Long-term exposure may lead to severe respiratory discomfort. There are also restrictions on the amount of ozone in industrial settings as well as on the concentration of ozone outdoors. One benefit of controlling ozone generation rate by selection of wire material is that the electrical characteristics of the air cleaner are not affected. On-going work aims to establish ozone generation rates with plated and alloyed wires. The University of Minnesota indoor solar test facility is used to study component design under carefully controlled conditions.
Current study focuses on heat exchanger and tank design.
The solar collector is simulated with with a 13 kW in-line electric boiler. The boiler is controlled using a microprocessor-based process controller which is capable of maintaining either a constant temperature or constant temperature differential across the heater. Temperature control is within 0.5 C. Antifreeze is circulated through the simulated collector loop by a centrifugal pump. Flow rate is controlled by adjusting a globe valve located downstream of the pump. Fluid temperature differences as well as fluid temperatures are measured across and at each inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger.