Ozone Water Disinfection Systems
AeroControlex has developed an efficient method to quickly and effectively clean aircraft potable water tanks, distribution systems and appliances.
Current disinfection systems use harmful chemicals like Purogene and Chlorine to disinfect the aircraft water system. The process requires the water tanks to be soaked with the chemicals, followed by a rinse cycle to remove chemical traces from the potable water system. The process is time consuming and costly with uncertain effectiveness, it also causes wastage of potable water.
AeroControlex (ACX) Aircraft Potable Water Disinfection System (APWDS) uses an EPA approved Ozone based technology to disinfect the aircraft water system. The ACX APWDS is a small compact & portable unit (Dimensions: 1157 mm (45.5 in.) X 723mm (28.5 in) X 1128 mm (44.5 in.)) that can be easily modified to allow it to be mounted to a trailer.
System Operation
Potable water is pumped from aircraft tank into the ACX APWDS and Ozone is mixed with potable water. This “Ozonated” potable water is pumped back into the aircraft tank. The water is re-circulated to ensure appropriate Ozone concentration levels. Ozone (O3) molecules react with and destroy contaminants.
Benefits of Ozone
Unlike UV light, Ozone quickly Kills bacteria, viruses and protozoa in the water tank, water lines and points of use on-board the aircraft. Ozone is more effective and efficient than chlorinated cleaners, (3000 times faster than chlorine). It removes and inhibits bio-film growth, since ozone is a gas, it does not require wetted contact to disinfect. The biggest advantage is that there are no residual disinfectant or special disposal requirements when using Ozone to disinfect the potable water system.
Other Ozone uses
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has widely accepted the use of ozone for the purpose of killing bacteria in water and on food. City water systems and bottled water manufacturers use ozone as a disinfectant. In our application depending on the size of the tank it takes approximately 20-30 minutes to completely dissipate in the water tank.
There is no USEPA standard for ozone in tap water. Since it does not maintain a residual the USEPA did not see a necessity to generate a standard. However the US FDA has established ozone standards for bottled water. The ACX system is approved by EPA and is compliant with the US FDA standards.
ACX Experience
The ACX system has been field tested at major US and European airlines for over one year without issues. Over 250 aircraft have been cleaned to date using the system. Field test results have established significant cost savings, clean-time reductions & disinfection improvements over traditional disinfection methods. The ACX system provides immediate benefits to the water and waste system component reliability by improving the performance of the faucets, water heaters, coffee makers, & toilets.