GB2255293A - Magnetic water conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

A water conditioner for the treatment of cold water to reduce or prevent deposition of mineral salts from the water comprises two or more arcuate elongated plates 10 of a soft magnetic material forming an annular structure around a tubular conduit, magnets 13 which are linearly polarised and fit closely to the outer surfaces of the plates, and retaining means such as housings 14 to hold the plates and magnets in position around the tubular conduit. <IMAGE>

Description

"Water Cofldi'tioner" The present invention is a water conditioner, which has been devised for the treatment of a flow of cold water to reduce or prevent the deposition of mineral salts from the water.

It is well known that dissolved mineral salts, especially those of calcium and magnesium, in water have a tendency to give rise to the formation of deposits containing these metals in pipes, heaters, boilers and the like, in particular when the water is heated. Deposits of this type, for example "scale" in boilers and in domestic equipment, are clearly undesirable and can give rise to serious problems, including pipe blockages, if they are not removed regularly by a mechanical, chemical or other method. Since mechanical methods of removing such deposits entail interruption of the water supply and/or an intrusion into the interior of the equipment in question, while continuous or frequent chemical treatment may be expensive, magnetic treatment methods are potentially attractive.

Magnetic conditioning of water is achieved by causing the water to flow continuously through a magnetic field, as a result of which treatment aggregation of the mineral salts and/or the formation of insoluble deposits are discouraged or prevented. Many forms of apparatus have been proposed for carrying out such magnetic conditioning, including electromagnetic coils surrounding water conduits and permanent magnets attached in various different ways to water pipes.

Many such prior proposals have required the installation of special components within the water equipment itself and/or have relied upon the use of apparatus which is relatively expensive. For this reason, attempts have been made to devise magnetic conditioning apparatus which may be attached to the exposed surface of an existing water pipe. However it has proved difficult to reconcile the necessary shape of such apparatus with the requirement that the orientation of the magnetic field should be such as to give optimum conditioning of the water in the pipe.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a water conditioner which meets these needs.

The water conditioner according to the present invention comprises a plurality of elongated plates, each formed of a soft magnetic material and arcuate in cross-section and together adapted to form a generally annular structure around a tubular conduit, a plurality of elongated magnets, polarised in the direction of their length and adapted to engage closely the radially outer surfaces of said plates, and means for retaining said plates and said magnets in mutual engagement around a said conduit.

The structure of the water conditioner according to the invention is such that it may readily be assembled in situ around an already-installed water pipe in a manner which can establish a concentrated magnetic field parallel to the axis of the pipe. In this way, optimum conditioning of the water is achievable for the expenditure of little effort, no skill and minimal cost on the part of the user.

The elongated plates are formed of a soft magnetic material, for example a soft iron, and are arcuate in cross-section, such that each individual plate may be located in close contact with the outer surface of a water pipe or other tubular conduit.

Thus, by placing two or more such plates together in mutual angular displacement around the pipe, a generally angular structure may be formed. While the plates may be placed in edge-to-edge abutment around the pipe and thereby together form an effectively cylindrical sheath around the pipe, as an alternative a small angular gap may be left between adjacent plates, with the result that the plates together form a generally annular structure as required, but one which is discontinuous in a circumferential direction.

Additional similar plates of soft magnetic material may be placed end-to-end with the above-mentioned plates, either in abutment with those plates or spaced therefrom, so as to extend the overall effective length of the device in the direction of the length of the conduit which it surrounds.

A plurality of elongated magnets are provided, to overlie the elongated plates. Conveniently, the same number of magnets are provided around the circumference of the conduit as there are plates in that direction. Each magnet is curved on its radially inner surface so that it may fit closely against the outer surface of one or more of the arcuate plates.

The angular extent of each annular plate may preferably be such as to subtend an angle of between 120 degrees and 180 degrees at the centre of its arc. Each magnet may subtend an angle within that same range. Typically the plates extend through about 180 degrees of are while the magnets extend through a somewhat smaller angle, for example of the order of 135 degrees.

In one preferred form of the invention, the plates are significantly longer than the magnets in an axial direction and two or more magnets are provided along the length of each plate. The magnets may abut each other end-to-end but preferably are spaced apart along the length of the plate.

Each magnet is polarised in the direction of its length, that is, the north and south poles of each magnet are spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axis of curvature of the magnet. When two or more magnets are placed in succession along a plate, they should all be similarly polarised, that is the north pole of one magnet should be followed in sequence by the south pole of the next.

In one preferred form of the present invention, the water conditioner comprises just two of the elongated plates, each carrying at least two of the magnets spaced along its length, and the conditioner is so assembled that the magnets on one of the plates are polarised in the opposite direction to those on the other plate.

The plates and magnets may be retained in mutual engagement in their assembled form around a conduit in various ways. However, the preferred means for so retaining them comprises at least two housings, which together are designed to enclose a length of conduit with the plates and magnets surrounding the conduit. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the conditioner comprises two such housings, each containing a single elongated plate, each of which plates carries at least two magnets along its length.

Housings of the foregoing types may be held together by any suitable form of straps or clips. In one form of the invention, each. housing has a continuous flange along each of xts longer edges, the flanges of the respective housings being held together by clips. In a preferred form of the water conditioner, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, short linear projections on one of the housings are retained in linear channels on the other housing when the conditioner is assembled.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accaupanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example only, one preferred form of the water conditioner according to the invention and wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the conditioner in position assembled around a water pipe; Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken at the position marked by the arrow II in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one plate and its associated magnets.

The illustrated water conditioner comprises two elongated plates 10, one of which is shown in Fig. 3. The plates 10 are each generally semicircular in cross-section and together can be assembled as shown in Fig. 2 to enclose a length 11 of water piping made of plastic, copper or other non-ferrous material. The plates have continuous flanges 12 extending along each of their long edges.

Upon each of the elongated plates 10, a number of magnets 13 are mounted at spaced intervals. Each magnet is part-circular in cross-section and its inner curved surface is of a similar radius to that of the outer surface of the plate. It is not necessary for the magnets 13 to be secured in place upon the plates 10, since they are held in position completely adequately by simple magnetic attraction.

As indicated in Fig. 3, the magnets on each plate are mounted with their polarities all in the same direction. However, the plates 10 are assembled together with their respective magnets oppositely polarised. That is, the north pole of each magnet on one plate is supported opposite to the south pole of a magnet on the other plate.

The plates 10, with the associated magnets, are held together by housings 14, which bear upon the flanges 12 and which also enclose the complete assembly of plates and magnets. The housings are formed with slotted clips 15 on one housing and short lengths 16 of linear flange on the other, such that the housings are held together by interengagement of the clips 15 and flanges 16.

The conditioner is assembled in situ upon a selected length of piping which carries a cold water supply, for example the main supply to a house or the feed to a boiler or heater, and may be left in place without further attention.

Water flowing through the piping is thereafter continuously magnetically conditioned as it passes through the axial magnetic field, and the subsequent formation of mineral deposits in the piping and in downstream equipment is ininimised or eliminated.

Claims (12)

1. A water conditioner comprising a plurality of

elongated plates, each formed of a soft magnetic material and arcuate in cross-section and together adapted to form a generally annular structure around a tubular conduit, a plurality of elongated magnets, polarised in the direction of their length and adapted to engage closely the radially outer surfaces of said plates, and means for retaining said plates and said magnets in mutual engagement around a said conduit.

2. A water conditioner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generally annular structure is discontinuous in a circumferential direction.

3. A water conditioner as claimed in either of the preceding claims, comprising the same number of magnets as plates in the circumferential direction of said generally annular structure.

4. A water conditioner as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein each arcuate plate subtends an angle of between 120 degrees and 180 degrees.

5. A water conditioner as claimed in any of the preceding clamms, comprising two or more magnets along the length of each plate.

6. A water conditioner as claimed in claim 5, wherein said magnets are spaced apart along the length of the plate.

7. A water conditioner as claimed in claim 6, wherein said spaced-apart magnets are polarised in the same direction.

8. A water conditioner as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising tWD said arcuate plates and wherein magnets on the respective plates are oppositely polarised.

9. A water conditioner as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the means for retaining the plates comprise at least two housings, together enclosing the plates and magnets surrounding a conduit.

10. A water conditioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein each housing has a continuous flange along each of its longer edges and the flanges of the housings are held together by clips.

11. A water conditioner as claimed in claim 9, wherein short linear projections on one housing are retained in linear channels on the other housing.

12. A water conditioner substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accaupanying drawings.