Ozone Generation System with Oxygen Recycle and Pre-cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ozone-based NOx oxidation processes are costly due to high power consumption and oxygen requirements, limiting their widespread application in air pollution control, especially for removing NOx, Hg, SOx, and other pollutants from industrial gas streams.
Innovation Solution
An improved oxidative process that generates ozone at lower concentrations using commercially available generators, with an oxygen recycle system and adsorbent or membrane separation to increase ozone production efficiency, reducing power consumption and oxygen demand, while maintaining effectiveness in pollutant removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If higher ozone conversion (10-12%) is achieved from oxygen, then ozone production efficiency is improved, but power consumption and capital cost increase rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-cooling the oxygen feed gas to sub-ambient temperatures (e.g., -40°F to -80°F) before it enters the ozone generator. This pre-cooling step prepares the oxygen in advance, enabling higher ozone conversion (15-25%) without excessive power consumption increases, as the cooled oxygen requires less energy for the conversion process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the oxygen feed gas from ambient to sub-ambient levels. This parameter change fundamentally alters the ozone generation process, allowing higher conversion efficiency while controlling power consumption. The temperature parameter is adjusted from typical ambient conditions to specifically -40°F to -80°F ranges
2Productivity
If higher ozone conversion is sought from generators, then ozone production increases, but cooling water requirements and capital cost rapidly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling of oxygen feed gas using refrigeration cycles before ozone generation. This pre-cooling eliminates the need for excessive cooling water during operation, as the oxygen is already at sub-ambient temperatures when entering the generator, reducing cooling water requirements while maintaining high ozone production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional cooling water-based thermal management system with a refrigeration cycle system that uses refrigerants (e.g., R-134a, R-404A) to achieve sub-ambient temperatures. This substitution eliminates dependence on large quantities of cooling water while achieving the necessary temperature control for high-efficiency ozone generation
3Reliability
If ozone concentration is increased for pollutant removal effectiveness, then treatment efficiency is improved, but power consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of feed oxygen to sub-ambient levels, which fundamentally alters the energy requirements for ozone generation. This parameter change enables achieving high pollutant removal effectiveness (by producing sufficient ozone concentration) while avoiding the exponential power consumption increase that would normally occur with higher conversion demands
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
The process achieves 40-60% lower power consumption and 60-70% increased ozone production, significantly reducing overall costs and enhancing pollutant removal efficiency, particularly for NOx, Hg, SOx, and other contaminants in flue gas streams.
Implementation Method 1
The conversion of oxygen into ozone requires dissociating or breaking a very stable bond in the oxygen molecule and combining this atomic or 'singlet' oxygen atom with another oxygen molecule. When high voltage is applied across a discharge gap part of the oxygen is converted to ozone
Implementation Method 2
the ozone is adsorbed preferentially at higher pressure with the gas stream exiting the bed substantially free from ozone which is recycled back with the oxygen feed to the generator
Implementation Method 3
Once the bed is saturated with ozone it is desorbed at lower pressure using a carrier gas such as compressed dry air (CDA)
Implementation Method 4
Another known method of removing NOX from gas streams involves contacting the NOX with ozone, thereby oxidizing them to higher nitrogen oxides, such as N2O5
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides for an improved process for producing ozone which can be used to remove contaminants from gas streams in industrial processes. The improved process uses a separation device after the ozone generating system to separate the ozone from the oxygen gas and directs the ozone to the industrial process and the oxygen back to the feedstream entering the ozone generating system. The improved process further provides for the use of ozone so generated to removed contaminants from industrial process flue gas streams.