GB2198052A

GB2198052A - Ion exchanger for water-softening equipment of a household appliance

Info

Publication number: GB2198052A
Application number: GB08721338A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Franz Grull; Rudolf Schmidt; Rudiger Eiermann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-12-01
Filing date: 1987-09-10
Publication date: 1988-06-08
Anticipated expiration: 2007-09-10
Also published as: DE3641029C2; IT8722780V0; GB8721338D0; DE3641029A1; IT213121Z2; GB2198052B

Abstract

An ion exchanger for water-softening equipment of a household appliance, for example a dishwashing machine, comprises a container (1) which is flowed through in rising direction by water to be softened and which is filled with an ion exchanger mass (6) between a lower sieve (4) and an upper sieve (5), the container being connected at its bottom side to an inlet duct (3) and at its top side to an outlet duct (5). A free space (7) filled with liquid is provided between the mass (6) and the upper sieve (5). In the rest state the mass bears on the lower sieve (4) and is raisable against the upper sieve (5) by the current of water to be softened. The container (1) has guide ribs (8) or the like between the sieves (4,5). <IMAGE>

Description

ION EXCHANGER FOR WATER-SOFTENING EQUIPMENT OF A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE The present invention relates to an ion exchanger for watersoftening equipment of a household appliance, especially a dishwashing machine.

In water-softening equipment known from DE-GM 77 24 693, an ion exchange container combined with a salt container contains an exchanger mass which is enclosed between two sieve bases and through which unsoftened fresh water supplied by way of a stub pipe at the base side is conducted in rising direction. The supplied water in that case is softened and delivered through an outlet stub pipe into a rinsing container of a dishwashing machine. For the regeneration of the ion exchanger mass, brine dissolved in the salt container can be conducted by way of an overflow channel into the ion exchange container.

The air bubbles, which due to the temperature changes in the appliance are released from the water to be softened, are deposited at the exchanger mass and can block the softening equipment. There is thus a need for an ion exchanger which may have a low throughflow resistance and from which air bubbles can be displaced even with low water duct pressure.

According to the present invention there is provided an ion exchanger for water-softening equipment of a household appliance, comprising a container with a chamber bounded at a lower side thereof by a lower sieve element and at an upper side thereof by an upper sieve element and with guide means disposed between the sieve elements, a mass of ion exchange material disposed in the chamber to form a bed on the lower sieve element and leaving a free space between the top of the mass and the upper sieve element, and a liquid inlet duct and liquid outlet duct so communicating with the lower sieve element and upper sieve element respectively that a flow of liquid supplied by the inlet duct and passing upwardly through the chamber to the outlet duct by way of the sieve elements causes the mass to be lifted into contact with the upper sieve element.

In a preferred embodiment the ion exchanger comprises a container which is flowed through in rising direction by the water to be softened, is filled with an ion exchanger mass between a lower and an upper sieve element and which is connected at the bottom side to an inlet duct and at the lid side to an outlet duct. On flowing of water to be softened through the ion exchanger upwardly from below, the ion exchange mass is raised into the free space and lays itself against the upper sieve element. The softened water leaves the ion exchanger by way of the upper sieve element and the outlet duct and passes to, for example, the rinsing container of a dishwashing machine. If air is released during passage through the softener, then it is deposited in the form of bubbles at the ion exchange mass, for example formed of balls, partially in the exchanger bed raised by the water flow.If the raw water supply is stopped after the softening, then the exchanger bed sinks back towards the lower sieve element. Due to the movement uS the mass at the start of and after softening, the exchanger bed becomes strongly turbulent and any air bubbles adhering to the mass are detached and can escape through the upper sieve element out of the container. Guide ribs or webs between the sieve elements enhance the flow conditions in the ion exchanger and activate the ion exchanger mass. The guide ribs or webs improve the turbulence so that the container can be designed, in departure from a cylindrical shape, to be parallelepipedonal or the like and thereby can be arranged in spacesaving manner in the appliance.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which is a schematic sectional view of an ion exchanger embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown an ion exchanger comprising a parallelepipedonal container 1 with a feed duct 3 opening into the container at the bottom side downstream of a feed valve 2 for a raw water inlet. Provided between a lower sieve 4 and an upper sieve 5 of the container 1, which is flowed through by water to be softened in rising direction, is an exchanger mass 6, for example of balls, disposed in such a manner that, when the valve 2 is closed, the mass rests in the form of a bed on the lower sieve 4 and a free space 7, filled with liquid, remains between the upper sieve 5 and the mass 6. Guide or baffle ribs 8 are provided in the container 1 between the sieves 4 and 5 and an outlet pipe 9 above the upper sieve 5 leads by way of an outlet 10 into a rinsing container (not shown) of a dishwashing machine.

For regeneration of the exchanger mass, the container is connected to a salt reservoir container. By means of such water softening equipment, hard raw water can be fed at low flow pressure through the exchanger bed and in that case be softened without the entrained air forming bubbles which then block the softener. During flow of the water to be softened through the container 1 upwardly from below, the mass 6 rises and lays itself against the upper sieve 5. In that case, the water is softened, but air present in the water can deposit at the balls of the mass and form bubbles.

When the throughflow is terminated through closing of the valve 2, the mass 6 sinks back down onto the lower sieve 4. Through the movement of the mass at the beginning of and after the throughflow, such a strong turbulence, promoted by the ribs 8, arises in the exchanger mass that included air bubbles can escape upwardly. The outflow of water through the upper duct 9 on an overflow principle leaves the space 7 filled with water.

Claims

1. An ion exchanger for water-softening equipment of a household appliance, comprising a container with a chamber bounded at a lower side thereof by a lower sieve element and at an upper side thereof by an upper sieve element and with guide means disposed between the sieve elements, a mass of ion exchange material disposed in the chamber to form a bed on the lower sieve element and leaving a free space between the top of the mass and the upper sieve element, and a liquid inlet duct and liquid outlet duct so communicating with the lower sieve element and upper sieve element respectively that a flow of liquid supplied by the inlet duct and passing upwardly through the chamber to the outlet duct by way of the sieve elements causes the mass to be lifted into contact with the upper sieve element.

2. An ion exchanger as claimed in claim 1, the guide means comprising ribs or webs.

3. An ion exchanger as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the container is parallelepipedonal.

4. An ion exchanger substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

5. A household appliance comprising water-softening equipment with an ion exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

6. An appliance as claimed in claim 5, the appliance being a dishwashing machine.