Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Processes and products – Electrostatic field or electrical discharge
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-28
2003-07-08
King, Roy (Department: 1742)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Processes and products
Electrostatic field or electrical discharge
C205S626000, C422S186070
Reexamination Certificate
active
06589397
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric power or electric energy conversion/storage system and an electric energy converting/storing method for generating or producing an ozone gas by using electric energy and storing the ozone gas for supplying it to an ozone utilization object (hereinafter referred to as ozone consumer) continuously at a given flow rate, as occasions demand.
2. Description of Related Art
For having better understanding of the invention, technical background thereof will first be described. Heretofore, as the electric energy storage apparatuses for storing electric energy generated during the night, there are well known in the art the apparatuses designed for converting the electric energy into heat for storing the former in the form of thermal energy, as exemplified by an electric water heater, a heat-accumulation type hot-air generator, a cold-accumulation type cooler and the like.
FIG. 18
is a side elevational view showing in section a structure of a conventional electric energy conversion/storage system such as an electric water heater. Referring to the figure, the electric energy conversion/storage system includes a hot-water inlet port
1
mounted at the top end, and a heat insulator
2
serving for preventing hot water as poured through the hot-water inlet port
1
from getting cool.
Formed integrally in the heat insulator
2
is a hot water reserving tank
3
in which an electric heater
4
is disposed for heating water stored in the hot water reserving tank
3
as occasion demands. The temperature of hot water contained within the hot water reserving tank
3
is detected by a temperature sensor
5
, wherein the temperature detection signal outputted from the temperature sensor
5
is supplied to an automatic temperature regulating unit
6
which serves to control or adjust the temperature of hot water within the hot water reserving tank
3
. Hot water stored within the hot water reserving tank
3
can be taken out through a water outlet port
7
mounted at a location close to the bottom of the electric water heater.
Operation of the conventional electric energy conversion/storage system (electric water heater) shown in
FIG. 18
will be briefly reviewed below.
When water is fed to within the hot water reserving tank
3
through the water inlet port
7
, water is heated up to a predetermined temperature and taken out as hot water through the hot-water outlet port
7
, as it is demanded. The temperature of hot water contained within the hot water reserving tank
3
is detected by the temperature sensor
5
disposed within the hot water reserving tank
3
. The electric power supply to the temperature sensor
5
is controlled by means of the automatic temperature regulating unit
6
so that the temperature of the hot water contained within the hot water reserving tank
3
is maintained at a value preset at the automatic temperature regulating unit
6
. In this manner, in the electric water heater now under consideration, electric energy is transformed into heat or thermal energy and stored in water which may thus be referred to as a heat storing or accumulating medium.
Further,
FIG. 19
is a side elevational view showing in section a heat-accumulation type hot-air generator as another one of the conventional electric energy conversion/storage systems known heretofore. In the figure, reference numeral
4
and
6
designates an electric heater and an automatic temperature regulating unit described above in conjunction with FIG.
18
. The heat-accumulation type hot-air (or gas) generator includes a thermal insulation layer
8
for suppressing heat as stored from dissipating to the ambient, and a heat accumulating medium
9
charged within a chamber enclosed by the thermal insulation layer
8
. An air flow passage
10
extends through the heat accumulating medium
9
for allowing air flowing through the passage
10
to take out heat from the heat accumulating medium
9
. Further provided is a blower
11
which serves for feeding air into the passage
10
. In the heat-accumulation type hot-air generator described above, there is usually employed as the heat accumulating medium
9
a heat resistant brick or the like material.
Operation of the heat-accumulation type hot-air generator shown in
FIG. 19
will be described below. The heat accumulating medium
9
charged within the chamber defined by the thermal insulation layer
8
is heated by the electric heater
4
up to a value preset at the automatic temperature regulating unit
6
. Thus, electric energy is converted or transformed into heat or thermal energy to be stored in the heat accumulating medium
9
. Heat accumulated in this manner can be extracted by air which is forced to flow through the passage
10
by means of the blower
11
with heat transfer taking place between the heat accumulating medium
9
and the air flow known heretofore.
Further,
FIG. 20
is a schematic diagram showing a general arrangement of a conventional intermittent-operation type ozone supply system which represents another example of the electric energy conversion/storage system.
Referring to
FIG. 20
, a raw material gas (hereinafter referred to as the raw gas) containing oxygen (i.e., oxygen containing gas) fed from an oxygen supplying source
13
undergoes ozonization under the action of electric discharge (not shown) within an ozone generator (which is also referred to as the ozonizer)
12
. To this end, a circulating blower
14
is provided for circulating the oxygen containing gas supplied from the oxygen supplying source
13
to a gas circulation system including the ozone generator
12
.
Further provided is an ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
serving as an ozone adsorption/desorption means for adsorbing ozone molecules from the ozonized gas (ozone containing oxygen gas) and desorbing ozone from the adsorbed state. The ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
is charged with an adsorbent (described later on) for storing temporarily ozone molecules contained in the gas fed from the ozone generator
12
. Further provided in the ozone supply system are a coolant supply source
16
for supplying a coolant for cooling the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
, a heating medium source
17
for supplying a medium for heating the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
and a water ejector
18
for extracting or desorbing ozone molecules under depressurization from the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
.
The adsorption/desorption tower
15
is implemented in a double-drum or double-cylinder structure, wherein the inner drum or cylinder
15
a
is filled with an adsorbent while the outer drum or cylinder
15
b
is filled with a heat transfer medium. Parenthetically, silica gel is commonly used as the adsorbent with ethylene glycol or alcohols being used as the heat transfer medium, wherein the inner cylinder
15
a
is fluidally communicated with the ozone generator
12
, the circulating blower
14
and the water ejector
18
, while the outer cylinder
15
b
is communicated with the coolant supply source
16
and the heating medium source
17
.
Further, a variety of change-over valves
19
a
to
19
g
are interposed between exit ports and inlet ports of the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
. More specifically, the change-over valves
19
a
and
19
b
are installed at locations upstream and downstream, respectively, of the coolant supply source
16
, the change-over valves
19
-
c
and
19
d
are installed between the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
and the circulating blower
14
and between the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
and the ozone generator
12
, respectively, the change-over valve
19
-
e
is installed at a connecting point or a junction between the ozone adsorption/desorption tower
15
and the water ejector
18
, and the change-over valves
19
-
f
and
19
g
are installed at locations upstream and downstream, respectively, of the heating medium source
17
.
Next, description will turn to operation of the conventional intermittent-
Hirotsuji Junji
Kuzumoto Masaki
Matsuoka Osamu
Nakayama Shigeki
Nozaki Masao
King Roy
Nicolas Wesley A.
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