OZONE GENERATOR OF A GAS BLOW-THROUGH TYPE, ESPECIALLY TO PRODUCE A GAS MIXTURE OF OZONE/AIR OR OZONE/OXYGEN

Abstract

An ozone generator of a gas blow-through type, especially to produce a gas mixture of ozone/air or ozone/oxygen. An ozone producing structural unit in the path of the blown air or oxygen is used as ozone source. The ozone producing structural unit is operated on the principle of alternating current auxiliary electrode cold arc discharge with its capacity increased by limited arc discharge, with an alternating voltage voltage source. This solution does not result in high-temperature arc discharges, thus the fire hazard may be eliminated, and at the same time the device is capable of producing extremely large quantities of ozone. The ozone producing structural unit of the ozone generator is placed in one or more insulating housings/air ducts, placed in a direction parallel to or coaxial to the air blowing direction. Further details of the apparatus are disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An ozone generator of a gas blow-through type, especially to produce a gas mixture of ozone/air or ozone/oxygen, said generator comprises electrode groups comprising two flat electrode plates (1), one dielectric plate (2) disposed between the flat electrode plates (1), insulating shim plates (3) arranged between each of flat electrode plates (1) and the dielectric plate (2), as well as insulating spacer frame elements (4) and electrode studs (5) arranged on the flat electrode plates (1), said electrode studs being electrically connected to a high voltage high frequency electric generator unit (10) of the ozone generator through a first high voltage cable (6) and a second high voltage cable (7) characterized by an outer insulating housing (8), held together and fastened by suitable fastening screws (9), wherein the outer insulating housing (8) is dimensioned so as to allow several electrode groups to be modularly arranged within said housing parallel to each other side by side and to be electrically connected.

2. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least two flat electrode plates (1) are made of stainless steel, being slitted and corrugated by drawing, wherein said flat electrode plates (1) being preferably arranged parallel or at a small angle to each other and to the dielectric plate (2).

3. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating shim plates (3) are resilient in order to allow a precise adjustment of the size of an air gap (19) between the flat electrode plates (1) and the dielectric plate (2), and the insulating spacer frame elements (4) are fastened to the flat electrode plates (1) and the dielectric plate (2).

4. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that an electrode group comprising the flat electrode plates (1), the dielectric plate (2), the resilient insulating shim plates (3) and the insulating spacer frame elements (4) is arranged preferably parallel to or coaxially with a blowing direction of air or oxygen used as ozone source.

5. (canceled)

6. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the flat electrode plates (1) are connected to the high voltage high frequency electric generator unit (10) via the electrode studs (5) through the first high voltage cable (6) and the second high voltage cable (7).

7. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that to convert line supply voltage to regulated direct current, a power factor correction switched mode power supply (11) is provided in the high voltage high frequency electric generator (10); to convert the generated direct current to high frequency pulsed voltage, a high frequency full bridge breaker (12) is connected to the power factor correction switched mode power supply (11); for an optimal control of the high frequency voltage, the high frequency full bridge breaker (12) is connected to a microcontroller based central control unit (16) via a signal generator and signal selecting unit (15) and via a signal amplifier and breaker bridge drive unit (14); an output of the high frequency full bridge breaker (12) is connected to a high voltage high frequency transformer and filter unit (13), said unit (13) being connected to the flat electrode plates (1) via the electrode studs (5) through the first high voltage cable (6) and the second high voltage cable (7).

8. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that to measure current load, the high frequency full bridge breaker unit (12) is connected to the microcontroller based central control unit (16) and to measure environmental parameters, temperature and humidity measuring sensor unit (17) and electromagnetic field strength measuring sensor unit (18) are connected to the microcontroller based central control unit (16); said signal generator and signal selecting unit (15) is also connected to the microcontroller based central control unit (16) to provide a control of high voltage frequency and waveform in harmony with the obtained measurement results.

9. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that to externally control operational parameters, an external control cable (20) is connected to the microcontroller based central control unit (16).

10. The ozone generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode plates are of rectangular shape and substantially equal in size.

11. Method for producing ozone, wherein a gas comprising oxygen, preferably air, is directed through an air gap formed between a pair of flat electrode plates, while applying an electric signal to said electrode plates, wherein voltage of said signal is selected so as to produce ozone between said plates at the pressure prevailing between the plates, characterized in that to produce ozone, an ozone generator according to claim 1 is used.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the electrical signal applied to the electrode plates is provided by a signal having a voltage ranging 6 kV to 12 kV, a frequency ranging 1 kHz to 35 kHz and a waveform selected from the group consisting of sine, square, triangle and sawtooth waveforms and any combinations thereof is.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the voltage, frequency and waveform of the electric signal is adjusted as a function of at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of the temperature and humidity of the gas comprising oxygen, and the ozone concentration to be achieved.

14. (canceled)

Description

[0030] In what follows, the invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a single electrode group of the ozone producing structural unit of the ozone generator in a front view with respect to the air blowing direction;

[0032] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of the ozone producing structural unit of the ozone generatorcomprising several modularly arranged electrode groups in a front view with respect to the air blowing direction and a connection diagram thereof; and

[0033] FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the electric connections of the high voltage high frequency electric generator unit of the ozone generator, and its connection to the ozone producing structural unit.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows schematic representation of a single electrode group of the ozone producing structural unit of the ozone generator. The two flat electrode plates 1, which are preferably slitted and corrugated by extrusion, are placed parallel to or at a small angle to each other and to the dielectric plate 2. The precise size of the defined sized air gap 19 between the flat electrode plates 1 and the dielectric plate 2 is ensured by the resilient insulating shim plates 3. The ozone producing structural unit is connected to the high voltage high frequency electric generator unit 10 by a first high voltage cable 6 and a second high voltage cable 7. The first high voltage cable 6 and the second high voltage cable 7 are connected to the flat electrode plates 1 by electrode studs 5. The electrode group comprises the flat electrode plates 1, the resilient insulating shim plates 3, the dielectric plate 2 and the insulating spacer frame elements 4.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of the ozone producing structural unit of the ozone generatorcomprising a system of several modularly arranged electrode groupsand the connection diagram thereof. A suitably selected number of electrode groups comprising the flat electrode plates 1, the resilient insulating shim plates 3, the dielectric plate 2 and the insulating frame elements 4 are arranged in modular manner in series next to one another in the outer insulating housing 8, which is held together and fastened by suitably designed fastening screws 9. The Figure shows the air gaps 19 as well as the electric connection diagram of the first high voltage cables 6 and the second high voltage cables 7.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the electric connections of the high voltage high frequency electric generator unit 10 of the ozone generator, and its connection to the ozone producing structural unit. In the Figure abbreviations according to English terminology are used in schematic notations of individual parts. The line power supply voltage is transformed into direct current by the power factor correction switched mode power supply 11 in a controlled manner. The direct current generated in the power factor correcting switched mode power supply 11 is converted into high frequency pulse voltage by the high frequency full bridge breaker 12. The high frequency full bridge breaker 12 is controlled by the microcontroller based central control unit 16 through the signal generator and signal selecting unit 15 and the signal amplifier and breaker bridge driving unit 14. The high frequency pulse voltage generated by the high frequency full bridge breaker 12 is converted to high voltage high frequency voltage by passing through the high frequency high voltage transformer and filter unit 13, which is connected to the ozone producing structural unit by the first high voltage cable 6 and the second high voltage cable 7. The microcontroller based central control unit 16 measures the current load (CL) of the high frequency full bridge breaker 12, and it also measures the environmental parameters with the temperature and humidity sensor unit 17 and the electromagnetic field strength sensor unit 18, andas a function of the measurement resultsit controls the waveform and frequency of the high voltage to be generated and controls the signal generator and signal selecting unit 15 for providing the ideal pulse-waveform necessary for optimal ozone production. In order to allow external adjusting of operation parameters, an external control cable 20 is connected to the microcontroller based central control unit 16.

[0037] An advantage of the solution according to the invention is that the suitable connection of the components provide a mutual improvement in their beneficial properties resulting in a more positive effect and more efficient operation regarding the aforementioned objects, than other known solutions for similar purposes.

[0038] The invention is of course not limited exclusively to the embodiment of the ozone generator described above, but can be realized in several different ways within scope of protection set forth by the claims.