Annular Heat Pipe Cooling for Multi-Gap Ozone Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ozone generation devices with multiple discharge gaps face inefficiencies in cooling, leading to excessive heat buildup and reduced ozone concentration due to inadequate heat removal from the discharge gaps and components.
Innovation Solution
The use of an electrode arrangement with annular heat pipes surrounding high-voltage and ground electrodes, allowing for efficient cooling of discharge gaps without the need for additional cooling media or systems, and enabling the placement of cooling sections close to the discharge gaps, thereby reducing system size and maintaining operational safety during breakdowns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple discharge gaps are used for ozone generation, then productivity and discharge area are improved, but heat removal efficiency deteriorates due to insufficient cooling capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the electrode structure with the cooling function by integrating heat pipes directly into the electrode assembly. The heat pipes are merged with the high-voltage electrode and ground electrode, allowing the electrodes to simultaneously perform electrical discharge and heat removal functions, thus resolving the contradiction between high productivity requiring multiple gaps and the need for effective cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces heat pipes as an intermediary thermal management component between the discharge gaps and the cooling system. The heat pipes act as thermal mediators that efficiently transfer heat from the discharge gaps where ozone is generated, through the electrode structure, to external cooling sections, enabling effective temperature control in multi-gap configurations.
2Temperature
If water cooling is applied to outer electrode, then heat removal is improved, but cooling efficiency remains insufficient for multiple-gap arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function directly into the electrode structure by integrating heat pipes with both the high-voltage and ground electrodes. This combination allows heat to be removed at the source (from the discharge gaps) through the electrode itself, rather than relying on external water cooling of the outer electrode, thereby dramatically improving cooling efficiency for multi-gap arrangements.
3Temperature
If central heat pipe is used for cooling, then heat removal efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases and additional cooling media are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for separate central heat pipe cooling systems by integrating heat pipes directly into the electrode structure. The electrodes themselves become the heat transfer pathways, removing the need for additional central cooling components, cooling media circulation systems, and associated complexity while maintaining effective heat removal from discharge gaps.
4Temperature
If cooling section is placed close to discharge gap, then heat management efficiency is improved, but system size is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling sections with the electrode assembly, allowing the cooling functionality to be placed immediately adjacent to the discharge gaps without requiring separate, space-consuming cooling systems. The heat pipes integrated in the electrodes provide direct thermal coupling between the discharge zones and cooling sections, achieving efficient heat management in a compact configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances ozone generation efficiency and concentration by effectively managing heat, reducing the need for additional cooling systems and minimizing NOx generation through improved heat management and power utilization.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the high-voltage electrode, the ground electrode and the annular dielectric is designed to be an annular heat pipe
Implementation Method 2
The annular heat pipe allows cooling of the discharge gap or components of the electrode arrangement with high efficiency
Implementation Method 3
Technically, ozone can be generated by silent electrical discharge in an oxygen-containing gas. Silent electrical discharge is, in contrast to spark discharge, to be understood as a stable plasma discharge or corona discharge
Implementation Method 4
Molecular oxygen is dissociated into atomic oxygen. The reactive oxygen atoms subsequently attach themselves to molecular oxygen in an exothermic reaction and form tri-atomic molecules, i.e. ozone
Data Source
AI summary
A device for generating ozone from oxygen-containing gas by silent electric discharge, the device including an electrode arrangement having at least one high-voltage electrode and at least one annular ground electrode. An annular dielectric is arranged between the at least one high-voltage electrode and the at least one ground electrode. The at least one high-voltage electrode is surrounded by at least one annular heat pipe.