In recent blogs we have been discussing the components of an ozone water treatment system. In the last posting we talked about the systems that feed gas to the ozone generator. We emphasized the importance of delivering clean, dry gas to the ozone generator as being the most important consideration in the design and reliable performance of the ozone system.
There are many manufacturers of ozone generators and as a result many different variations, but within the corona discharge variety there are two main types, air cooled and water cooled. The corona discharge process generates considerable heat during the formation of ozone; as a result the generator has to be designed to remove this heat. To learn more about how ozone is made in the corona discharge process please follow the link www.spartanwatertreatment.com/how-Ozone-is-made.html. The basic approach is to create an arc or corona between an electrode and a dielectric. In the arc some oxygen molecules break apart and recombine with other oxygen molecules to form ozone. Tubular electrodes are the more common configuration.
Consideration also has to be given the potential failure of the cooling system since this failure can result in the serious damage to the generator.
Air cooling is generally only an option for smaller ozone generators (less than 5 lb/day of ozone in a single unit). Air cooling also makes the ozone generator more susceptible to environmental conditions which will affect the output. On the other hand, there is not need for cooling water which simplifies the operation of the generator. This makes these units more easily adapted to mobile applications. Water cooled units are used in larger applications and are not affected as much by environmental conditions.
In either case, overheating can result in damage or lower than expected ozone production. In larger water cooled systems flow switches are used to insure cooling water is flowing to the unit. Failure of flow would result in a shut down of the generator. In more sophisticated systems, the temperature of the ozonated gas is measured. This gives an early indication of potential overheating problems due to the cooling system or due to contaminants fouling the dielectric tubes.
Other variations in ozone generator design involve: vertical versus horizontal tubes, the frequency of the current, the design of the key electrical components such as rectifiers and inverters, etc.
As a system integrator, Spartan Environmental Technologies supply different ozone generators depending on nature of the application including both air and water cooled systems. You can learn more about the various types of ozone generators that we offer at www.spartanwatertreatment.com/ozone-generator-products.html.