Taking Ozone Limitation and Monitoring to the Next Level

Ozone it’s a strong oxidising agent, correct. It’s simple to generate and cheap to produce, correct. Compared to other compounds that do the same oxidising job – such as Chlorine and Vinyl Chloride – it is far less dangerous to human health, correct. So, why is it that it’s only in the last few years that ozone has become the compound of choice for many organisations operating in industries such as water treatment, food and product sterilisation and medical and dental applications. Duncan Mounsor, Operations Director of air quality monitoring specialists Enviro Technology (UK) believes that this surge in popularity is due to ozone being more widely recognised as an alternative to chlorine in terms of its oxidising abilities and the advantageous cost benefits of generating and using it. He also believes it is due to the advancement of UV absorption monitoring technology and being able to accurately measure and control the ozone generation process. Says Duncan: “Those in the know have been aware of the benefits of using ozone over other compounds for many years; we know this as we have supplied them with the technology to monitor and control levels for dozens of different applications.”

Residual ozone from industries that are using it in high levels can be a potential health and safety issue, particularly if it is used in high concentrations, as it often is. Take for example the semiconductor industry, ozone that is produced in factory areas where lasers and other equipment are being used can not only be harmful to health – especially for those people that suffer from asthma or respiratory problems – but also, if this compound makes its way into the ‘clean room’, then there is a high risk of electronic chips being damaged due to the high oxidising effect of the compound. In instances where this has happened this has led to losses running into thousands of pounds. “As a solution for industries such as this, we have been asked to monitor not only levels of ozone being given off in one area, but also the impact of that ozone on other areas such as clean rooms and administration offices.”

One of the products that Enviro Technology has provided for its multimonitoring capabilities is the API 465L Single/MultiChannel Ozone Analyser. This analyser is extremely stable and is ideal for lowlevel ppm safety and process applications. One of the unique features of the 465L Single/MultiChannel Ozone Analyser is that it can monitor from up to six different points, thus enabling an organisation to ensure that all the areas which could suffer from too high a level of ozone are monitored and, where necessary, ozone control and limitation technology installed to curb negative effects on human health and products produced.

Enviro Technology has also worked with clients in the water treatment industry and has supplied ozone analysers that control the output of ozone generators in water treatment and sterilisation applications. “Connecting analysers to ozone generators and using the range of control outputs can start and stop the generators at preset levels, ensuring that enough ozone is produced, and that generation is stopped, when levels become too high.”