JP2001170645A - Water cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent sticking of scale on an electrode surface, in a water purifier for purifying water by forming flocculate flocks of suspended matter by electrolysis. SOLUTION: This water cleaner is provided with a circulation means 16, a flocculation means 17 constituted of an anode 25 and a cathode 24 provided in the circulation path, and a filter means 20 provided downstream from the flocculation means 17, and a vibrating motor 33 as a vibration means having an eccentric cam 32 on a revolving shaft is fixed to an anode terminal 31, and the vibration motor 33 is supplied with power, thus vibration is generated and aluminum hydroxide generating at an electrolytic time is prevented from being stuck on the electrode surface, and also the aluminum hydroxide produced by the electrolysis is utilized more effectively to cleaning, thus the cleaning performance is enhanced and excellent cleaning performance is sustained for a long period.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water purification apparatus for removing and purifying suspended substances contained in water to be purified, such as bath water, and more particularly to a metal hydrate produced by electrolysis. The present invention relates to a water purification apparatus for purifying by forming flocculated flocs of suspended substances by the flocculating action of the water purifying apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional water purifying apparatus, there is a water purifying apparatus in which microorganisms are propagated on a microorganism carrier, and organic substances are decomposed and purified by the enzymatic activity of the microorganisms (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5 (1994)).
-293485).

[0003] However, the microbial water purification apparatus has the following problems.

(1) The purification speed is low because the purification is carried out by the enzymatic activity of microorganisms. For this reason, once the bath water becomes polluted by bathing, it takes three hours or more to purify the bath water. Therefore, if the bather takes a bath continuously (for example, every 30 minutes), the bather must bathe in the polluted bath water, and there is a psychological resistance.

[0005] (2) Sterilization in the filtration tank destroys microorganisms that contribute to purification, so that purification ability cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is impossible to sterilize the inside of the filtration tank, which serves as a hotbed for pathogenic bacteria and the like. Therefore, there is a possibility of contamination of bath water bacteria such as Legionella spp.

(3) When a bathing agent is used, since microorganisms are killed, the bathing agent cannot be used.

As a solution to these problems, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a metal hydrate is formed by electrolysis, and the diameter of the suspended substance is increased by the aggregation action of the metal hydrate. A water purification apparatus for filtering water has been proposed (for example, JP-A-8-132051).

In FIG. 1, 1 is a bathtub, 2 is a circulation pump,
Reference numeral 3 denotes an aggregating means, 4 denotes a filtration layer provided downstream of the aggregating means, and 5 denotes a circulation path. Here, the aggregating means 3 comprises an anode 6 made of, for example, aluminum and a cathode 7 made of stainless steel as shown in FIG.

In the above configuration, when electricity is supplied to the anode 6 and the cathode 7, aluminum ions are eluted from the anode 6 by electrolysis. The aluminum ions, water hydroxide ion OH ^- aluminum reacts with hydroxide Al (OH) ₃ colloid is formed. Here, suspended substances such as sebum / stain and bacteria are negatively charged because they have a carboxyl group in the side chain. On the other hand, since aluminum hydroxide has a positive charge, aluminum hydroxide serves as a binding medium, and a fine suspended substance is adsorbed by the crosslinking action to increase the diameter, so-called aggregated flocs are generated. As a result, the flocculated flocs are effectively filtered by the filtration layer 4 provided downstream, and purification in a short time becomes possible. In addition, since no microorganisms are used, the inside of the filtration layer 4 serving as a hotbed of bacteria can be sterilized by, for example, high-temperature sterilization, and a bathing agent can be used.

[0010]

As described above, the coagulation filtration method has a feature that cannot be obtained by the microbial method. However, metal ions (aluminum ions) are eluted by electrolysis to form a metal hydrate ( In the process of producing (aluminum hydroxide), it has been found that aluminum hydroxide gradually remains on the surface of the anode and deposits between the anode and the cathode, thereby reducing the effective utilization rate of aluminum contributing to aggregation.

That is, theoretically, the aluminum ion Al ³⁺ having a high ionization tendency is melted in accordance with the amount of electricity supplied based on Faraday's law, and reacts with hydroxide ion to form aluminum hydroxide and aggregate. Although it is supposed to contribute, aluminum hydroxide and scale components such as Ca, Mg, and Si contained in the bath water actually bind and remain on the anode surface and the cathode surface, and the amount of aluminum that should contribute to aggregation decreases. I understood that.

As a result, as described above, the aluminum ions generated by the electrolysis are not used for 100% coagulation filtration. Also, after long-term use, the space between the anode and the cathode is filled with deposits, and the electric resistance between the electrodes is reduced. And the problem that a predetermined electrolytic current cannot be secured occurs.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a flocculating means for electrically flocculating suspended substances contained in water to be purified, wherein the vibrating means for the anode is provided. is there.

Therefore, even if the aluminum hydroxide produced by the electrolysis tries to adhere to the electrode surface, the adhesion is prevented by the vibration of the vibrating means, and the aluminum hydroxide is effectively used for agglomeration. Even if it adheres, it can be removed by applying vibration again by vibrating means.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A water purifying apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has a circulating means and an electrode provided on a circulating path and comprising an anode and a cathode. An aggregating means for generating a metal hydrate by decomposition and electrically aggregating the suspended substance contained in the water to be purified, and an aggregating floc provided downstream of the aggregating means and physically generated by the aggregating means. Filter means, and a vibration motor serving as a vibration means for vibrating the anode, and by vibrating at the electrodes, prevent adhesion of scale generated by electrolysis and improve efficiency of aluminum ion generation during electrolysis. Can also be planned.

[0016] The water purification apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention comprises:
A vibration motor is fixed to the power supply connection terminal of the anode, and the vibration caused by the rotation of the motor causes the electrodes to vibrate, thereby preventing scale adhesion caused by electrolysis.

The water purifying apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention comprises:
By energizing the vibration motor during electrolysis,
Prevent adhesion of aluminum hydroxide generated by electrolysis.

The water purifying apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention comprises:
The energization of the vibration motor is intermittently switched on and off during the energization of the electrolysis, thereby preventing the adhesion of scale that occurs while reducing the power consumption of the motor.

The water purifying apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention comprises:
The vibration motor is energized when the water is circulated by the circulating means during electrolysis, and the effect of vibration and running water is used to more effectively prevent scale adhesion.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of a water purification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The bathtub 8 is provided with an adapter 12 having a discharge port 10 and a suction port 11 connected to a water purification device 9.

The water purifier 9 is provided with a suction port 11 of the bathtub 8.
A circulation path 15 comprising a return pipe 13 communicating with the discharge port 10 and a discharge pipe 14 communicating with the discharge port 10, circulating means 16 for circulating bath water, and coagulating suspended substances contained in the bath water. Filtration means 17 for reducing the diameter and a filter provided downstream thereof, which is filled with a particulate filter medium 18 made of, for example, an inorganic material such as alumina through a filter bed 19 and filtering the flocculated floc having a large diameter by the flocculation means 17. Means 20, a three-way valve 21a provided upstream of the aggregating means 17 and a three-way valve 21b provided downstream of the filtering means 20, the filtering means 20
The system includes a bypass 22, a discharge 23, and a two-way valve 24 for washing the suspended solids accumulated in the water by passing the water in a direction opposite to that of the ordinary filtration. The aggregating means 17 includes a cathode 24 made of stainless steel and an anode 25 made of aluminum opposed to the cathode 24 and a constant current power supply 26 for applying a voltage between the anode 25 and the cathode 24. .

Reference numeral 27 denotes a control means, which controls the coagulation means 17 through a constant current power supply 26, and controls the three-way valves 21a, 22b and the two-way valve 24 to perform backwashing of the filtration means 20. It has a backwash control means 29 and a wash control means 30 for controlling.

On the other hand, a motor housing 34 including a vibration motor 33 as a vibration means in which a tip of the electrode terminal 31 of the anode is cut into a screw groove and an eccentric cam 32 is fitted to a motor rotation shaft has a screw hole at the bottom. And is inserted and screwed to the electrode.

Next, the operation and operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

During the time set by the coagulation control means 28, the constant current power supply 26 of the coagulation means 17 operates to operate the cathode 2
A voltage is applied between the anode 4 and the anode 25, and aluminum ions Al ³⁺ are eluted from the anode 25 made of aluminum. The eluted aluminum ions react with hydroxide ions OH ⁻ of water in the gap between the cathode 24 and the anode 25 to become aluminum hydroxide Al (OH) ₃ colloid and float.

Here, suspended substances such as sebum, dirt and bacteria contained in the bath water are negatively charged because they have a carboxyl group in the side chain. On the other hand, since aluminum hydroxide has a positive charge, the aluminum hydroxide serves as a binding medium, and a fine suspended substance is adsorbed by the crosslinking action to increase the diameter thereof, so-called agglomerated flocs are generated. As a result, the filter medium 1
The coagulated floc is deposited on the surface layer of No. 8 to form a cake layer (coagulated film) having dense pores. By operating the circulating means 16, the bath water circulates along the path shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. Thus, effective water purification can be performed in a short time.

Next, the backwashing operation of the filtering means 20 will be described. The backwash control means 30 operates to operate the three-way valve 21a,
22b and the two-way valve 24 are controlled to flow in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG.

From the downstream side of the filtration means 20, the inflow from the direction opposite to the normal filtration direction is carried out, and the suspended solids including the flocculated flocs deposited on the surface of the filter medium 18 are backwashed.
Is discharged through.

As described above, most of the metal hydrate (aluminum hydroxide) generated by the electrolysis forms flocculated flocs, which are discharged by backwashing. It remains on the surface and accumulates between the anode and the cathode, and after long-term use, the deposit between the anode and the cathode is filled with deposits, the electric resistance between the electrodes increases, and a predetermined electrolytic current cannot be secured. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the aluminum hydroxide adhered and deposited on the electrode, and the embodiment of the present invention has a vibratory scale removing means.

Next, the operation of the scale removing means will be described.

In the present invention, an eccentric cam 32 whose center of gravity is eccentric with respect to the rotating shaft is attached to the rotating shaft of the vibration motor 31. A predetermined voltage is applied to the vibration motor 33 from the cleaning control means 30 by a command from the control means 27 described above. When the vibration motor 33 rotates, the eccentric cam 32 attached to the motor shaft has a center of gravity with respect to the center of rotation. Because of the deviation, the centrifugal force applied to the cam becomes uneven, and the vibration motor 33 vibrates at a frequency corresponding to the number of rotations of the motor. The vibration motor 33 has the anode electrode terminal 3
The vibration is transmitted to the anode 25 because it is fixed at 1.
When energizing the electrolysis, the motor is energized and the anode surface vibrates, so that the aluminum hydroxide generated by the above-mentioned aluminum electrolysis is prevented from adhering to the electrode surface and deposited as a scale. Disappears.

Table 1 shows experimental data showing the effect of the vibration motor.

According to the experimental data shown in Table 1, in the water purification apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the electrodes were electrolyzed while circulating by the circulation means for a certain period of time, and the water in the bathtub before and after the electrolysis was measured. The aluminum ion concentration is measured, and the difference is used to calculate the increase number of the aluminum ion concentration. Assuming that the aluminum hydroxide produced by the electrolysis is melted in a 100% aqueous solution without adhering to the electrode surface, the theoretical aluminum concentration in the bathtub is calculated from the calculation, and the aluminum ion concentration obtained by the experiment earlier The effective aluminum ion generation rate is obtained by taking the ratio of

The experimental conditions were as follows: electrolysis time 60 min, electrolysis current 0.3 A, circulation flow rate 5 L / min, water temperature 40 ° C.

[0037]

[Table 1] As shown in (Table 1), in the electrolysis, the comparison of aluminum ion generation rate with and without motor vibration was performed.
When nothing is done, it is in the 70% range, but it becomes 95% or more due to motor vibration, and it can be seen that the amount of aluminum hydroxide adhering to the anode is effectively reduced.

FIG. 2 shows the results of a continuous durability test. The horizontal axis is the elapsed time, and the vertical axis is the value of the applied voltage applied between the anode and the cathode. In order to allow a constant current to flow, it is necessary to increase the applied voltage as the resistance between the electrodes increases. When a scale or the like adheres between the electrodes, the scale itself is non-conductive, so that the resistance between the electrodes increases. 400 in the normal case
It can be confirmed that the voltage rises due to the adhesion of the scale in about a time, whereas the increase in the voltage is substantially suppressed when the motor vibration is added, and the adhesion of the scale is effectively prevented.

As shown in FIG. 3, if the energization of the vibration motor is turned on and off intermittently during a predetermined period during electrolysis, the aluminum hydroxide scale component adhering to the electrodes during the non-energization of the motor is also reduced periodically. As it is shaken off by the vibration that is performed periodically, without lowering the scale removal performance,
Since the motor operation time is reduced, power consumption can be reduced and the service life of the motor can be extended.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, by energizing the vibration motor while the circulation means is operating,
By generating vibration in a state where water is passed through the aggregating means, the effect of the smooth removal of the vibration-separated material and the effect of the peeling action is increased, and the scale can be efficiently removed while reducing the motor operation time.

[0041]

As described above, according to the water purifier according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent aluminum hydroxide generated during electrolysis from adhering to the electrode surface, and to prevent the hydroxide generated by electrolysis from being produced. Aluminum is more effectively used for purification and purification performance is improved, and good purification performance can be maintained without requiring maintenance for a long time.

Further, according to the water purifying apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, no additional member for fixing the vibration means is required,
It can be easily installed, drives the vibrating means to generate vibration, prevents aluminum hydroxide generated during electrolysis from adhering to the electrode surface, and removes the adhered scale and removes it. Can be maintained.

According to the water purifying apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, by energizing the vibrating means during the electrolysis, the aluminum hydroxide generated during the electrolysis can be prevented from adhering to the electrode surface. It is used for purification more effectively, improves purification performance, and also prevents scale adhesion.

According to the water purifying apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the energization of the vibrating means is intermittently performed at predetermined time intervals during electrolysis, so that the scale of the electrode surface can be driven by the vibrating means. The scale adhered at the time of stoppage is also separated and crushed by the subsequent driving to prevent the scale, and the driving time of the vibrating means can be shortened to reduce power consumption and extend the life of the vibrating means.

Further, according to the water purifying apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by vibrating the vibrating means during circulation by the circulating means, it is possible to further enhance the interaction between the peeling action by vibration and the peeling by water flow. Scale removal can be performed effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a water purification device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the effect of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation timing of the motor.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation timing of the motor.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a water purification device showing a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the aggregating means.

[Description of Signs] 9 Water purification device 12 Adapter 15 Circulation path 16 Circulation means 17 Coagulation means 20 Filtration means 24 Cathode 25 Anode 28 Coagulation control means 29 Reverse control means 30 Cleaning control means 32 Eccentric cam 33 Vibration motor

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yu Kawai 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Pref. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 4D015 BA04 BA26 BA28 BB05 CA20 DA09 DC03 EA24 FA03 FA16 4D061 DA07 DB15 EA06 EB27 EB39 EB40 ED20 FA13 FA20 GC11 GC20 4D062 BA04 BA26 BA28 BB05 CA20 DA09 DC03 EA24 FA03 FA16

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A circulating means for water, and an electrode comprising an anode and a cathode provided in a circulating path, and a metal hydrate is generated by electrolysis when electricity is supplied to the electrode, and the hydrated water is supplied to the bathtub water. An aggregating means for electrically aggregating the suspended substance contained therein, a filtering means provided downstream of the aggregating means, for physically filtering the agglomerated floc generated by the aggregating means, and a vibrating means for vibrating the anode A water purification device having: 2. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the vibration means is fixed to a power supply connection terminal of the anode. 3. The water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when power is supplied to the electrode, power is supplied to the vibration means. 4. The power supply to the vibrating means is turned on and off at predetermined intervals when power is supplied to the electrodes.
Or the water purification device according to 2. 5. The water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein power is supplied to the electrodes, and power is supplied to the vibration means when the water is circulated.