Mixer for hyper-ozonated water and assembly for ozone therapy comprising said mixer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mixer for hyper-ozonated water and an assembly for ozone therapy comprising said mixer suitably usable for medical and / or therapeutic use; by way of non-limiting example, in the field of stomatology. More precisely, the proposed patent is based on a mixer for producing hyper-ozonated water comprising a container (MIX) with a gas-tight lid (C); said gas-tight lid (C) being provided with a demineralised water feeding nozzle (Wref ) and a nozzle with a gas and vapour vent valve (Gout ); said container (MIX) being provided with an entry nozzle (OzG) for an ozone- containing gas mixture; a withdrawal nozzle (OzW) for hyper- ozonated water and a level switch (L); said mixer being used to bubble said ozone-containing gas mixture into the volume of demineralised water underlying said level switch (L); said mixer further comprising an immersion pump ( Pl ) positioned on the bottom of the container (MIX) and used to withdraw liquid and expel it above through a vertical conduit ( P) towards a breaker plate ( FP); said breaker plate ( FP) being connected to said lid (C) by means of a descending septum ( S ) used to support said breaker plate ( FP) above the height of said level switch (L).

Description

[0001] Mixer for hyper-ozonated water and assembly for ozone therapy comprising said mixer

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The present invention relates to a system for the production and use of ozonated water which is conveniently suitable for medical therapeutic use , by way of non-limiting example , in the field of stomatology . Said system is more generally usable in the context of the what is called anti-aging technologies . More precisely, the apparatus which is the obj ect of the present invention is aimed at the production and topical contextual use of hyper-ozonated water with a high concentration of ozone ; said water being advantageously usable for treating infectious diseases of the mucosa / skin . However, said primary purpose does not exclude the use of the proposed system to increase the concentration of further dissolved gases such as hydrogen .

[0004] State of the art

[0005] What is known as the discipline of ozone therapy, i . e . , the advantageous use of ozone for medical therapeutic purposes , has long been known . Ozone therapy exploits the antiseptic properties of this element together with its ability to oxygenate tissues and finds diverse applications in various areas of medicine , including neurological , cardiological , orthopaedic and stomatological .

[0006] In the particular case of purely surgical and / or disinfection applications , ozone is often administered by means of a carrier, typically demineralised / double-distilled water , which is enriched with this element and subsequently applied to primarily disinfect tissues but , further and advantageously, to promote the regeneration and renewal thereof . In view of this recognised benefit , the ozone which benignly enriches and characterises ozonated water is , however, an inherently unstable molecule : it is currently impossible to store it for long periods and therefore, over time , systems for the production of on-site ozonated water have been developed .

[0007] In fact , commercial equipment for producing ozonated water is known both for use in domestic work ( obviously more focused on environmental disinfection) and for hospital medical use for the anticipated therapeutic uses .

[0008] The commercially known apparatuses for producing ozonated water for medical use are systems designed to produce primarily ozone by the conversion of oxygen ( commonly supplied in cylinders ) ; said ozone being subsequently mixed with demineralised / double-distilled water in order to enrich it or ozonate it . The main components of these systems include , in principle :

[0009] A first ozone generator which, by means of special electric discharge chambers , produces ozone or an oxygen-ozone mixture in a variable and selectable concentration .

[0010] A system for mixing the gas produced in the previous point with distilled / double-distilled water ; said system typically including a container for exchanging with an ej ector or solubilisation noz zle , i . e . , a pressure solubilisation system . Using said mixer, the gas is brought into contact passing through the liquid and is partially absorbed by the water in a concentration which depends on the process and, above all , on the ef ficiency of the devices used .

[0011] A final gas / liquid phase degassing and separation system of the spent gases which did not combine with the water during the mixing with the attached catalysis system and reconversion of the residual ozone to common oxygen .

[0012] The concentration of ozone in water is a crucial factor for its correct and ef fective use . The concentration of ozone required, for example , for disinfection can vary depending on water quality and the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) . NOM concentrations can range from 0 . 2 to greater than 10 mg / 13 . Faced with this need, ozone, like any other oxidant, rarely reaches a complete mineralisation of N0M3, therefore achieving a high concentration of ozone in water is practically very difficult: with the systems currently on the market, saturation thresholds are easily reached beyond which it is not possible to increase the concentration of ozone and the common techniques normally used to over-saturate dissolved gases are useless, such as simply increasing the amounts involved and / or the exposure / exchange times. Due to its intrinsic properties, keeping gaseous ozone in contact with water for prolonged periods of time is not trivially sufficient to obtain what is called hyper-ozonated water, i.e., with the high ozone concentration which is desirable and / or necessary for certain therapeutic purposes. At the implementation level, this technical problem (obtaining very high concentrations of ozone in water) is obviously exacerbated by collateral problems which are however common to all devices which use ozone and are known in the state of the art, including:

[0013] Ozone production: Ozone production requires the use of electricity or UV4 rays. This can result in significant energy costs and may require specialised equipment if needed in large quantities. In this sense, it is desirable to obtain ozonated water in a delocalised manner using relatively compact and low-power devices.

[0014] Security: Ozone is a powerful oxidant and can be dangerous if not managed.

[0015] Ozone removal: After obtaining ozonated water, the residual gaseous ozone must be removed before it can be released. This may require further treatment steps and equipment.

[0016] Finally, the known type of ozonated water production systems, in addition to not reaching high concentrations, have further problems related to practicality and usability on a delocalised scale because said plants:

[0017] - hardly lend themselves to being used in small environments, the standard size of medical offices; - the delivery of ozone risks dangerously increasing the ozone concentration in the air of the of fices , with obvious dangers for the health of patients and healthcare professionals ;

[0018] - have high overall dimensions ; the known small system are typically designed for domestic use and are inadequate since they use non-demineralised water and leave nitrated residues and ozone in gaseous form .

[0019] - have high manufacturing and maintenance costs .

[0020] From the patent point of view, some systems for producing liquids with a high concentration of gases are known which, however, do not solve the aforementioned problems . These include the following documents :

[0021] - US 2 591 134 A ( CANARI IS SVEND A) 1 April 1952

[0022] - KR 102 511 676 Bl ( JI SU MIN [KR] ) 17 March 2023

[0023] - US 3 628 775 A (MCCONNELL CHRISTOPHER W ET AL ) 21 December 1971

[0024] Summary disclosure of the invention

[0025] The main task of the present invention is to make an apparatus for the production and use of ozonated water which is conveniently usable for medical use and solves the main technical problem set forth above , namely to obtain in a reliable , economical and convenient manner what is known as hyper-ozonated water with ozone concentrations greater than those characterising the apparatuses available on the market . Furthermore , the aim is to realise an invention which simultaneously also solves the other drawbacks and / or secondary problems anticipated in the previous section and overcomes the limits of the prior art by allowing the production and use of ozone in the medical field in a reliable , simple and safe manner .

[0026] Within the scope of these further tasks , an obj ect of the present invention is to make an apparatus for the production and use of hyper-ozonated water for medical use which is to be used in a dental of fice .

[0027] Another obj ect of the invention is to make an apparatus for the production and use of hyper-ozonated water for medical use which prevents the increase of ozone concentration in the environment in which the ozone therapy is performed .

[0028] Another obj ect of the invention is to make an apparatus for the production and use of water for medical use which is easily usable for medical therapies in general and, particularly, for stomatological ones .

[0029] Another obj ect of the invention is to make an apparatus for the production and use of ozone for medical use which is easy to manufacture and economically competitive and, furthermore , uses simple , reliable and easily available components on the market in terms of component manufacturing .

[0030] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the above task, as well as the aforementioned obj ects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an assembly for ozone therapy with hyper-ozonated water, said assembly allowing the production and use of hyper-ozonated water for medical use . Said assembly for ozone therapy comprising a mixer device for generating hyper-ozonated water at a high concentration; said water being obtained starting from ozone gas supplied through a feeding apparatus and from doubledistilled demineralised water ; said ozone gas being used to enrich said double-distilled demineralised water and ozonate it at a high concentration .

[0031] Said mixer for generating hyper-ozonated water being characterised in that it comprises a container of preferably but not necessarily cylindrical shape with a gas-tight lid, said container being intended for mixing water and ozone gas ; said container being provided with means for carrying out a double enrichment process of the water subj ected to treatment :

[0032] - Enrichment by means of traditional gas exchange , i . e . , by performing the function of a traditional bubbler with a low entry of ozone gas which by gravity rises up, enriching the mass of water housed above present in the container and whose residual part ( gases and vapours ) goes to be positioned in the upper part of the container itsel f .

[0033] - Over-enrichment by means of further exchange between partially gas-enriched liquid and the aforementioned gaseous portion present in the upper part of the container ; said over-enrichment being obtained by means of an immersion pump and rising channel which, by withdrawing ozonated water from the bottom of the container, channel it above and generate an ascending j et which breaks on a breaker plate positioned below said lid and near the aforementioned upper part of the container which houses the gaseous vapours risen during bubbling which are then further exploited to increase the concentration of gas in the water .

[0034] Said mixer device can be used profitably to constitute a production assembly of hyper-ozonated water for ozone therapy through the integration of the following further elements :

[0035] - Ozone gas feeding and receiving means ; said means comprising an apparatus for producing ozone , preferably but not necessarily starting from oxygen cylinders ; alternatively comprising stored ozone .

[0036] - Means for feeding and receiving demineralised doubledistilled water to be subj ected to mixing with ozone ; said means being used for supplying and progressively refilling with mixer water during the ordinary use of the assembly, i . e . , during the withdrawal for delivering hyper-ozonated water ; said means comprising a chiller device , a supply storage container and a pump .

[0037] - Means for controlling the ozone concentration in the water subj ected to the ozone mixing process ; said means comprising a loop with collection, recycling and re-entry of the analysed water into the mixer ; said means comprising an apparatus with probe for veri fying water concentration and a pump for recycling the analysed water in the container itsel f .

[0038] - Ozonated water delivery means ; said means comprising delivery means connectable to said mixer ; said means comprising a pump for the withdrawal of ozonated water and further and any means for controlling the temperature and concentration in output , useful for the therapeutic use of the mixed hyper-ozonated water .

[0039] - Means for degassing and separating the gas / liquid phase related to the spent gases withdrawn above from the mixer with neutralisation of the aqueous vapours containing residual ozone to the process , i . e . , the components which have not combined with water during mixing (bubbling and hydraulic j et on plate ) and must be subj ected to catalysis and reconversion of the residual ozone into common oxygen; said means comprising a drain valve , a container for decanting and separating the liquid and gaseous part and a catalyst for reconversion of nitrogen into oxygen which can be safely released into the environment .

[0040] Brief description of the accompanying drawings

[0041] Further characteristics and advantages of the proposed technical solution will appear more evident in the following description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment shown by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying two drawing plates , in which :

[0042] - Figure 1 illustrates the detailed diagram of the mixer device for producing hyper-ozonated water according to the invention;

[0043] - Figure 2 illustrates an assembly for delivering hyperozonated water for ozone therapy comprising said mixer device .

[0044] It should be noted that the figures attached to the present patent application illustrate only one possible embodiment of the system, in order to better understand the advantages and features of the patent described .

[0045] These embodiments are therefore to be understood as purely illustrative and supportive of the present description without limitation of the inventive concept and above all of the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims .

[0046] Optimal method for implementing the invention

[0047] With reference to the accompanying drawings and in particular to Figure 1 , an exemplary embodiment of the mixer device for producing hyper-ozonated water according to the proposed invention is briefly shown . In particular, said mixer device consists of a container (MIX ) of preferably but not necessarily cylindrical shape with a gas-tight lid ( C ) which is possibly pressurised, said container being used as an exchange volume for mixing water and ozone gas introduced from the outside . Said container (MIX ) being characterised by three noz zles preferably positioned at the base or in its lower portion :

[0048] - An inlet noz zle for ozone gas or an oxygen / ozone gas ( OzG) mixture ; said gas or gas mixture being used to ozonate water, preferably but not necessarily demineralised / double- distilled water contained within said container ;

[0049] - An outlet / delivery noz zle of ozonated water ( OzW) withdrawn from the mixer and made available for ozone therapy applications ;

[0050] - An outlet / withdrawal noz zle for a small portion of ozonated water ( Coni ) withdrawn from the container (MIX ) and used for the connection to the gas concentration control system ( OCK) .

[0051] Said container (MIX ) being characterised by three further noz zles positioned at the lid ( C ) or possibly in the upper portion of the same container :

[0052] - a noz zle for feeding demineralised and / or double-distilled water (Wref ) to be subj ected to mixing; said noz zle (Wref ) being used for supplying and progressively refilling the container (MIX) during the ordinary use of the mixer, i.e., during the withdrawal for delivery of hyper-ozonated water; said refilling being automatic and regulated through a level switch (L) which is used to maintain a predetermined level / volume of ozonated water;

[0053] - a gas and vapour vent valve (Gout) used to allow the gases and vapours which are formed during the mixing process inside the container to exit in the upper position (MIX) ;

[0054] - an inlet / re-entry nozzle (Con2) for recovering a portion of ozonated water coming from a gas concentration control system in the container.

[0055] Said container being further characterised by an immersion pump (Pl) which, by withdrawing water from the bottom of the container, channels it and expels it from above through a conduit (P) which extends inside the container and in an upper direction; said conduit (P) extending above a lower height than the level of the water subjected to mixing, i.e., below the level monitored by the level switch (L) . Said submerged pump (Pl) and said conduit (P) generating a jet of ascending ozonated water which breaks on a breaker plate (PF) positioned below said lid (C) and made integral therewith through a support septum (S) . Said breaker plate (PF) being positioned below said lid (C) and near the upper part of the container (MIX) , i.e., from the portion of volume which exceeds the level switch (L) and houses the gaseous vapours which rise during the normal bubbling of the ozone introduced through the nozzle (OzW) from the bottom of the container. Said gaseous vapours also contain a significant portion of ozone which in the bubbling has not combined with water during the ascent by gravity inside the container. Said upward jet of ozonated water determining in its ascent with impact towards the breaker plate (PF) and in the subsequent downward fall a further exchange and determining an over-enrichment between the liquid sucked from the bottom of the container (MIX) by means of the immersion pump ( Pl ) and the gaseous portion present in the upper part of the container (MIX ) underlying the lid (C ) .

[0056] With reference to the accompanying drawings and particularly to Figure 2 , an assembly is shown for delivering hyper-ozonated water, conveniently usable for ozone therapy applications and comprising the mixer device described above . In particular, the following are depicted :

[0057] An ozone gas feeding and receiving line ; said line comprising an ozone-producing apparatus ( OzGen) connected to said noz zle for the entry of ozone gas ( Ozg) or of an oxygen / ozone gas mixture ; said apparatus for producing ozone being preferably but not necessarily fed by oxygen cylinders ;

[0058] A feeding and refilling line of double-distilled demineralised water (Wref ) to be mixed with ozone ; said line being used to supply and progressively refill the container (MIX ) used as mixer ; said feeding and refilling line comprising an accumulation and supply container (WT ) ; a first cooling device (WR1 ) and a pump ( P2 ) used to progressively feed the container (MIX ) through said noz zle (WREF) for entering cooled demineralised and doubledistilled water so as to maintain the level monitored by the level switch ( L ) ; said noz zle being further connected to a conduit ( TW) which allows the water introduced to descend onto the breaker plate ( PF) without interfering with the upper gaseous volume and above all without interfering with the spend oxygen / ozone withdrawal and drain valve ( Gout ) .

[0059] An ozone concentration control loop inserted in parallel to the container (MIX ) by means of two extraction ( Coni ) and re-entry ( Con2 ) noz zles and used to control and monitor the ozone concentration in the water of the container (MIX ) during the mixing process with ozone withdrawn from the noz zle ( OzG) ; said control loop being carried out through the withdrawal from the container (MIX ) of a portion of liquid from the nozzle (Coni) , the analysis and recycling with re-entry of a corresponding portion of analysed water into the nozzle (Con2) ; said analysis occurring by means of an apparatus (OCK) provided with a probe for the verification of gas concentration in the examined water and by means of a pump (P4) for recycling with re-entry of the analysed water into the same container (MIX) . Said re-entry nozzle (Con2) being connected to a conduit (TC) which allows the introduced water to descend and pass through the breaker plate (PF) , i.e., by pouring the returned ozonated water into the underlying ozonated water; this expedient so as not to interfere with the upper gaseous volume and, above all, not to interfere with the spent oxygen / ozone withdrawal and drain valve (Gout) .

[0060] An ozonated water delivery line connected to the container by means of a delivery nozzle; said delivery line comprising a pump (P3) for withdrawing the ozonated water by means of said nozzle (OzW) and being usable for the cascading connection with further and additional (depending on the medical application) including means for the therapeutic application of the hyper-ozonated water produced; said means comprising delivery devices (DS) and comprising means for maintaining the outlet ozone concentration constant, including a second outlet chiller (WR2) .

[0061] A line for degassing and separating the gas / liquid phases of the spent gases withdrawn from the nozzle with vent valve (Gout) positioned in the upper part of the lid (C) and used to allow the gases and vapours (Gout) which are formed during the mixing process to exit to the upper position inside the container (MIX) ; said line being used for the neutralisation of the aqueous vapours containing residual ozone from the process, i.e., the components which have not combined with the demineralised water during mixing and, for safety reasons, must be subjected to catalysis and reconversion of residual ozone into common oxygen; said line comprising a container (VD) for decanting and separating liquid and gaseous part and a catalyst ( OC ) that frees gaseous oxygen ( 02 ) .

[0062] Industrial applicability

[0063] While the invention is subj ect to various modi fications and alternative constructions , some preferred embodiments have been shown in the drawings and described in detail in the preceding paragraphs .

[0064] However, the hyper-ozonated water produced according to the proposed system could be subj ect to applications outside of the primary technical field described above . In particular, for new and further uses and / or use tests for antibacterial , antiviral , anti fungal and antiphlogistic purposes .

[0065] It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the speci fic illustrated embodiment but , on the contrary, the aim is to cover all the modi fications , alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims .

[0066] The use of " for example" , "etc . " , "or" , "preferably" refers to non-exclusive non-limiting alternatives , unless otherwi se stated .

[0067] In particular, the invention can be realised with technical equivalents , with supplementary materials or solutions suitable for the purpose and the application scope . Conformation and dimensions of the constituent parts and products made to make the solution more concrete may vary in a suitable , but consistent way with the proposed solution .

[0068] By way of example and not limitation, it is noted that the geometric shapes and mutual positioning of the parts involved may be further varied and, furthermore , the speci fic shape and some functionality of the system may also be varied : the general arrangement may in fact be revisited without departing from the scope of the claimed invention according to the field of medical use .

[0069] In any case , said necessary modi fications to the mixer for hyper-ozonated water and to the assembly for ozone therapy comprising said mixer as well as the relative characterising parts , including adj ustments and dimensioning appropriate to the individual installation, will be deducible by a suitably trained person skilled in the art without going beyond the scope of protection of the claimed patent .

[0070] Additionally, the system can be adapted and possibly expanded to provide further and additional services and further equipped with systems and accessories to integrate the operation thereof and increase the potential and areas of exploitation such as , for example , for the production of hydrogen .

Claims

Claims1) Mixer for producing hyper-ozonated water comprising a container (MIX) with a gas-tight lid (C) ; said gas-tight lid (C) being provided with a demineralised water feeding nozzle (Wref) and a nozzle with a gas and vapour vent valve (Gout) ; said container (MIX) being provided with an entry nozzle (OzG) for gas; a withdrawal nozzle (OzW) for hyperozonated water and a level switch (L) ; said mixer being used to bubble said gas mixture containing ozone into the volume of demineralised water underlying said level switch (L) ; said mixer being characterised in that: an immersion pump (Pl) positioned on the bottom of the container (MIX) is used to withdraw liquid and expel it above through a vertical conduit (P) towards a breaker plate (FP) ; said breaker plate (FP) being connected to said lid (C) by means of a descending septum (S) used to support said breaker plate (FP) above the height of said level switch (L) .2) Mixer for producing hyper-ozonated water according to Claim 1 comprising a withdrawal nozzle (Coni) mounted on said lid (C) and a re-entry nozzle (Con2) mounted on said container (MIX) ; said nozzles (Coni) , (Con2) being used for the connection to a gas concentration control system.3) Mixer for producing hyper-ozonated water according to Claim 1 comprising a conduit (TW) connected to said nozzle (Wref) ; said conduit (TW) being used to deliver demineralised water above said breaker plate (PF) .4) Mixer for producing hyper-ozonated water according toClaim 1 comprising a conduit (TC) connected to said re- entry nozzle (Con2) , said conduit (TC) crossing said breakwater plate (PF) and being used to deliver demineralised water under said breakwater plate (PF) .5) Assembly for ozone therapy comprising the mixer for producing hyper-ozonated water according to Claim 1, further comprising:An ozone generator (OzGen) connected to said nozzle (OzG) ;A pump (P4) and a device for measuring the concentration of dissolved gases connected to said nozzles (Coni) , (Con2 ) ;Means for feeding said nozzle (Wref) with demineralised distilled water;Means for controlling and delivering hyper-ozonated water withdrawn from said nozzle (OzW) ;Means for separating and degassing the vapours withdrawn from said valve (Gout) .6) Assembly for ozone therapy according to Claim 5, wherein said means for feeding said nozzle (Wref) with demineralised distilled water comprise:At least one storage container for demineralised water (WT) ;At least one chiller (WR1) ;At least one pump (P2) .7) Assembly for ozone therapy according to Claim 5, wherein said means for controlling and delivering hyper-ozonated water withdrawn from said nozzle (OzW) comprise:At least one pump (P3) ;At least one chiller (WR2) ;At least one delivery device (DS) chosen from taps, lances and medical instruments for the therapeutic administration of ozonated water.8) Assembly for ozone therapy according to Claim 5, wherein said means for degassing and separating the gases and vapours released by said valve (Gout) :At least one vapour decanting chamber (VD) ;At least one ozone catalyst (OC) .9) Assembly for ozone therapy according to Claim 5, wherein said ozone generator (OzG) is used to produce ozone or a mixture comprising oxygen and ozone.

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