A NEW-TYPE OF OZONE GENERATOR USING TAYLOR CONES ON WATER SURFACES

Ozone has been found to be effective in many forms of water treatment. As concerns about the safety of alternate methods of water treatment increase (in particular, chlorination), ozone, which is already extens ively used in Europe, offers an effective option. This paper describes a new method of ozone generation particularly suited for use in water purification. Most current industrial ozone production is based on '' silent'' electrical discharges in a gap between concentric electrodes separated by a glass or ceramic dielectric barrier. The authors presen t experimental results obtained using a parallel-plate discharge geome try. The lower electrode consists of a grounded ''pool'' of still wate r separated by a discharge gap from an upper insulated planar electrod e. When the electrode is energized by an ac high voltage, a multitude of ''Taylor cones'' forms on the water surface. The Taylor cones form and collapse randomly and continuously, depending on the electric fiel d. The tips of the cones provide points for electrical discharge pulse s which initiate ozone generation. This method generates ozone in clos e proximity to the water surface, Laboratory experiments show efficien cies for gaseous ozone production as high as Ilo g/kWh.