Corona discharge ozone generating unit

Claim 2

In an ozone generating unit including an enclosure forming a passageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, a first dielectric tube in said passageway which first tube has an electrode receiving portion with a substantially even thickness and a cylindrical inner surface, an outer cylindrical conductive electrode concentrically mounted on the ouside of and spaced from said electrode receiving portion of said dielectric tube to provide an air gap therebetween, an inner cylindrical electrode on the inside of the electrode receiving portion of said dielectric tube, and a pair of high voltage connecting terminals electrically connected respectively to said electrodes, there being provided between said outer and inner electrodes an air gap where an ozone producing corona is produced upon connection of a high voltage to said terminals, the improvement wherein said inner electrode is made of a sheet of resilient flexible conductive material of a width of about but no greater than the inside circumference of the interior surface of said electrode receiving portion of said dielectric tube and expanding into even continuous contact with the cylindrical inner surface of said dielectric tube so the ends of said resilient flexible sheet of conductive material forming said inner electrode are in even contiguous confronting relation, to provide an even spacing between said electrodes.

Claim 3

The ozone generating unit of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical electrode on the inner surface of said dielectric tube is made of a flat metal mesh sheet material.

Claim 4

The ozone generating unit of claim 1 wherein there is a second dielectric tube of substantially even thickness immediately surrounding in concentric spaced relationship said first mentioned dielectric tube which second tube has an electrode receiving portion with a substantially even thickness and a cylindrical inner surface, said outer conductive electrode being made of a sheet of resilient flexible conductive material of a width of about but no greater than the inside circumference of the interior surface of the electrode receiving portion of said latter dielectric tube and expanding into even continuous contact with the cylindrical inner surface of the latter tube so the ends of said resilient flexible sheet of conductive meterial forming said inner electrode are in even contiguous confronting relation, there being an even air gap between the outermost surface of the first mentioned dielectric tube and the electrode on the inner surface of said second dielectric tube.

Claim 5

The ozone generating unit of claim 3 wherein each of the electrodes on the inside surface of each dielectric tube is made of a flat metal mesh sheet material.

Claim 6

The ozone generating unit of claim 1 wherein said outer cylindrical metal electrode is a substantially perfectly cylindrical rigid metal mesh body friction fitted over the cylindrical outer surface of said cylindrical dielectric tube.

Claim 7

An ozone generating unit comprising: an enclosure forming a passageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, an assembly of concentric dielectric tubes in said passageway spaced from one another to provide for gas flow through the spaces between the dielectric tubes, the end of said dielectric tube assembly into which the gas to be ozonized flows terminating at different points located progressively axially inwardly of the dielectric tube assembly proceeding from the outermost to the innermost dielectric tubes, so the oxygen containing gas can progressively strike only one tube edge at a time to minimize resistance to gas flow into the dielectric tube assembly, a pair of metal electrodes on opposite sides of each dielectric tube, and a pair of high voltage connecting terminals respectively electrically connected to said pairs of electrodes.

Claim 8

An ozone generating unit comprising: an enclosure forming a passageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, an assembly of concentric dielectric tubes in said passageway spaced from one another to provide for gas flow through the spaces between the dielectric tubes, the end of said dielectric tube assembly into which the gas to be ozonized flows terminating at different points located progressively axially inwardly of the dielectric tube assembly proceeding from the outermost to the innermost dielectric tubes, so the oxygen containing gas can progressively strike only one tube edge at a time to minimize resistance to gas flow into the dielectric tube assembly, a pair of metal electrodes on opposite sides of each dielectric tube, and a pair of high voltage connecting terminals respectively electrically connected to said pairs of electrodes.

Claim 9

An ozone generating unit comprising: an enclosure forming a passageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, an assembly of at least three cylindrical concentric dielectric tubes in said passageway spaced from one another to provide gas flow through the spaces between the dielectric tubes, an outer cylindrical conductive electrode on the outside of the outermost dielectric tube, an electrode on the inner surface of each of said dielectric tubes, each of the latter electrodes being made of a sheet of conductive material of a width of about but no greater than the circumference of the interior surface of the associated dielectric tube and being initially deformed into a given shape different from that of the cylindrical inner surface of said associated dielectric tube so that each of the latter electrodes expands into even continuous contact with the cylindrical inner surface of said associated dielectric tube so that the ends of said resilient flexible sheet of conductive material forming said inner electrodes are in even contiguous confronting relation, a pair of high voltage connecting terminals, there being provided between each adjacent pair of dielectric tubes a corona discharge air gap region where an ozone producing corona is produced; electrical connecting means electrically connecting one of said high voltage terminals to said outer electrode and every alternate electrode mounted on the inner surface of a dielectric tube within said outermost dielectric tube, and electrically connecting means electrically connecting the other high voltage connecting terminal to the electrode on the inner surface of said outermost dielectric tube and every alternate dielectric tube mounted on the inner surface of a dielectric tube within said outermost dielectric tube.

Claim 10

An ozone generating unit comprising: an enclosure forming a passageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, an assembly of at least three cylindrical concentric dielectric tubes in said passageway spaced from one another to provide gas flow through the spaces between the dielectric tubes, an outer cylindrical conductive electrode on the outside of the outermost dielectric tube, an electrode on the inner surface of each of said dielectric tubes, each of the latter electrodes being made of a sheet of conductive material of a width of about but no greater than the circumference of the interior surface of the associated dielectric tube and being initially deformed into a given shape different from that of the cylindrical inner surface of said associated dielectric tube so that each of the latter electrodes expands into even continuous contact with the cylindrical inner surface of said associated dielectric tube so that the ends of said resilient flexible sheet of conductive material forming said inner electrodes are in even contiguous confronting relation, a pair of high voltage connecting terminals, there being provided between each adjacent pair of dielectric tubes a corona discharge air gap region where an ozone producing corona is produced; electrical connecting means electrically connecting one of said high voltage terminals to said outer electrode and every alternate electrode mounted on the inner surface of a dielectric tube within said outermost dielectric tube, and electrically connecting means electrically connecting the other high voltage connecting terminal to the electrode on the inner surface of said outermost dielectric tube and every alternate dielectric tube mounted on the inner surface of a dielectric tube within said outermost dielectric tube.

Claim 11

The ozone generating unit of claim 7 wherein said dielectric tubes are centered by circumferentially spaced sections of at least partially open flexible resilient tubing compressively sandwiched between the dielectric tubes at the opposite ends of the dielectric tube assembly whereby gas flows through the tubing.

Claim 12

In an ozone generating unit including an enclosure forming a pssageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, an assembly of concentric dielectric tubes in said passageway spaced from one another to provide for gas flow through the spaces between the dielectric tubes, which spaces include at least one gap in which ozone producing corona discharge is to be produced between electrode receiving portions of adjacent dielectric tubes, and cylindrical electrodes concentrically disposed on opposite sides of said dielectric tubes, the improvement wherein said dielectric tubes are held in centered spaced relation by circumferentially spaced open-ended tubular flexible resilient members sandwiched in partial compression between the dielectric tubes at the opposite ends of the dielectric tube assembly so gas can flow therethrough.

Claim 13

In an ozone generating unit including an enclosure forming a pssageway for the flow of an oxygen containing gas to be ozonized, an assembly of concentric dielectric tubes in said passageway spaced from one another to provide for gas flow through the spaces between the dielectric tubes, which spaces include at least one gap in which ozone producing corona discharge is to be produced between electrode receiving portions of adjacent dielectric tubes, and cylindrical electrodes concentrically disposed on opposite sides of said dielectric tubes, the improvement wherein said dielectric tubes are held in centered spaced relation by circumferentially spaced open-ended tubular flexible resilient members sandwiched in partial compression between the dielectric tubes at the opposite ends of the dielectric tube assembly so gas can flow therethrough.

Claim 14

The ozone generating unit of claim 9, wherein each of said flexible resilient spacer members extends only a small fraction of the length of the associated dielectric tubes and are located axially outwardly of said metal electrodes so they are removed from the corona discharge region of the unit.

Claim 15

The ozone generating unit of claim 9 wherein there are only three substantially equally circumferentially spaced flexible resilient spacer members at each end of said dielectric tube assembly.