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Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozoneRelated Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Cryogenic Treatment Of Gas Or Gas Mixture, LiquefactionNovel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060168999, Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/145,137, filed Jun. 3, 2005, entitled, "Novel Biological Treating Agent," which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/632,232, filed Jul. 31, 2003, which is a non-provisional application claiming priority of U.S. Provisional application 60/404,635, filed Aug. 20, 2002, and U.S. Provisional application 60/459,398, filed Apr. 1, 2003. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional application 60/638,020, filed Dec. 21, 2004. The entire contents of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND [0002] Treating and sanitation of food, equipment, pharmaceutical products, and even water to reduce undesirable biological microorganisms is important to the protection of public health. For example, food can be damaged by microbes, spores, insects, and other similar sources. Each year, economic losses of food and labor due to damage from such sources is more than $100 billion. Currently, food items are preserved using a variety of methods, including refrigeration, fumigation with toxic chemicals, irradiation, biological control, heat exposure, and controlled atmosphere storage (a fruit industry technique that involves modifying the concentration of gases naturally present in the air). [0003] The primary problem regarding food spoilage in public health is microbial growth. If pathogenic microorganisms are present, then growth can potentially lead to food-borne outbreaks and significant economic losses. Food safety concerns have been brought to the consumers' attention since the early part of the 20.sup.th century and those concerns have become even stronger today. Outbreaks from Salmonella and E. coli have increased the focus on food safety, including from a regulatory perspective. A study completed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that food-borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths annually in the US. Those numbers reveal the dramatic need for effective means of handling food products in order to ensure food safety. [0004] Effective sanitation of food or other items depends on the combination of what is to be sanitized and the sanitation process type. Not all of the currently available technologies can deliver an effective reduction of microorganisms and at the same time prevent product or environmental degradation. It is well known in the art to cool products, such as foods, during processing with some type of refrigerant to slow down the growth of unwanted microbes and enzymatic reactions in foods. For instance, the shelf life and quality of food products are improved by processing, transporting, and storing under refrigerated conditions. [0005] Cooling agents, such as water ice, dry ice, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen, are liquid or solid agents that can be used as an expendable refrigerant. In food processing applications, liquids, such as nitrogen, are used to cool and inert the atmosphere during food processing or storage. [0006] While refrigeration can retard microbial growth, such treatment does not necessarily kill bacteria. Accordingly, microorganisms can still survive through refrigeration, and worse, some microorganisms can still grow and produce harmful substances during refrigerated storage. Furthermore, it is possible that the refrigerant used to cool a target item or food product can itself be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, thus contaminating the target item or food product. [0007] Biocidal agents are used to sanitize equipment, provide antiseptic environments, treat water, and sanitize foods. The reaction of biocidal agents with microbial cell structures is often irreversible; therefore the cells either become attenuated or die. [0008] One biocidal agent commonly used in the industry is ozone. However, ozone is very unstable, and therefore, must be produced at the location of consumption. Production of ozone requires specialized equipment and involves safety issues due to handling of the equipment and feedstock, such as pure oxygen. After the ozone is produced, it must be delivered in some form to the target item as a sanitizer. Ozone is often dissolved or absorbed in water as a mechanism to deliver the unstable ozone to a target item. However, ozone has poor solubility in water. Mixtures of ozone and water typically contain less than about 20 ppm by weight (ppmwt) ozone. As a result, large quantities of water relative to the ozone are required if water is used as a delivery agent. Furthermore, because of the large quantities of water required, the ozone and water cannot be pre-mixed and transported to site. Thus, ozone and water must be mixed on site. [0009] Another problem with ozone is the difficulty in compressing an ozone-containing stream. There are no commercial processes known to one of ordinary skill in the art that are capable of delivering ozone at high pressures. Ozone generating equipment known in the art typically produces an ozone-containing gas stream at fairly low pressures. These ozone generators are typically limited to producing a stream with a pressure of less than about 25 psig. Conventional mechanical compression cannot be used to compress ozone because the unstable ozone molecule is destroyed in conventional compressors. Oil-lubricated or water ring compression can be used to compress a stream containing ozone up to 150 psig; however, these compressors inherently contaminate the ozone stream with oil or water respectively. Therefore, the prior art fails to provide a method to compress the ozone to pressures above about 25 psig without contaminating the ozone stream with some level of oil or water. Furthermore, the prior art fails to provide any method to successfully compress an ozone stream to pressures of greater than about 150 psig without destroying the ozone. [0010] It is desirable to pressurize ozone to be used to sanitize equipment or devices and process foods. It is particularly desirable to be able to provide ozone in a pressurized stream at pressures above 150 psig without contaminating the ozone with oil or water. Further yet, it is desirable to pressurize ozone and feed it into a liquid, so that it is absorbed under pressure into the liquid and the liquid can them be used to treat of sanitize devices or food products. SUMMARY [0011] The current invention fulfills the need to provide a process to pressurize an ozone-containing stream without destroying the ozone or contaminating the ozone-containing stream with oil or water. It is desirable to be able to provide a pressurized ozone-containing stream that is substantially free of oil and moisture. It is also desirable to the ozone-containing stream at pressures above 150 psig. It further desirable to pressurize ozone and feed it into a liquid, so that it is absorbed under pressure into the liquid. [0012] The current invention pressurizes ozone by feeding an ozone-containing source to an ozone pressurization system to establish a first pressure followed by pressurizing the ozone pressurization system. The ozone pressurization system is pressurized by feeding a pressurization gas to the ozone pressurization system to raise the pressure to the second pressure and form a pressurized ozone-containing gas. The pressurized ozone-containing gas is then withdrawn from the ozone pressurization system. This method pressurizes the ozone-containing stream without contaminating the stream with oil or water. [0013] In one embodiment, the ozone pressurization system comprises a pressurization vessel, the pressurization gas is fed into the lower portion of the pressurization vessel, and the pressurized ozone-containing gas is withdrawn from the upper portion of the pressurization vessel. [0014] In another embodiment, the pressurization system comprises a first pressurization vessel and a last pressurization vessel. In this embodiment, the pressurization vessels are fluidly connected in series and the pressurizing gas is fed exclusively to the first pressurization vessel. [0015] The current inventive method also provides a method to produce an ozonated liquid by feeding an ozone-containing gas from the ozone source to an ozone pressurization system to establish a first pressure, pressurizing the ozone pressurization system by feeding a pressurization gas into the system; thus, raising the pressure of the ozone-containing gas to a second pressure and forming a pressurized ozone-containing gas. This method also places a liquefied dry gas in an expansion vessel, and sparges the pressurized ozone-containing gas through the liquefied dry gas to form an ozonated liquefied dry gas, which is withdrawn from the expansion vessel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are given the same or analogous reference numbers and wherein: [0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic of an embodiment of the current invention for pressurizing ozone; [0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic of another embodiment of the current invention for pressurizing ozone; [0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic of yet another embodiment of the current invention for pressurizing ozone; [0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic of still another embodiment of the current invention for pressurizing ozone; Continue reading about Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone... Full patent description for Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Heat exchanger of air conditioner Next Patent Application: Process and apparatus for the separation of air by cryogenic distillation Industry Class: Refrigeration ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Novel method of dosing liquids with pressurized ozone patent info. 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