On-Site Oxygen Feed Gas for Ozone Generators
Oxygen Generator for Ozone Generation
Feed concentrated oxygen to your ozone generator instead of dry air and get roughly twice the ozone output at a higher concentration. An on-site oxygen generator makes that feed gas at 90% to 95% purity from compressed air, so you stop trucking in liquid oxygen and stop running a separate air-drying train.
Oxygen purity for ozone feed
Ozone output vs dry-air feed
Typical payback vs delivered oxygen
Generator service life
Why On-Site Oxygen for Ozone
Feed gas decides how much ozone you make
Ozone is made from oxygen, so the feed gas sets the output. An ozone generator splits oxygen molecules and recombines them into ozone, and the concentration of oxygen in the feed gas directly drives how much ozone the unit produces. Running an ozone generator on dry air, which is only about 21% oxygen, leaves most of that capacity on the table. An on-site oxygen generator for ozone generation supplies concentrated oxygen at 90% to 95% so the same ozone generator produces roughly twice the ozone at a higher concentration.
Oxygen feed beats air feed on output and on plant complexity. Air-fed ozone systems need a dedicated air-treatment train that dries the feed to a very low dew point, because any moisture cuts ozone yield and forms nitric acid that attacks the cell. Oxygen from a PSA generator is already dry and nitrogen-lean, so it goes straight to the ozone generator. You get higher ozone concentration, more ozone per unit of gas, and one less treatment train to maintain.
On-site instead of delivered. Plants that feed their ozone systems with oxygen today typically truck in liquid oxygen with tank rental, delivery fees, and contract minimums. An on-site PSA oxygen generator makes that oxygen from compressed air, with no delivery schedule and no consumable in the gas path. Gas Generation Solutions sizes on-site oxygen systems for ozone generation across the United States, on the same standard PSA oxygen line that serves water treatment, aquaculture, and wastewater customers.
On-site oxygen, full lineup
PSA oxygen generators from compact skid sizes through several thousand SCFH. The standard 90% to 95% line covers ozone feed gas, drinking water and wastewater treatment, aquaculture, and dairy digester dosing.
All oxygen generators →How PSA produces oxygen from air
Pressure swing adsorption uses a zeolite molecular sieve that selectively adsorbs nitrogen, leaving an oxygen-enriched stream. The same technology that delivers nitrogen at 99.9995% delivers dry oxygen at up to 95% from ambient air, with no consumables in the gas path.
Learn more about PSA →Ozone applications
Water treatment and industrial ozone
One PSA oxygen system can feed ozone generation across drinking water, wastewater, industrial process water, and clean-in-place sanitation. Every application below runs on oxygen at 90% to 95% purity, exactly what the standard PSA line delivers and what an ozone generator is built to use.
Drinking water
Municipal and potable water treatment
Ozone disinfects drinking water and oxidizes taste, odor, color, iron, and manganese without leaving the chlorinated byproducts that come from chlorine disinfection. Feeding the ozone generator with concentrated oxygen produces the higher ozone dose a treatment plant needs while taking the liquid oxygen tank off the site.
Wastewater tertiary
Disinfection and micropollutant removal
Tertiary ozone polishes treated effluent, disinfecting it and breaking down trace pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants before discharge or reuse. The same on-site oxygen generator can feed both the ozone stage and the aeration basin, so one oxygen source covers the plant. See our oxygen generator for wastewater treatment page for the aeration side.
Industrial and cooling water
Process water and cooling towers
Ozone controls biofilm, bacteria, and algae in cooling towers and process water loops, cutting chemical biocide use and blowdown. An on-site oxygen feed keeps the ozone generator supplied continuously so the loop stays clean without a standing chemical-dosing program.
Food and beverage
Sanitation, CIP, and bottled water
Ozonated water sanitizes surfaces, equipment, and clean-in-place lines and is widely used to disinfect bottled water, because ozone reverts to oxygen and leaves no chemical residue on the product. On-site oxygen feeds the ozone generator without trucked-in gas in a food plant.
Aquaculture and RAS
Water ozonation for fish systems
Recirculating aquaculture systems use ozone to oxidize fine solids, color, and nitrite and to knock down pathogens in the loop. The same on-site oxygen generator can both raise dissolved oxygen in the tanks and feed the ozone generator. See our oxygen generator for aquaculture page for the dissolved-oxygen side.
Industrial oxidation
Bleaching and chemical oxidation
Ozone is a strong oxidizer used in pulp and paper bleaching, chemical synthesis, and advanced oxidation processes that break down hard-to-treat organics. These duties run continuously and benefit most from a steady on-site oxygen feed instead of a delivery schedule and contract minimum.
How It Works
From compressed air to ozone at the point of use
Scope. This page covers supplying oxygen feed gas to an ozone generator. Gas Generation Solutions supplies and sizes the on-site oxygen system; the ozone generator and the way ozone is dosed into the water or process are specified by the ozone equipment supplier, and we match the oxygen system to that unit's feed-gas requirement.
Step 01
PSA generator makes dry oxygen from compressed air
The on-site generator pulls in compressed air and passes it through a zeolite molecular sieve that adsorbs nitrogen, leaving a dry oxygen stream at 90% to 95% purity. Oxygen collects in a buffer tank, and a built-in oxygen analyzer reads the tank purity continuously. The feed is already dry, so no separate air-drying train is needed ahead of the ozone generator.
Step 02
Oxygen feeds the ozone generator
Oxygen flows from the buffer tank into the ozone generator, where an electrical discharge across the gas splits oxygen molecules that recombine into ozone. Because the feed is concentrated oxygen rather than 21% air, the unit produces ozone at a higher concentration and roughly twice the output it would make on dry air.
Step 03
Ozone is dosed into the water or process
The ozone-rich gas is injected into the water through a venturi, diffuser, or contact tank, where ozone oxidizes organics, disinfects, and breaks down color, taste, and odor compounds. Ozone is generated on demand at the point of use because it cannot be stored, which is one reason a reliable on-site feed gas matters.
Step 04
Oxygen feed is matched to ozone demand
The oxygen generator is sized to the ozone generator's rated feed-gas flow at the target ozone production, with buffer-tank capacity for swings in demand. As the dosing system turns ozone up or down to hold the treatment setpoint, the oxygen system supplies the feed it needs without a delivery schedule or contract minimum.
Purity and Technology
90% to 95% oxygen is what ozone generators use
Ozone generators are built to run on oxygen feed in the 90% to 95% range, and that is exactly what the standard PSA line delivers. The ozone yield comes from the discharge cell and the oxygen concentration in the feed; pushing the feed past 95% costs more compressed air per SCF of oxygen and a larger compressor with no gain in ozone output, which is why ozone feed sits on the standard line.
Three working purity tiers
Lower-cost feed, smallest compressor
A common feed-gas setpoint for ozone generators. Lowest compressed-air consumption per SCF of oxygen. Use when operating cost and compressor size matter most and the ozone generator is rated for it.
Headroom for steady ozone yield
A modest step up from 90% with a bit more delivery margin, useful where ozone demand is steady and the operator wants headroom on the feed without paying for the top of the line.
Standard PSA ceiling, most headroom
The standard line tops out here, and it is the same level used for water treatment, aquaculture, and wastewater aeration. The most delivery headroom on the standard line, with no reason to pay for the 99% high-purity line to feed an ozone generator.
Why PSA from air, and not delivered oxygen
PSA delivers continuous dry oxygen on site
Pressure swing adsorption produces dry oxygen on-site from ambient air using a zeolite molecular sieve that selectively adsorbs nitrogen. There is no delivery schedule, no liquid oxygen tank to rent, no contract minimum, and no driver visit. The feed is dry enough to go straight to the ozone generator, with no separate air-drying train to run.
Air consumption rises with purity
Producing 90% oxygen from ambient air takes roughly 11 SCFM of compressed air per SCFM of oxygen. At 95% the ratio rises to about 14. At 99% it is closer to 19. Since an ozone generator gains nothing above 95%, paying for the larger compressor and sieve bed to chase 99% is wasted capital and ongoing kilowatt-hours.
Sizing and ROI
Three numbers size the system
An ozone-feed oxygen system is sized off the ozone production target, the feed-gas flow the ozone generator is rated for, and how steadily it runs. The ozone equipment supplier states the oxygen flow and pressure the unit needs, and the generator is matched to that with buffer-tank capacity for demand swings.
Sizing inputs
Input 01
Ozone production target
The ozone the process needs, in pounds per day or grams per hour, set by the water flow and the ozone dose the application requires. This is the starting point, because the ozone target sets how much oxygen feed the ozone generator has to be fed.
Input 02
Ozone generator feed-gas spec
The oxygen flow, purity, and pressure the ozone generator is rated for at that output. The ozone equipment supplier publishes this, and the oxygen generator is sized to deliver that feed at 90% to 95% purity within the unit's inlet pressure limit.
Input 03
Duty cycle and turndown
Whether ozone runs continuously or follows a daily or seasonal dosing curve. Continuous duty sizes to peak feed, while a swinging dose sizes the generator plus buffer-tank capacity to cover the high-demand periods without short-cycling.
Payback drivers
Driver 01
Ends liquid oxygen rental and delivery
For a plant already feeding its ozone system with delivered oxygen, on-site generation removes tank rental, delivery fees, and contract minimums. The generator runs on compressed air with no consumable in the gas path and stays in service for 20 years or more, with a typical 12 to 14 month payback against delivered gas.
Driver 02
More ozone from the same generator
Switching an air-fed ozone generator to concentrated oxygen feed roughly doubles its ozone output at a higher concentration. That can let a smaller or existing ozone generator meet a higher dose, or free up ozone capacity, on top of the oxygen-supply savings.
Driver 03
Removes the air-prep train
Air-fed ozone needs a feed-air dryer holding a very low dew point, which is capital and maintenance on its own. PSA oxygen is already dry, so the on-site feed removes that train and the moisture-related wear it was protecting the ozone cell from.
Worked example
Mid-size water treatment ozone system. An ozone generator rated for roughly 1,000 SCFH of oxygen feed at 95% purity is matched to a standard on-site PSA generator in the O-100 class with a packaged compressor sized to its air demand.
Smaller and larger. A small bottling, cooling-water, or aquaculture ozone loop may need only 40 to 400 SCFH of oxygen feed. A large municipal drinking-water or wastewater ozone plant can run into the 2,500 to 3,000 SCFH range at the top of the standard PSA line, with multiple units for larger duties.
Each build is matched to the ozone generator's rated feed flow so it holds ozone output at the peak dose.
Not sure of your oxygen feed demand?
Give us a call and we can go over your ozone production target, your ozone generator's feed-gas spec, and your duty cycle to help determine a baseline before we size the system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oxygen for ozone generation
Why feed an ozone generator with oxygen instead of air?
Ozone is made from oxygen, so the concentration of oxygen in the feed gas drives how much ozone the generator produces. Dry air is only about 21% oxygen, which leaves most of the unit's capacity unused. Feeding concentrated oxygen at 90% to 95% produces roughly twice the ozone at a higher concentration. Oxygen feed also removes the feed-air drying train that air-fed ozone requires, because PSA oxygen is already dry.
How much more ozone does oxygen feed produce?
Switching an ozone generator from dry air to concentrated oxygen feed roughly doubles its ozone output, and it raises the ozone concentration in the gas as well. The exact gain depends on the ozone generator, but about twice the output is the standard rule of thumb. That lets a smaller or existing ozone generator meet a higher dose, on top of the oxygen-supply savings from generating on site.
What oxygen purity does an ozone generator need? Is 99% better?
No. Ozone generators are built to run on oxygen feed in the 90% to 95% range, which is exactly what the standard PSA line delivers. The ozone yield comes from the discharge cell and the oxygen concentration in the feed, and pushing past 95% gives no ozone benefit. Going to the 99% high-purity line costs significantly more compressed air per SCF of oxygen, a larger compressor, and higher capital cost for nothing in return, so ozone feed sits on the standard line.
How much oxygen does an ozone system need?
The oxygen feed is sized off the ozone production target and the feed-gas flow the ozone generator is rated for at that output. A small bottling, cooling-water, or aquaculture ozone loop may need only 40 to 400 SCFH of oxygen, a mid-size water treatment system often lands around 1,000 SCFH, and a large municipal drinking-water or wastewater ozone plant can run into the 2,500 to 3,000 SCFH range. The ozone equipment supplier publishes the feed spec, and the generator is matched to it.
How does on-site oxygen compare to delivered liquid oxygen?
Delivered liquid oxygen carries tank rental, delivery fees, telemetry charges, and contract minimums on top of the gas. An on-site generator produces oxygen from compressed air with no delivery schedule and no consumable in the gas path, cutting oxygen cost by up to 90% versus delivered gas with a typical payback of 12 to 14 months and a service life of 20 years or more.
Does PSA oxygen need a separate air dryer for ozone?
No. Air-fed ozone systems need a dedicated feed-air dryer holding a very low dew point, because moisture cuts ozone yield and forms nitric acid that attacks the ozone cell. Oxygen from a PSA generator is already dry and nitrogen-lean, so it goes straight to the ozone generator. That removes the air-drying train and the maintenance that comes with it.
What applications use oxygen-fed ozone?
Drinking water disinfection and taste, odor, and color control; wastewater tertiary disinfection and micropollutant removal; cooling-water and process-water biofilm control; food and beverage sanitation and bottled water; aquaculture water ozonation; and industrial oxidation duties such as pulp bleaching and advanced oxidation. All of them run on oxygen at 90% to 95% purity, the standard PSA line.
Can one oxygen generator feed both ozone and aeration?
Yes. At a treatment plant the same on-site oxygen generator can feed the ozone stage for disinfection and supply oxygen to the aeration basin, as long as the system is sized for both demands together. One oxygen source then covers the whole plant. Our oxygen generator for wastewater treatment page covers the aeration side in detail.
Give us a call and we will size the system
We can go over your ozone production target, your ozone generator's feed-gas spec (oxygen flow, purity, and inlet pressure), and your duty cycle to help determine a baseline. From there we recommend the on-site oxygen generator size and the compressor package to hold ozone output at your peak dose.
Request a quote →Gas Generation Solutions sizes on-site oxygen systems for ozone generation across the United States, on the same standard PSA oxygen line that serves drinking water, wastewater, and aquaculture customers.