermined amount. It is reacting, for example,
A pump (not shown) that is a component of the water supply means 51
When the amount of water supplied to the reaction chamber 50 is insufficient and the water level becomes abnormally low due to the presence of air, the bubbles containing ozone are likely to flow out from the discharge pipe 55 of the reaction chamber 50. .. When such bubbles containing ozone flow out to the outside, it is extremely dangerous when the device is used for sterilizing bath water or drinking water.

The present invention was devised in view of such circumstances, and has a structure for increasing the dissolution rate of ozone in water, and surely prevents bubbles containing ozone from flowing out of the reaction chamber to the outside. The purpose is to

[0007]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following constitution.

The ozone sterilizer of the present invention comprises a reaction chamber for dissolving ozone in water, an ozone supply means for introducing a predetermined amount of ozone into the reaction chamber, and a water to be sterilized into the reaction chamber from above. Means for supplying water, and a dispersing means for dispersing and dropping water introduced into the reaction chamber in a shower shape,
A discharge pipe for discharging ozone-dissolved water in the reaction chamber from near the bottom surface of the reaction chamber, an upper limit water level detection unit for detecting an upper limit water level defined in the reaction chamber, and a control for controlling the operations of the ozone supply unit and the water supply unit. The control means has a confirmation function of starting the supply of ozone by the ozone supply means in response to the input of the detection signal from the upper limit water level detection means.

[0009]

[Operation] A predetermined amount of ozone is supplied to the reaction chamber,
Since water is showered down from above the reaction chamber, water and ozone can be forcibly and positively contact-mixed over a wide range, and the dissolution rate of ozone in water can be increased. ..

Prior to the ozone supply, it is first confirmed whether or not a predetermined amount of water is present in the reaction chamber. For example, a pump, which is a component of the water supply means, sees air and the like causes the reaction chamber. Since ozone is not supplied when the amount of water supplied to the chamber is insufficient, it is possible to reliably prevent bubbles containing ozone from flowing out of the reaction chamber.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an example of a bath water sterilizer is given. In the figure, 1 is a reaction chamber, and this reaction chamber 1 is connected to a bath 2 via a water introduction pipe 3 and a discharge pipe 4, and a circulation pump 5 is provided in the middle of the water introduction pipe 3. .. When the circulation pump 5 is driven, the water in the bath 2 is sucked and guided to the upper side of the reaction chamber 1, and the water (or ozone-dissolved water) in the reaction chamber 1 is returned to the bath 2 from below. Like The circulation pump 5,
The water introducing pipe 3 and the bathtub 2 correspond to the water supply means described in the claims. Further, a vertical water cylinder 21 is provided on the side surface of the reaction chamber 1 so as to communicate therewith, and an upper limit water level sensor 22 is provided above the vertical water cylinder 21 and a vertical water cylinder 21.
Abnormal lower limit water level sensors 23 are respectively provided below the. Both of the sensors 22 and 23 are set to a positive potential and the vertically long water cylinder 21 is set to a ground potential, and the water exists at a position where the water contacts the upper limit water level sensor 22 and a position where the water contacts the abnormal lower limit water level sensor 23. At this time, both sensors 22 and 23 respectively output detection signals. 24
Is a partition plate for preventing waviness.

Reference numeral 6 is an ozone supply device connected to the reaction chamber 1 through an ozone introduction pipe 7. The ozone supply device 6 supplies ozonized air having a proper concentration by mixing a proper amount of ozone in the air to the reaction chamber 1, and is sent by an air pump 8 for sending compressed air and an air pump 8. A dehumidifier 9 for dehumidifying compressed air, an ozonizer 10 for ozonizing the air passed through the dehumidifier 9, a pipe (reference numeral omitted) for connecting these constituent elements 8 to 10 in series, and an inlet side of the ozonizer 10. First and second check valves 11A and 11B respectively provided in the piping and the outlet side piping, a first opening / closing valve 12A provided in the piping between the air pump 8 and the dehumidifier 9, and an inlet of the ozonizer 10. Second and third on-off valves 12 provided in the side pipe and the discharge side pipe, respectively
B and 12C.

Reference numeral 13 is an exhaust ozone treatment device connected to the reaction chamber 1 via a purge pipe 14 and an exhaust valve 15. The exhaust ozone treatment device 13 is configured to perform adsorptive decomposition with activated carbon and treats unreacted ozone remaining inside the reaction chamber 1 to a safe concentration or less.

Reference numeral 16 is a reticulated sheet as a dispersion means which is attached above the inside of the reaction chamber 1 over the entire cross section of the reaction chamber 1. The mesh sheet 16 disperses water introduced into the reaction chamber 1 from above and drops it in a shower shape. For example, the mesh sheet is formed by punching a Teflon sheet. The mesh size can be set arbitrarily.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a sequence controller, which appropriately controls the operations of the circulation pump 5, the components of the ozone supply device 6, and the exhaust valve 15 in accordance with the sterilization process described below.

The ozone introducing pipe 7 and the purging pipe 14 are inserted into the reaction chamber 1 while penetrating the ceiling surface of the reaction chamber 1, and also penetrate the mesh sheet 16. At the ends of the two pipes 7 and 14 at which the pipes project, the umbrella portions 17 that spread downward are attached.

Next, the sterilization process of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. This sterilization treatment consists of a series of treatments in which the ozone introduction step, reaction step, and exhaust step are one set, and a plurality of sets are repeated as necessary.

When an operation switch (not shown) is turned on, the exhaust valve 15 is opened and the circulation pump 5 is started to introduce the water in the bath 2 into the reaction chamber 1 by an appropriate amount. When the upper limit water level sensor 22 detects the upper limit water level H1, preparation for ozone introduction is performed. This preparatory step is performed from the air pump 8 in the ozone supply device 6 to the ozonizer 10.
Is performed to raise the internal pressure of the path up to a predetermined pressure. The exhaust valve 15 is closed while the first and second on-off valves 12
The air pump 8 is driven with A and 12B opened.

When a suitable time t1 (for example, one minute) has elapsed from the time when the driving of the air pump 8 is started, the ozonizer 10 is driven and the third opening / closing valve 12C is opened, assuming that the above-mentioned preparation is completed. To the reaction chamber 1 so that the desired concentration (for example, ozone concentration 1000 ppm)
Start introducing the ozonized air. This allows reaction chamber 1
The internal pressure of the tank rises and the water level begins to drop. When an appropriate time t2 (for example, 1 minute) elapses from the time when the water level falls below the upper water level H1 and the upper water level sensor 22 does not input the upper water level detection signal, the air pump 8 and the ozonizer 10 are stopped and The 1st-3rd on-off valves 12A-12C are closed (ozone introduction process). The supply amount of this ozonized air is, for example, 1 liter per minute. When the ozone introduction is stopped, the water level in the reaction chamber 1 becomes H2.

In parallel with the introduction of ozone, the circulation pump 5
Since the water in the bath 2 is continuously introduced into the reaction chamber 1 by a predetermined amount, the water and ozone are contact-mixed in the reaction chamber 1 (reaction step). At this time, since the introduced water is showered from the entire cross section of the reaction chamber 1 by the mesh sheet 16, the amount of contact with ozone in the reaction chamber 1 becomes large.

When an appropriate time t3 (for example, 30 to 90 minutes) elapses from the time when the introduction of ozone is stopped, it is assumed that the reaction between the introduced ozone and water is almost completed, and the exhaust valve 15 is set to the appropriate time t4 (for example, t4). It is opened for 1 minute and the inside of the reaction chamber 1 is exhausted (exhaust step). As a result, the water level in the reaction chamber 1 rises to H1.

During the reaction, the water level in the reaction chamber 1 is maintained between H1 and H2. For example, the ozone supply amount becomes too large and the water level is set below H2. When the abnormal lower limit water level sensor 23 detects that the temperature has fallen below, the sterilization process is immediately stopped to prevent bubbles containing ozone from easily flowing out from the reaction chamber 1.

After repeating such a series of processes for the required number of sets, the circulation pump 5 is stopped and the opening / closing valve 18 for cutting off the connection with the bath 2 provided in the water introduction pipe 3 and the discharge pipe 4, respectively. Close 19

Since water and ozone are forcedly and positively mixed in contact with each other over a wide area of the reaction chamber 1 as described above, the dissolution rate of ozone in water is high.
Moreover, prior to the ozone supply, it is first confirmed whether or not a predetermined amount of water is present in the reaction chamber 1, and the amount of water supplied to the reaction chamber 1 is insufficient due to the fact that the circulation pump 5 sees air or the like. In this case, we are not supplying ozone.
It is possible to reliably prevent bubbles containing ozone from flowing out of the reaction chamber 1, and it is possible to stop the operation even when the water level in the reaction chamber 1 is abnormally lowered due to an abnormal increase in the ozone generation amount from the ozone supply device 6. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the bubbles containing ozone from flowing out from the reaction chamber 1. If the reaction time t3 is set appropriately, the ozone in the reaction chamber 1 can be completely dissolved in water, so that the emission amount of unreacted ozone during exhaust can be significantly reduced. Also,
Since the upper limit water level sensor 22 and the abnormal lower limit water level sensor 23 are provided in the vertically long water cylinder 21, it is possible to prevent malfunctions such as the case where the water level is corrugated or water droplets are attached due to water shower falling as in the case of being provided inside the reaction chamber 1. ..

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, an example of sterilizing bath water is described, but it goes without saying that the device of the present invention can be used for sterilizing drinking water and other water. The sterilization operation may be started automatically by confirming that there is no bather in the bathroom, in addition to the operation of turning on the operation switch shown in this embodiment. ..

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, water and ozone are forcedly and positively contact-mixed with each other by dispersing the water like a shower over a wide range in the ozone atmosphere in the reaction chamber. Therefore, the dissolution rate of ozone in water can be significantly increased compared to the conventional one.

Prior to the ozone supply, it is first confirmed whether or not a predetermined amount of water is present in the reaction chamber, and the pump, which is one component of the water supply means, sees air and enters the reaction chamber. When the amount of water supplied is insufficient, ozone is not supplied, so that it is possible to reliably prevent bubbles containing ozone from flowing out of the reaction chamber, thereby ensuring safety for the human body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of a device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a timing chart used for explaining the operation.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Reaction chamber 2 Bathtub 3 Water introduction pipe 4 Discharge pipe 5 Circulation pump 6 Ozone supply device 7 Ozone introduction pipe 16 Mesh sheet 20 Sequence controller 22 Upper limit water level sensor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mitsunori Kanazawa 32 Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reaction chamber for dissolving ozone in water, an ozone supply means for introducing a predetermined amount of ozone into the reaction chamber, and a water supply means for introducing water to be sterilized into the reaction chamber from above. Dispersing means for dispersing the water introduced into the reaction chamber in a shower and dropping it, a discharge pipe for discharging ozone-dissolved water in the reaction chamber from the vicinity of the bottom surface of the reaction chamber, and an upper limit water level defined in the reaction chamber. An upper limit water level detection means for detecting and an ozone supply means and a control means for controlling operations of the water supply means are provided, and the control means supplies ozone in response to input of a detection signal from the upper limit water level detection means. An ozone sterilizer having a confirmation function for starting the supply of ozone by means.