Dielectric liquid-immersed corona generator

Claim 2

In a corona generator comprising at least one corona generating cell including a pair of spaced-apart electrodes, and a gasket positioned between said electrodes adjacent the edges thereof for positioning said electrodes a predetermined distance apart and for forming an air-tight corona discharge chamber between interior facing surfaces of said electrodes and inside said gasket, said gasket having an outer edge that does not extend beyond said edges of said electrodes, the improvement comprising a housing, said at least one cell located inside said housing, and a quantity of dielectric liquid substantially filling said housing and surrounding said at least one cell and being in heat exchange relationship with an external surface of each of said electrodes and surrounding and being in contact with said edges of said electrodes, whereby said dielectric liquid provides a dielectric between said adjacent edges of said electrodes outside of said chamber to prevent edge sparking and also cools said electrodes.

Claim 3

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said dielectric liquid is transformer oil.

Claim 4

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said dielectric liquid is a liquid silicon composition.

Claim 5

The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said gasket is formed from a fluorosilicon material and is a one-piece element.

Claim 6

The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said dielectric liquid is transformer oil and wherein said electrodes are flat and parallel, and each of said inner surfaces have a hard, fired-on coating of porcelain enamel thereon less than 20 mils thick.

Claim 7

The apparatus according to claim 5 including a dielectric liquid filling said housing.

Claim 8

A dielectric liquid-immersed corona generator comprising: a. a fluid-tight housing substantially filled with a dielectric liquid; b. a heat exchanger; c. means for pumping said dielectric liquid from said housing to said heat exchanger and back to said housing; d. a corona generator core positioned within said housing and including a plurality of separate, spaced-apart gas-tight corona generating cells, each cell comprising a pair of spaced-apart electrodes forming a corona discharge chamber between facing surfaces of said electrodes said electrodes each having its outer surface in heat exchange relationship with said dielectric liquid, a layer of dielectric material in said chamber and between said inner facing surfaces of said electrodes, a gasket positioned between said pair of electrodes adjacent the edges thereof and defining, along with said inner facing surfaces of said pair of electrodes, said corona discharge chamber therewithin said edges of said electrodes being in contact with and being surrounded with said dielectric liquid; e. a gas inlet and a gas outlet conduit extending through said housing and into gas communication with the corona discharge chamber of each of said cells for feeding oxygen-containing gas into and ozone-containing gas from, said chambers; and f. means for applying an a.c. voltage across the electrodes of each of said cells.

Claim 9

A dielectric liquid-immersed corona generator comprising: a. a fluid-tight housing substantially filled with a dielectric liquid; b. a heat exchanger; c. means for pumping said dielectric liquid from said housing to said heat exchanger and back to said housing; d. a corona generator core positioned within said housing and including a plurality of separate, spaced-apart gas-tight corona generating cells, each cell comprising a pair of spaced-apart electrodes forming a corona discharge chamber between facing surfaces of said electrodes said electrodes each having its outer surface in heat exchange relationship with said dielectric liquid, a layer of dielectric material in said chamber and between said inner facing surfaces of said electrodes, a gasket positioned between said pair of electrodes adjacent the edges thereof and defining, along with said inner facing surfaces of said pair of electrodes, said corona discharge chamber therewithin said edges of said electrodes being in contact with and being surrounded with said dielectric liquid; e. a gas inlet and a gas outlet conduit extending through said housing and into gas communication with the corona discharge chamber of each of said cells for feeding oxygen-containing gas into and ozone-containing gas from, said chambers; and f. means for applying an a.c. voltage across the electrodes of each of said cells.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said gasket is formed from a fluorosilicon material and is a one-piece element.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said dielectric liquid is transformer oil and wherein said electrodes are flat and parallel, and each of said inner surfaces have a hard, fired-on coating of porcelain enamel thereon less than 20 mils thick.

Claim 12

The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said dielectric is transformer oil.

Claim 13

The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said dielectric liquid is a liquid silicon composition.

Claim 14

The apparaTus according to claim 7 wherein said gasket has an outer edge that does not extend beyond said edges of said electrodes.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 13 including cooling said liquid.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 14 including providing a plurality of said cells in a housing, substantially filling said housing with said dielectric liquid, and circulating said dielectric liquid from said housing to a cooler and back to said housing.

Claim 19

The method according to claim 15 wherein said electrodes are flat and parallel and providing a stack of said cells spaced apart by spacer means contacting said external surfaces and providing liquid coolant passageways through said spacers.

Claim 20

The method according to claim 16 wherein each cell includes a gasket between each pair of electrodes of each cell adjacent the peripheries of said electrodes for setting the distance therebetween, and wherein an outer edge of said gasket does not extend beyond said peripheries of said electrodes.

Claim 21

The method according to claim 15 wherein said liquid is transformer oil.