Dielectric liquid-immersed corona generator

Claim 1

A dielectric liquid-immersed corona generator comprising: a. a fluid-tight housing; b. a heat exchanger; c. means for pumping a dielectric liquid from said housing to said heat exchanger and back to said housing; d. a corona generator positioned within said housing and including a plurality of gas-tight corona generating cells, each cell comprising a pair of flat, solid, spaced-apart electrodes forming a corona discharge chamber between inner facing surfaces of said electrodes, a layer of dielectric material coated on the inner surface of each of said electrodes, a gasket positioned between said pair of electrodes adjacent the peripheries thereof and defining, along with said inner facing surfaces of said pair of electrodes, said corona discharge chamber therewithin, said gasket also determining the thickness of said corona discharge chamber and a spacer element positioned between each adjacent pair of cells and in contact with the external surface of the adjacent electrodes of the adjacent cells, said spacer elements including gas passageways therethrough, and including means for holding said cells and said spacer elements together; 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 the ozone-containing gas from, said chambers; f. means including a solid electrical conductor connected to said electrodes for applying a voltage across the electrodes of each of said cells, and g. a disc centrally located in each of said discharge chambers and having a thickness substantially equal to that of said gasket for maintaining said electrodes flat and providing a more uniform air flow through said chamber.

Claim 19

A method for preventing electrical discharge between the adjacent peripheries of a pair of spaced-apart electrodes of an airtight corona generating cell, said electrodes including internal surfaces defining a corona generating chamber and external heat exchange surfaces, said method comprising immersing said cell in a dielectric liquid and surrounding said peripheries with said dielectric liquid, cooling said liquid whereby said liquid serves to simultaneously prevent said discharge and to cool said cell, providing a plurality of said cells in a housing, filling said housing with said dielectric liquid, and circulating said dielectric liquid from said housing to a cooler and back to said housing, said electrodes being 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, providing a gasket of fluorosilicon rubber material between each pair of electrodes of each cell adjacent the peripheries of said electrodes for setting the distance therebetween, and maintaining said electrodes flat by providing a disc centrally located between each pair of electrodes of each cell and having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of each of said gaskets.

Claim 20

A method for preventing electrical discharge between the adjacent peripheries of a pair of spaced-apart electrodes of an airtight corona generating cell, said electrodes including internal surfaces defining a corona generating chamber and external heat exchange surfaces, said method comprising immersing said cell in a dielectric liquid and surrounding said peripheries with said dielectric liquid, cooling said liquid whereby said liquid serves to simultaneously prevent said discharge and to cool said cell, providing a plurality of said cells in a housing, filling said housing with said dielectric liquid, and circulating said dielectric liquid from said housing to a cooler and back to said housing, said electrodes being 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, providing a gasket of fluorosilicon rubber material between each pair of electrodes of each cell adjacent the peripheries of said electrodes for setting the distance therebetween, and maintaining said electrodes flat by providing a disc centrally located between each pair of electrodes of each cell and having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of each of said gaskets.