Test Performance of your Commercial Ozone Generator
Commercial ozone generators are sold all over the world from many manufacturers past and present. These ozone generators usually produce ozone from ambient air that is blown across a corona or UV device that produced ozone from the ambient air blown through the generator.
Ozone output is normally measured in mg/hr. To calculate mg/hr of ozone produced we must know the mass of ozone and the volume of air. These calculations along with the equipment and methodology required are listed below.
It is important to understand and realize that the quality of ambient air, temperature of the air, relative humidity of the air, and cleanliness of the UV light or Corona discharge device are very critical. As these parameters may change over time ensure you quantify and qualify each parameter before beginning this test. Also understand that manufactures of these ozone generators may not ever test ozone production, or may test production with a wide variety of ambient temperatures, relative humidities, and other factors.
Equipment required:
- Ozone Meter
- Monometer
- Flow Tube
An ozone meter will be required to measure ozone concentration in the air leaving the ozone generator. This must have a sample pump to draw a sample of gas from your flow tube into the monitoring device. This will provide the most accurate ozone measurements without disrupting your air flow. Ideally a UV based ozone analzyer will be used to measure ozone levels due the greater precision and accuracy available. However, there are some ozone meters available using electrochemical or HMOS sensor cells that can pull a gas sample into the sensor and provide reasonable accuracy. For the best accuracy in ozone production choose the most accurate ozone meter possible.
The specific ozone analyzer we recommend to use for this testing is the UV-100 Ozone Analyzer. This is available for sale, or for rent for shorter term needs.
A Monometeris used to measure airflow by measuring the velocity of airflow in your flow tube. A digital monometer can be obtained that will measure airflow in a variety of units of measure. For the best accuracy in ozone production choose the most accurate monometer possible.
A Flow Tube must be constructed to measure airflow from the ozone generator. This tube can be constructed of PVC or other plastic materials. The airflow from the ozone generator must have as much turbulence removed as possible to accurately measure air speed. This tube must be sealed directly to the outlet of the ozone generator and must not restrict air flow in any way. Actual air flow of the ozone generator in normal operation must be obtained and measured accurately.
Units of measure:
For more information on common ozone related units of measure click HERE.
mg/hr = grams per hour – commonly used to measure output of commercial ozone generator. 1 mg/hr = 1,000 mg/hr ozone
ppm = parts per million – commonly used to measure ozone concentrations in ambient air. Can be measured by weight or by volume, most commonly is measured by volume, for the purpose of this article we are using only ppm by volume.
m3/min = cubic meters per minute = measurement of air flow from ozone generator
m/s = meters per second= measurement of air speed, monometer will measure air speed in m/s
Calculations:
Ozone production calculation:
mg/hr = (m3/min x 60) x (ppm x 2.14)
Example:
- 100 mm x 100 mm square flow tube (100 mm is about 4”)
- 10 ppm ozone concentration
- 5 m/s air speed in flow tube (5 m/s = 16.4 ft/s)
100 mm = 0.1 meters
0.1 x 0.1 = 0.01 m2
0.01 m2 x 5 = .05 m3/second
.05 x 60 = 3 m3/min
(3 m3/min x 60) x (10 x 2.14) = 3,852 mg/hr ozone production
Additional information:
How corona discharge ozone generator work
How UV lamp ozone generators work
White paper: Validation of Gas Flow Measurement Druing Ozone Generator Performance Testing
White Paper: Guideline for Measurement of Ozone Concentration in the Process Gas From an Ozone Generator
I want to sell and rent ozone generators for bacteria and
odor control. I need a tester for air and water to prove the
manufacturers ozone output claims.
I do not want to get caught selling a product that does not
produce as specified.
Please advise.
Bill,
To measure ozone in air when using ozone for odor control we suggest the ATI C16. This handheld device is capable of measuring ozone as low as 1 ppb, and as high as 1,000 ppm depending upon the sensor used. With onboard datalogging you can prove the ozone level reached sufficient levels for bacterial inactivation, and later was low enough for safe entry. All this, with an easy to use handheld device that is provided with a handy carry case:
https://www.oxidationtech.com/products/ozone-monitors/handheld-ozone/c-16-gas-detector.html
Using a monometer seems to be appropriate to measure the airflow. Thanks for sharing such an informative article.