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BMT Messtechnik GMBH: Ozone: Different "Concentrations"

This document discusses different units used to describe ozone concentration in various applications and conditions. It explains that ozone concentration can be expressed as mass per volume (g/m3), compensated density (g/Nm3), parts per million by volume (ppmv), weight percentage (%wt/wt), and parts per million by weight (ppmw) depending on whether ozone is in air, water or other gases. The document provides conversion factors and considerations for accurately selecting and calculating the appropriate concentration unit for different measurement situations.

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Abdul Mohid Sheikh
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45 views

BMT Messtechnik GMBH: Ozone: Different "Concentrations"

This document discusses different units used to describe ozone concentration in various applications and conditions. It explains that ozone concentration can be expressed as mass per volume (g/m3), compensated density (g/Nm3), parts per million by volume (ppmv), weight percentage (%wt/wt), and parts per million by weight (ppmw) depending on whether ozone is in air, water or other gases. The document provides conversion factors and considerations for accurately selecting and calculating the appropriate concentration unit for different measurement situations.

Uploaded by

Abdul Mohid Sheikh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BMT MESSTECHNIK GMBH

TechNote TN-2
Ozone: Different "Concentrations"
Rev. 04/2013

UV radiation at 254 nm wavelength (the mercury line) is


ideally suited to measure the density of ozone in air,
oxygen, or water, because the extinction spectrum of
ozone has its strongest band around 254 nm.

temperature. The standard conditions 0C / 1 atm


should
be
referred
to
as
"International
Standard Conditions". In all ozone measuring
instruments
made
by
BMT MESSTECHNIK

1. g/m measured density

mass
volume
(temp. / press.)
g
Nm3
at T 0/P0
mg
m3
at 20C / 1 atm
g
3
m

A UV photometer practically does not


ozone in
"see" air, or oxygen, or water. UV
radiation at 254 nm is partially
absorbed, or weakened, only by the
process gas
ozone present in the cuvette. Thus
the UV photometer measures the
density [g/m] (measured density)
ambient air
which the ozone has at the arbitrary
temperature and the arbitrary
water
pressure inside the cuvette. Since the
ozone is part of a gas mixture this
measured density is worthless as long
as the temperature and the pressure of the gas mixture
in the cuvette are not known. An ozone analyser (for
gaseous ozone) thus must have means to additionally
measure the temperature and the pressure inside the
cuvette. For ozone in water this is not necessary
because the density of water (for industrial ozone
applications in water) practically does not change with
temperature and pressure.
Several different "concentrations" used to describe the
ozone content of an ozone gas now can be calculated
using the measured ozone density [g/m], and the
temperature and pressure also measured in the cuvette
of the UV photometer.

2. g/Nm compensated density


The measured ozone density [g/m] in the cuvette can
be compensated for temperature and pressure in order
to display the mass of ozone which would be present in
one cubic meter of ozone gas at a given standard
temperature and a given standard pressure. The
standard pressure is agreed to internationally as
P0 = 1 atm (760 mmHg, 1.01325 bar). But the standard
temperature is a medieval chaos. Some people
recommend 0C (32F), others are claiming
15C (59F), or 20C (68F), or 21.11C (70F), or
even 25C (77F). To escape from this chaos, the SEMI
Standard E12-96 decided (for the semiconductor
industry) to only use 0C (273.15 K) as the standard

volume
volume

mass
mass

%wt/wt

ppmv

(needs density of "rest")

"ppm" = ppmv
"ppm" = ppmw

compensation is calculated to these International


Standard Conditions T0 = 273.15 K / P0 = 1 atm.
Let the (absolute) temperature and the (absolute)
pressure measured in the cuvette be T and P.
Compensation of the measured ozone density [g/m] in
the cuvette now is made by multiplying with T/T 0
and P0/P. The compensated ozone density usually is
displayed in g/Nm (grams per "Normal" cubic meter).
This quantity now is a specific property of the ozone gas
which does not change with temperature and pressure:
T P
P T (1)
[ g /Nm 3] [ g /m 3] 0 [ g /m 3] 0
T0 P
T0 P

3. ppmv for low ozone content


The (compensated) density of pure ozone
2,143.93 g/Nm. The volume occupied by one gram
ozone at standard conditions (0C / 1 atm) thus
1 : 2,143.93 = 0.00046643 Nm/g or 466.43 ppm
one cubic meter.

is
of
is
of

The dimensions g/Nm and ppmv are proportional to


each other:

466.43 ppmv 1 g/Nm

(2)

Attention:
The ozone "concentrations" [ppmv] and [g/Nm] are the
only two which are proportional to each other. All other
"concentrations" are related non-linear, refer to our
TechNote TN-1.

BMT MESSTECHNIK GMBH Berlin, Argentinische Allee 32a, D-14163 Berlin, Germany Tel. +49-30-801 85 95, Fax -802 23 62
Ozone Systems & Technology International, Inc., P.O. Box 3320, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
+1-831-649-11 41, Fax -649 11 51

BMT MESSTECHNIK GMBH


Instead of ppmv (parts per million, volume by volume)
the same ozone content could be expressed in %Vol.
(percent volume by volume):
0.046643 %Vol. 1 g/Nm
But this is quite unusual in ozone technology.

4. %wt/wt ideal, but be cautious!


To calculate the ratio "mass of ozone/mass of ozone
gas" two (compensated) densities have to be known:
The density of the ozone, and the density of the "rest"
(the ozone carrier gas, or feed gas). Let O (g/Nm) be
the density of the ozone, and R (g/Nm) be the density
of the "rest". Now the "concentration" [%wt/wt] can be
calculated from the "concentration" [g/Nm]:

[%wt /wt ]

100 [ g /Nm 3]
(3)
R
3
3
[ g /Nm ]
[ g /Nm ] R
O

Density of ozone is very well known:


O = 2,143.93 g/Nm (ozone)
Density of oxygen is also well known:
R = 1,428.96 g/Nm (oygen)
Density of dry atmospheric air is about:
R 1,293.0 g/Nm (ambient air)
PSA (oxygen concentration by Pressure Swing
Adsorption) removes most of the water vapour and part
of the nitrogen from the ambient air. If (theoretically)
nitrogen would be removed completely, oxygen content
would rise to about 95.6 %Vol.. Practically PSA can
reach an oxygen content between 90 and 93 %Vol.. The
residual gas is not only nitrogen (molecular weight 28)
but also contains other gases, namely argon (molecular
weight 40) and carbon dioxide (molecular weight 44).
The result is that at about 90 %Vol. the density of the
oxygen plus the residual gas (the density of the "PSA
oxygen") is exactly like the density of pure oxygen. At
93 %Vol. the density is 0.7 % higher, and at 85 %Vol. it
is 0.4 % lower than that of oxygen. Thus it is recommended that for PSA the density R is set to the density
of oxygen:
Density of "PSA oxygen" approx. is:
R 1,428.96 g/Nm (like pure oxygen)

calculated too low (the displayed value is about 10 %


lower than the actual value).
In a situtation in which the density of the "rest" is not
known, or is in question, the "concentration" [%wt/wt]
should not be used!
But [%wt/wt] is ideal for calculating the ozone mass flow
rate produced by an ozone generator (the generator's
ozone production) if the flow of the feed gas into the
generator is measured with a thermal mass flow meter
which measures the mass flow rate of the feed gas. The
ozone mass flow rate now is calculated by simply
multiplying the [%wt/wt] with the mass flow rate of the
feed gas (in mass per unit of time).
Attention: Concerning the non-linear relationship
between g/Nm3 and %wt/wt refer to our TechNote TN-1.

5. ppmv , g/m

ambient ozone

Ozone content in the ambient air - outside or inside usually is very low. Ambient ozone measurement is
trace analysis. The most commonly used dimension is
"ppm" (at the International Standard Conditions:
0C / 1 atm). Actually it is ppmv. The dimension "ppm" is
not correct 1).
In the European Community another dimension is used:
"mg/m" at 20C and 1 atm. The non-standard
temperature of 20C has an advantage in this special
case because the relationship between both dimensions
now becomes 1 ppmv 1.9976 mg/m (20C / 1 atm),
or practically (error only 0.12 %)
1 ppmv 2 mg/m (20C / 1 atm)

or

1 "ppm" 2 "mg/m"

6. ppmw , g/m ozone in water


The density of water is 1000 kg/m at 0C. Density
practically does not decrease with increasing
temperature: At 90C e.g. the density of water is only
0.3 % lower than at 0C. This is the reason why the
ozone content in water may be indicated in g/m or in
ppmw as well. Example: One gram of ozone in one cubic
meter (1 g/m) means the same as one gram of ozone in
one million grams of water (1 ppmw). The dimension
"ppm" is not correct *).

Attention:
The ozone "concentration" [%wt/wt] is the only one
which needs information about the density of the "rest".
The ozone analyser must be programmed with this
density to be able to calculate the [%wt/wt]. If e.g. the
density of the "rest" has been programmed for oxygen,
but actually is air, the "concentration" [%wt/wt] will be
TechNote: Ozone: Different "Concentrations"

*) The molecular weight of ozone is about 50% higher than that of

oxygen, and it is about 66% higher than the average molecular weight
of air. Thus in ozone applications ppmv and ppmw are quite different.
The dimensions "ppm" actually mean ppmv for ambient ozone, and
mean ppmw for ozone in water. To only use "ppm" includes a "mental
reservation". But mental reservations have no place in science.

Rev. 04/2013

TN-2

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