Ozone generators can be categorized into plate-type ozone generators and tube-style ozone generators according to different ozone generating modules. Plate-style ozone generators mainly use ceramic plates. Tube-style ozone generators use quartz, ceramic or enamel tubes. Different types of ozone tubes have different physical properties. Even for the same type of ozone tubes, with the different workmanship, they are bound to be different in quality and price. This is why purchasers are confused by the uneven prices. In this article, let’s take a look at the characteristics of these ozone components with different materials and how to identify the quality of ceramic plate and ozone tubes. Hopefully, through the introduction, purchasers can have a clear picture of these components when purchasing the products.
Ceramic Ozone Plates
Firstly, let’s have a look at ceramic ozone plates. Ceramic ozone plates used in ozone generators usually use alumina ceramics with the purity above 95%. Because there are tiny pores on the surface of the ceramic plates which absorb moisture in the air and get damp. To prevent this problem, a ceramic ozone plate needs to be baked at high temperature and then the entire ceramic plate should be fully coated. In the production of ceramic ozone plates, some manufacturers will only have part of the plate coated or even uncoated. Meanwhile, for the cleaning of the plates, after being polluted, the fully coated ceramic ozone plates can be wiped with alcohol and reused. For those uncoated plates, they cannot be cleaned anymore and can only be replaced. In addition, the electrodes on the side exposed to ozone need to be treated for oxidation or corrosion resistance. It is better to adopt a high temperature sintering treatment to prevent them from shedding.
Next, let’s go to ozone tubes. In terms of materials, tubes used to generate ozone are quartz tubes, ceramic tubes and enamel tubes. The following are the advantages and disadvantages of the tubes made of these three materials:
Comparison among Quartz Ozone Tube, Ceramic Ozone Tube and Enamel Ozone Tube
| Quartz Ozone Tube | Ceramic Ozone Tube | Enamel Ozone Tube | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | 1. Easy to produce 2. Easy to achieve a high precision | 1. High pressure tolerance 2. Not easily to be broken 3. An improved accuracy can be achieved by further grinding | 1. High pressure tolerance 2. Can achieve a better adhesion to the outer tube wall. 3. Can better adapt to high voltage discharge condition, and ozone concentration is proportional to the voltage. |
| Disadvantages | 1. Low discharge voltage 2. Low pressure tolerance 3. Fragile, not easy for transportation, disassembly and maintenance 4. Difficult to clean after being polluted and can only be replaced | 1. The uniformity of the tube is difficult to control during the manufacture process 2. The existence of invisible holes and grains on the surface can lead to a breakdown or an uneven electric discharge 3. The glazing of the inner wall is difficult and the uniformity of the glaze is poor 4. Price is relatively higher | 1. Uniformity of the material is poor 2. The production is difficult and the yield is low 3. Highly sensitive to temperature difference. Cannot be used use in the absence of cooling water. 4. Heavier in weight than the other two 5. Price is the highest |
Although each kind of tube has its own advantages and disadvantages, but through long-term practice, quartz ozone tube is the one that has the lowest cost and the best ozone generating effect. A quartz tube ozone generator also has a low requirement for power supply.
How to Measure the Quality of the Tubes
The quality of the ozone generating tubes can be measured by the following parameters:
- Degree of concentricity of the tube
- Uniformity of the thickness of the tube
- Consistence of the diameter of the tube
- Whether there is a quality test by the manufacturer before leaving the factory
Among quartz ozone tube, ceramic ozone tube and enamel ozone tube, only ceramic ozone tube can be corrected by later grinding if not right sized. The quality of quartz ozone tube and enamel ozone tube is decided once the production is finished, with no possible further correction can be made.
Ozone module
In the production of ozone generators, when an ozone plate or ozone tube is connected to an ozone power supply, we call the structure an ozone module. Advantages and disadvantages of an ozone module are in the following:
Ozone Module’s Advantages and Disadvantages
| Ozone Module | |
| Advantages | 1. Produces an even electric discharge 2. Electrodes will not be exposed to ozone 3. Easy to realize a high ozone concentration 4. Low calorific value, which is the best solution with no water cooling condition 5. High ozone concentration can be achieved while being small, so it is suitable for use in hospitals. |
| Disadvantages | 1. Due to deformation, ozone modules are difficult to be made very large. So, their use in large ozone machines will be limited. 2. A low resistance to maximum atmospheric pressure 3. Its industrial applications will be limited |
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