Ambient Air or Oxygen: Choosing the Optimal Feed Gas for Ozone Generators
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The production of ozone through electrical means has a long history spanning a century. However, it is only in the last 25 years that its utilization for disinfection and the elimination of airborne contaminants has gained widespread recognition as a mainstream technology. Ozone holds the distinction of being the second most powerful oxidizing substance on Earth, surpassed only by fluorine. Just as chlorine or bleach can act as a liquid, ozone demonstrates similar capabilities in its gaseous state. Given sufficient reaction time, ozone can effectively neutralize any odorous molecular compound.
The process of ozone generation involves the passage of oxygen through an electrically charged plasma field. This reaction transforms oxygen into mono oxygen, and subsequently into ozone. The resulting ozone molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms, exhibits a high level of reactivity and readily bonds with other molecules. Through this reaction, the ozone molecule effectively disrupts and disintegrates the molecular bonds of the targeted substance, rendering it both odorless and inert.
The prevailing approach for ozone production commonly involves utilizing ambient air as the feed gas. Ambient air consists of approximately 20.95 percent oxygen, 78.98 percent nitrogen, and minor proportions of argon, carbon dioxide, and other gases. However, this method is notably inefficient, with the feed gas yielding only about 21 percent effectiveness.
Another drawback of utilizing ambient-fed air is the production of nitrogen dioxide, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen sulfate as byproducts of the nitrogen reaction. These gases combine to form a corrosive salt that gradually degrades the plasma field's capacity to generate ozone.
Moreover, humidity significantly diminishes the effectiveness of the plasma field in ozone production. During hot and humid summer days when odor levels are at their peak, high humidity and temperatures can lead to a reduction in ozone production by up to 80 percent. In summary, ambient-air ozone generators fail to provide consistent ozone production and entail substantial maintenance costs.
Achieving consistent and dependable ozone production is crucial for an efficient odor control system. Interestingly, the composition of the feed gas provided to the ozone generator, also referred to as the "reactor," plays a pivotal role in this process.
The solution lies in ozone generation with oxygen. However, it's important to note that this doesn't imply the need for on-site oxygen tanks. In fact, modern ozone generators have the capability to produce up to 5 times more ozone compared to ambient-fed counterparts, and they do so consistently and reliably.
The PSA oxygen generators from Sihon-Ozone addresses these issues by incorporating an oxygen concentrator capable of delivering oxygen with a purity of up to 95% and a dew point of zero. By utilizing such a PSA oxygen generator, the problems associated with nitrogen salt accumulation and moisture, commonly encountered in ambient-air ozone systems, are effectively eliminated.
The objective is to achieve dependable ozone production with minimal maintenance requirements. With its PSA oxygen generators, the solution offered by Sihon-Ozone ensures a consistent and uninterrupted ozone production.
1 comment
Hi,
Do ozone generators that hook up to a o2 tank need more safety features such as o3 concentration sensors or other safety features in their controller circuit boards, than the ozone generators that are made to ozonate ambient air only?