JPH082903A - Ozonizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a small-sized, lightweight and low-cost ozonizer having a high efficiency and capable of being attached to a bath room, a toilet, etc., in the home, the inside of a refrigerator or the inside of an air-conditioner. CONSTITUTION:This ozonizer is equipped with a high-frequency generating circuit 25, a transformer 26 for elevating the generating power and a pair of single-pole discharge tubes 27A and 27B close to each other and connected to the high-voltage winding side of the transformer. A rare gas is tightly sealed in the discharge tube and the discharge tube can discharge high-frequency plasma in a high-frequency electric field. The gas existing in the tube performs a role of an electrode and oxygen existing in a space between the electrodes can be ozonized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ozone generator using gaseous plasma discharge, and more particularly to an ozone generator mainly used for consumer purposes, which can be used for deodorization, sterilization, disinfection, mold prevention, production of alkaline ionized water, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 shows a basic structure of an ozone generator which is most widely used as a conventional example. Electrode plates 1 and 2 made of metal are arranged opposite to each other, and an AC / high voltage is applied between the two electrode plates, and one or both of the inner surfaces of the electrode plates 1 and 2 (FIG. Are provided with dielectric layers 3 and 4.
The dielectric layers 3 and 4 are necessary for generating a silent discharge that is distributed over the entire surface of the electrode plate without causing the discharge to concentrate on one point of the electrode plate. When oxygen (O ₂ ) is sent to the space 5 between the electrodes, a part of the oxygen (O ₂ ) is ozonized and becomes (O ₂ + O ₃ ).

According to this conventional example, since a high voltage is applied to the metal plate, when this is to be carried out for home use, sufficient electric shock prevention means is required, and the thickness of the dielectric layers 3, 4 is required. Electric field strength (V / d)
And the ozone generation efficiency decreases.

FIG. 2 shows a large-scale apparatus for generating a large amount of ozone in the industrial field such as water treatment in a water purification plant, deodorization treatment in a waste treatment plant, etc., based on this basic structure and having a cylindrical electrode shape. An example is shown. The horizontal tank 6 is partitioned into three regions by two internal partitioning plates 7 and 8, and a large number of stainless steel pipes 9 保持 9 are held by the two partitioning plates 7 and 8; A glass tube 10 # 10 having an outer diameter having a predetermined gap is inserted and fixed. A rod-shaped or linear metal serving as an electrode is inserted in the axis of each of the glass tubes 10 ... 10 and all the electrodes are connected in parallel by an internal lead wire 11, and a high frequency wave is generated from a terminal 12 via an external lead wire 13. , Connected to the high voltage generator 14. An air inlet 15 is provided outside the internal partition plate 7 and another internal partition plate 8 is provided.
An ozone outlet 16 is provided outside the air inlet 15.
The air introduced from the inside is ozonized while passing through the gap between the stainless steel tube 9 and the glass tube 10 and
Taken from. A cooling water inlet 17 is provided inside the internal partition plate 7, and a cooling water outlet 18 is provided inside the other internal partition plate 8 to prevent overheating of the glass tube and the like.

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-116906, an induction electrode is formed on one surface of a plate-shaped substrate made of a dielectric material, and a discharge electrode is formed on the other surface, and a pulsating high voltage is applied between both electrodes. Ozone generator that generates a silent discharge around the discharge electrode, and the base body is cylindrical, the induction electrode is formed on the outer circumference and the discharge electrode is provided on the inner circumference to generate the silent discharge, and the axial center of the cylinder There is described a device in which a rod-shaped dust collecting electrode made of a synthetic resin is provided along with, and when air is passed through this cylinder, the dust is cleaned and ozone is simultaneously generated. This conventional example is also common to the above-described conventional examples in that a metal is used as an electrode material.

[0006]

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the distance between electrodes is small. Therefore, the electric field strength is remarkably increased, the ozone generation efficiency is good, and the structure is extremely simple. Since it is small and lightweight, it can be easily installed in the refrigerator, air conditioner, dining table, anchor, bathroom, bedroom, etc. It is an issue.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] Means for solving the above problems, that is, the structure of an ozone generator according to the present invention, comprises two monopolar gas-filled discharge tubes arranged side by side in close proximity to each other. It is characterized by having means for applying a high frequency high voltage to the electrodes of the two discharge tubes.

In the present invention, the gas sealed in the single-electrode gas-filled discharge tube is preferably selected from a rare gas (rare gas) such as argon Ar, krypton Kr, xenon Xe, neon Ne, helium He, and nitrogen N. . A
Since r, Kr, Xe, Ne, and He have very little abundance on the earth, they have this name and are also called rare gases, noble gases, and inert gases.

The most characteristic structure of the present invention is that a metal filled electrode is used instead of a metal for the electrode. When the gas in the discharge tube becomes a plasma state, the gas in the plasma state serves as an electrode, silent discharge occurs without providing a dielectric, and the gas in the plasma state serves as an electrode to create a strong electric field.

[0010] Frequency range of "high-frequency" in the present invention is preferably not more than 1 kH _Z or 10 MHz _Z. 1KH _Z
If the temperature is lower, the discharge becomes unstable, and the circuit elements such as the transformer and the resonance circuit are increased in size and weight. The undesirable structure increases the high power oscillator than 10 MHz _Z is complicated and large in size.

The "high voltage" range in the present invention preferably has an effective value of 500 V or more. If the voltage is lower than 1 KV, the electric field intensity between the electrodes is reduced, and the amount of generated ozone is reduced.

[0012]

In the high frequency electric field, the discharge can be sustained only by the in-action of the electrons without being replenished by the emission of electrons from the cathode. In addition, since the unipolar discharge tube in the plasma discharge state constitutes the electrodes, silent discharge is maintained without interposing a dielectric layer between them, which not only simplifies the structure but also reduces the distance between the electrodes. Very small,
Therefore, a strong electric field strength can be easily obtained, and ozone generation efficiency with respect to power consumption is high.

[0013]

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
5 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the discharge tube, and FIG. 5 shows a sectional view taken along line AA 'of FIG.

A power supply terminal 20 connected to a commercial AC power supply is connected to an AC input terminal of a rectifier 22 via a power switch 21, and a smoothing capacitor 23 and a resistor 24 are connected to a DC output terminal of the rectifier 22 to provide a smooth DC power. Power is obtained. A battery may be used instead of the above power supply circuit.

The high frequency oscillation circuit 25 is driven by this DC power supply, and its oscillation output is boosted to a high voltage by a boosting transformer 26 and applied to the electrodes of the two unipolar discharge tubes 27A and 27B. The high frequency oscillation circuit 25 is a collector tuning type LC oscillation circuit using a transistor Q, and the oscillation frequency f is determined by the capacitor C connected to the collector (C) and the inductance, and the frequency f is f = 1 / It is 2π (LC) ^1/2 . A light emitting diode 28 indicating an oscillating state is connected to the base circuit of the transistor Q. Note that R ₁ is a resistor that determines the emitter potential of the transistor Q, and R ₂ and R ₃ are resistors that determine the base potential of the transistor Q. The high-frequency oscillation circuit of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented by a known oscillation circuit or oscillation device such as an RC oscillation circuit, a crystal oscillation circuit, or a magnetron.

The discharge tubes 27A and 27B are electrodes in which one end of a straight cylindrical glass tube is provided, and a rare gas is filled in the tubes. The two discharge tubes have a holder 29 with a gap of 1 mm, for example. Supported by 30. Oxygen passing through the electric field between the two discharge tubes 27A and 27B is ozonized.

The data (test results) of the embodiment of the present invention are shown below. Ignition voltage 7 to 8 KV Lighting frequency 20 to 30 KHz Discharge tube length 30 mm Discharge tube inner diameter 1 mm φ Input energy 3 W Ozone output 10 to 18 ppm Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The single-pole type gas-filled discharge tube of the present invention is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may have any cross-sectional shape such as a flat shape as shown in FIG. 6 (A) or a semicircular shape as shown in FIG. 6 (B). It can be carried out. In those shown in FIG. 6, the electrode area is increased, and the ozone generation efficiency is improved. Further, a gap between the two discharge tubes arranged in parallel is not always necessary. For example, even if the gap is eliminated by contacting each other, a high electric field is generated around the discharge tube, and thus ozone is generated. be able to. Further, the two discharge tubes 27A and 27B according to the present invention are not limited to those arranged in the same direction as shown in FIG. 4, but may be arranged in opposite directions as shown in FIG. . According to this embodiment, the distance between the electrode lead wires is increased and the insulating structure between the lead wires is simplified. The discharge tubes of the present invention are not limited to one pair, and usually a plurality of pairs are used in parallel.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a metal electrode is not used,
Since the unipolar discharge tube is used as the electrode, it is not necessary to interpose a dielectric between the electrodes as in the conventional case, and an ion generator having a simple structure can be obtained. Further, since the discharge tubes to be the electrodes are arranged very close to or in contact with each other, the distance between the electrodes is reduced, the electric field strength of the electric field is increased, and the ozone generation efficiency is improved. Furthermore, since the gas in the plasma state, which becomes the electrode, is sealed in an insulator such as a glass tube, even if a high voltage is applied, there is no danger of electric shock and leakage, and the electrode holding mechanism is simple. Be transformed into

Therefore, for example, it is possible to provide a household ozone generator for sterilizing and preventing mildew in a bathroom, deodorizing a toilet, sterilizing and deodorizing a refrigerator, and producing alkaline ionized water at a very low cost. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional example for industrial use.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a discharge tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the discharge tube of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the arrangement of the two discharge tubes of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 25 ... High-frequency oscillator circuit 26 ... Step-up transformer 27 ... two single-pole discharge tubes

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ozone generator comprising two single-pole type gas-filled discharge tubes arranged in close proximity to each other and a means for applying a high frequency high voltage to the electrodes of the two discharge tubes. 2. The ozone generator according to claim 1, wherein the gas sealed in the discharge tube is a rare gas (inert gas). Wherein said high-frequency frequencies 1 kH _Z or more, 1
0MH _Z are the following range, the ozone generating apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The ozone generator according to claim 1, wherein the effective value of the high voltage is in a range of 500 V or more. 5. An oscillator circuit, a transformer for boosting the output of the oscillator circuit, and two single-pole discharge tubes connected to the high-voltage winding side of the transformer and arranged in close proximity to each other. Ozone generator.