JP5030025B2 - Salt water generation and storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention comprises a salt holding means for holding salt and a salt water tank for generating and storing salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water, and feeding the salt water in the salt water tank to an ion exchange device The present invention relates to a salt water generation and storage device.

  As this seed salt water production and storage device, a device described in Patent Document 1 is known. Since the salt water generation and storage device of Patent Document 1 does not include means for increasing the salt water concentration (salt water concentration increasing means), there is a possibility that regeneration failure may occur due to a decrease in the salt water concentration.

  As a salt water concentration increasing means, the one described in Patent Document 2 is known. In the salt water generation and storage device of Patent Document 2, salt is present at the bottom of the salt water tank, the specific gravity of the generated salt water is heavier than water, and the salt water concentration at the bottom is high. Therefore, the salt water concentration increasing means of Patent Document 2 is configured to stir the salt water in the tank with a stirrer. However, the salt water concentration of a salt water generation and storage device of the type provided with a salt holding means for holding salt as in Patent Document 1 and a salt water tank that generates and stores salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water. Not suitable for ascent.

JP 2005-279512 A JP 2001-149799 A

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a salt water generation and storage device of a type including a salt holding means for holding salt and a salt water tank for generating and storing salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water. It is to increase the salt water concentration effectively and suppress the formation of salt bridges .

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 generates salt water by immersing a salt holding means for holding salt and a part of the held salt in water. A salt water tank that stores salt water in the salt water tank to the ion exchange device, the sprinkler spraying the salt water in the salt water tank to the retained salt, A circulation line that connects the salt water storage part of the salt water tank and the sprinkler, and a pump provided in the circulation line, the sprinkler is configured to sprinkle toward the inner wall of the salt water tank. It is characterized by that.

According to the invention described in claim 1, wherein the salt in the brine tank is circulated through the circulation line, and by being sprinkled into a salt from the sprinkler, it is possible to effectively increase the brine concentration Since the water sprinkler is configured to sprinkle water toward the inner wall of the salt water tank, formation of a salt bridge can be suppressed .

The invention of claim 2 is characterized by comprising Oite in claim 1, is branched from one end pump downstream of the circulation line, a brine supply line and the other end connected to said ion exchange device .

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the pump for increasing the salt water concentration can be shared for salt water feeding, the device configuration can be simplified, and the salt water generating and storing device Can be remotely installed with respect to the ion exchange device.

According to the present invention, in a salt water generation and storage device of the type comprising a salt holding means for holding salt and a salt water tank for generating and storing salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water, the salt water concentration rises Can be effectively performed, and the formation of salt bridges can be suppressed .

  The embodiment of the present invention is applied to a salt water generation and storage device that generates, stores, and supplies salt water for resin regeneration to an ion exchange device.

  An embodiment of the present invention includes a salt holding means for holding salt and a salt water tank for generating and storing salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water, and ionizing the salt water in the salt water tank. A salt water generation and storage device for sending water to an exchange device, a water sprinkler for sprinkling salt water in the salt water tank to the retained salt, and a circulation line connecting the salt water storage portion of the salt water tank and the water sprinkler. A salt water generation and storage device comprising a pump provided in the circulation line. This salt water production | generation storage apparatus can also be called a salt water supply apparatus.

  In this embodiment, when a predetermined level of water is supplied into the salt water tank, a part of the salt held in the salt holding means is immersed in water, whereby salt water is generated and stored. The And if the said circulation pump is driven, the salt water stored in the said tank will be supplied to the said sprinkler through the said circulation line, and salt water will be sprinkled on salt from a sprinkler. As a result, part of the salt dissolves in the salt water and the salt water concentration increases. The increase in the salt water concentration is performed while the salt water circulates in the circulation line, so that a salt water flow is formed in the salt water tank, so that the salt water concentration is effective in a short time without using a special stirrer. To rise.

  Here, the components of this embodiment will be described. The salt water tank is a well-known container for storing salt water, and is formed of a material that is not corroded by salt (also referred to as regenerated salt). Configured as follows. The salt holding means is composed of a water-permeable member that partitions the salt water tank into a salt storage part and a salt water storage part, and preferably partitions the salt water tank up and down to allow water to pass therethrough. It is composed of a well-known salt water plate having a large number of minute holes. The salt is stored on the salt holding means, and when water is supplied (supplemented) to the predetermined water level above the salt holding means in the salt water tank, the lower part of the stored salt is immersed in water, Is dissolved in water to produce salt water.

  The salt water generation and storage device includes a water sprinkler for sprinkling salt water in the salt water tank to the retained salt, a circulation line for connecting the salt water storage portion of the salt water tank and the water sprinkler, and the circulation line. A salt water concentration increasing means including a provided pump is provided. The water sprinkler is provided above the salt storage section of the salt water tank, and sprinkles salt water in the salt water tank supplied through the circulation line to the salt stored on the salt holding means (preferably in a shower shape) To spray water). This water sprinkler is preferably composed of a ring-shaped pipe disposed along the inner wall of the salt water tank and having water spray holes.

The water sprinkler is preferably configured to sprinkle water toward the inner wall surface of the salt water tank. By adopting such a configuration, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, in a salt water generation and storage device of a type including a salt holding unit that holds salt and a salt water tank that generates and stores salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water, the salt holding unit has a mountain shape. If only the inner part of the salt retained in the salt dissolves and, as a result, a bridge-like salt (referred to as salt bridge) is formed, the salt may not dissolve even though the salt remains. However, it is possible to suppress the formation of salt bridges by configuring the salt water to spray from the water sprinkler toward the inner wall of the salt water tank. When the water sprinkler is the ring-shaped pipe, the water spray hole is obliquely downward so that the water spray reaches the inner wall without directly reaching the salt in the lower part of the pipe on the inner wall side of the salt water tank. Formed towards.

  The control of the salt water concentration increasing means is performed by the control means provided in the ion exchange device, the control means provided in the salt water generation and storage means separately from the control means of the ion exchange device, or the ion exchange device and the salt water generation and storage means. It is possible to configure so as to be performed by one common control means. For the method of driving the pump of the salt water concentration increasing means, a method of performing a predetermined time using a timer by the control means or a salt water concentration detecting means for detecting the salt water concentration in the salt water tank is provided, and the salt water concentration is set. Any of the methods of driving the pump can be employed when the value is below the value. The pump can be driven after the completion of the water replenishment process into the salt water tank. Also, when salt water circulation and salt water delivery are performed with the same pump, the pump is driven during salt water delivery, so the salt water concentration increasing operation is performed. It is desirable to be configured to drive.

  The salt tank is provided with water replenishing means for replenishing water therein. The water replenishing means is preferably configured to replenish water from the ion exchange device. In this case, preferably, a flow path control valve for switching between a water flow operation and a regeneration operation of the ion exchange device and the salt water tank are connected by a salt water supply line, and a pump and a flow rate adjusting unit are connected to the salt water supply line in the salt water supply direction. Are provided in this order, and a supplementary water line is formed by connecting the flow rate adjusting means of the salt water supply line and the flow path control valve to the salt water tank. The flow rate adjusting means is preferably a flow rate adjusting valve having a variable flow resistance, but may be an orifice having a fixed flow resistance.

  By adopting such a configuration, water replenishment is not limited by the flow rate adjusting means, so that water replenishment can be performed quickly. Moreover, in the water replenishing means having such a configuration, it is preferable that a check valve for preventing the flow in the pump direction is provided between the branch portion of the water replenishing line of the salt water supply line and the flow rate adjusting means. With this configuration, since the raw water pressure is not applied to the replenishing pump, a pump such as a magnet pump with low pressure resistance can be used.

  Moreover, the said water replenishing means can be comprised so that not only from the said ion exchange apparatus but a separate water replenishment line may be provided and water supplementation may be performed. Further, the end of the replenishing water can be a method of closing the replenishing water control valve when the water level in the salt water tank reaches a predetermined water level by a float type water refilling control valve. However, a water level sensor for detecting the water level in the salt water tank is provided, and an electric water replenishment control valve capable of opening and closing the water replenishment line is provided, and when the water level detected by the control means reaches a set value, the water replenishment control is performed. By closing the valve, the water replenishment can be terminated. Furthermore, the water replenishing means can be configured using a part of a salt water circulation line including the water sprinkler.

  The ion exchange resin leaks into the treated water when the amount of adsorption of specific ions to be removed (such as hardness and nitrate nitrogen) reaches a predetermined exchange capacity. Therefore, the ion exchange device supplies salt water (specifically, a sodium chloride aqueous solution) from the salt water generation and storage device to the ion exchange resin before the adsorption amount of the specific ions reaches a predetermined exchange capacity. Regeneration is carried out by bringing them into contact with each other to restore exchange capacity.

  The ion exchange device includes a resin container filled with resin, and a flow path control valve connected to the salt water supply line to switch between a water flow operation and a regeneration operation, and the salt water tank and the flow The road control valve is connected to the salt water supply line. In the regeneration operation, preferably, a back washing step, a regeneration (salt water introduction) step, an extrusion step, a washing step, and a water replenishing step are performed in this order.

  The salt water supply in the regeneration step is preferably performed using a salt water supply line in which one end is branched from the pump downstream side of the circulation line and the other end is connected to the ion exchange device. In this case, a part of the circulation line is shared as a part of the salt water supply line, and the pump is also used as a salt water supply pump. By employ | adopting such a structure, the structure of the ion exchange system which consists of a combination of the said salt water production | generation storage apparatus and this and the said ion exchange apparatus can be simplified. Moreover, when the said salt water production | generation storage apparatus is installed away from the said ion exchange apparatus (remote installation), salt water can be supplied, without reducing water supply capability compared with the thing of the ejector system using raw | natural water pressure.

  In the regeneration process, the salt water is supplied to the ejector built in the flow path control valve, and the salt water in the salt water tank is supplied to the ion exchange resin by using the negative pressure generated in the ejector. Can be configured to

  Hereinafter, Example 1 of the salt water production | generation storage apparatus 1 which implemented this invention is demonstrated in detail based on drawing. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an ion exchange system including the salt water generation and storage device 1 and an ion exchange device 2, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the salt water generation and storage device 1. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the control procedure of the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a different control procedure of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 illustrates a water flow process, a backwash process, FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of water in the salt water generation and storage device 1 during the extrusion step and the washing step, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of water in the salt water generation and storage device 1 during the regeneration step. 7 is a diagram illustrating the flow of water in the salt water generation and storage device 1 during the water replenishment step, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the flow of water in the salt water generation and storage device 1 during the water flow standby step. .

  Referring to FIG. 1, the salt water generation and storage device 1 includes a salt plate 3 as salt holding means for holding salt, and a salt water tank for generating and storing salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water. 4 and configured to send the salt water in the salt water tank 4 to the ion exchange device 2 for regeneration. And the sprinkler 5 which sprinkles the salt water in the said salt water tank 4 to the said hold | maintained salt, the circulation line 7 which connects the salt water storage part 6 of the said salt water tank 4, and the said water sprinkler 5, and the said circulation line 7 And a pump 8 provided in the apparatus. Reference numeral 9 denotes a filter provided on the upstream side of the pump 8 in the circulation line 7. As shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 1, the salt water generation and storage device 1 accommodates its constituent elements in a box (not shown) and is unitized. The water sprinkler 5, the circulation line 7 and the pump 8 are included to constitute a salt water concentration increasing means (also referred to as salt water concentration adjusting means) 10.

  The salt water tank 4 is provided with an openable / closable lid (not shown), is made of synthetic resin, and is a container having an open top so that salt can be replenished. The salt plate 3 is composed of a plate that partitions the inside of the salt water tank 4 into a salt water storage section 6 and a salt storage section 11 and has a large number of minute holes (not shown) for passing water.

Referring to FIG. 2, the water sprinkler 5 is provided above the salt storage unit 11, and salt water in the salt water tank 4 supplied through the circulation line 7 is stored on the salt plate 3. It consists of a ring-shaped pipe sprinkled on salt. The said pipe is arrange | positioned along the inner wall of the said salt water tank 4, and forms many water spray holes 12, 12, .... Each of the water spray holes 12 is formed obliquely downward so that the water spray is sprinkled on the inner wall at the lower part of the pipe on the inner wall side of the salt water tank 4 without directly reaching the salt.

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, the ion exchange device 2 uses soft water that replaces the hardness in water with sodium ions or potassium ions using a cation exchange resin (not shown, hereinafter referred to as an ion exchange resin). It is a device. The ion exchange device 2 regenerates the ion exchange resin by supplying salt water from the salt water generation and storage device 1 and bringing it into contact with the ion exchange resin before the adsorption amount of the specific ions reaches a predetermined exchange capacity, thereby restoring the exchange capacity. I try to let them.

  The ion exchange device 1 includes a resin container 13 filled with the ion exchange resin, and a flow path control valve (valve mechanism) 14 that switches between a water flow operation and a regeneration operation, and the circulation line 7 The downstream side of the pump 8 and the flow path control valve 14 are connected by a salt water supply line 15. Therefore, a salt water supply line for supplying salt water from the salt water tank 4 to the ion exchange device 2 is constituted by a part of the circulation line 7 and the salt water supply line 15. The salt water supply line 15 is provided with a flow rate adjusting valve 17 as a flow rate adjusting means so as to be positioned downstream of the pump 8 and a check valve 18 for blocking the flow in the direction of the pump 8 in this order in the salt water supplying direction. Provided. The flow rate adjusting valve 17 has a structure in which the flow resistance can be varied by changing the opening degree.

  Further, a water replenishment line 19 for replenishing water from the ion exchange device 2 to the salt tank 4 is provided. The replenishing water line 19 is formed by branching from the downstream side of the check valve 18 of the salt water supply line 15, so that a part of the salt water supply line 15 is used as a water replenishment line. At the tip of this water replenishment line 19, a float type first water refill control valve 20 is provided. When the water level in the salt water tank 4 reaches a predetermined water level H, the first water refill control valve 20 is closed and the water replenishment is terminated. When the water level falls below a predetermined water level, the first water refill control valve 20 is opened to allow water refilling. The first rehydration control valve 20 is provided in a cylindrical body 21 having an opening (not shown) through which salt water can flow, and a known structure can be used. A salt water concentration sensor 22 for detecting the salt water concentration is provided in the cylindrical body 21.

  The flow path control valve 14 is configured to perform a next water flow operation and a regenerative operation including a backwash process, a regeneration process, an extrusion process, a washing process, and a water replenishment process. As long as the salt water performs an operation that does not enter the main body of the ion exchange device 2, the valve is not limited to a valve having a specific structure and configuration (for example, an on-off valve (7), (8), (10), (The valve can be a combination of (12) and (14)). In addition to the salt water supply line 15, a raw water line 25, a treated water line 26, and a drain line 27 are connected to the flow path control valve 14.

In the water flow operation, the raw water flowing through the raw water line 25 flows down in the resin container 13, and in the process, the hardness is replaced with sodium ions, and the water is softened, via the treated water line 26. Supplied to the demand point. In the backwashing step of the regeneration operation, the raw water flowing through the raw water line 25 flows in the resin container 13 in an upward flow, and the fine resin generated due to accumulated suspended matter and crushing is washed away from the drainage line 33. It is discharged out of the system. In the regeneration step, the salt water supplied from the salt water supply line 15 flows through the resin container 13 to regenerate the ion exchange resin, and is discharged from the drain line 27 to the outside of the system. In the extruding step, the raw water flowing through the raw water line 25 flows as extruded water through the resin container 13 and is discharged out of the system from the drain line 27 while extruding salt water. In the washing step, the raw water flowing through the raw water line 25 passes through the resin containing portion 13 in a downward flow while washing salt water remaining in the resin containing portion 13 as washing water, and the drain line 27 It is discharged out of the system via In the water replenishing step, raw water flowing through the raw water line 25 is supplied as makeup water to the salt water tank 4 via the salt water supply line 15 and the water replenishment line 19.

  The pump 8 and the flow path control valve 14 are controlled by a controller 24 that inputs signals from the salt water concentration sensor 22 and a salt water flow meter 23 provided at an end of the salt water supply line 15. The controller 24 includes a microprocessor, a memory (both not shown), and the like, and a first program for controlling the water flow operation and the regeneration operation of the ion exchange device 2 by controlling the flow path control valve 14. A second program for controlling the salt water concentration increasing means 11 to increase the salt water concentration by controlling the pump 8 is stored in the memory. Based on the signal from the salt water concentration sensor 22, the controller 24 is configured to issue an alarm with a display (not shown) when the salt water concentration is not more than a set value.

  In the first program, the flow path control valve 14 is controlled by a command signal from the controller 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the water flow operation, the back washing process, the regeneration process, the extrusion process, and the washing process are performed. And a regenerative operation that consists of a water replenishment step and performs these steps in this order.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the second program drives the pump 8 for a predetermined time (for example, about 5 to 6 hours) during the water-waiting process after the water replenishment process to increase the salt water concentration. It is configured as follows.

  Here, it demonstrates based on a figure centering on operation | movement of the salt water production | generation storage apparatus 1 of Example 1 of the said structure. 5 to 8, solid arrows indicate the flow and direction of water.

(Water flow operation, back washing process, extrusion process, washing process)
In the water flow operation, the backwashing process, the extruding process and the washing process, as shown in FIG. 5, the pump 8 is stopped by the controller 24. Inactive state.

(Regeneration process)
In the regeneration step, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pump 8 is driven, the salt water in the salt water tank 4 is supplied to the sprinkler 5 through the circulation line 7. The salt water is sprinkled from the water sprinkler 5 toward the inner wall of the salt water tank 4 and sprinkled on the salt in contact with the inner wall of the salt water tank 4 of the salt reservoir 11. As a result, part of the salt dissolves in the salt water and the salt water concentration increases. The increase of the salt water concentration due to the sprinkling is performed while the salt water circulates in the circulation line 7, and a salt water flow is formed in the salt water storage section 6 of the salt water tank 4, and the salt water concentration effectively increases in a short time. .

  In this Example 1, since it comprises so that water may be sprinkled toward the inner wall face of the said salt water tank 4, formation of a salt bridge can be suppressed. A part of the salt water supplied by the pump 8 also flows through the water replenishment line 19, but does not greatly affect the salt water supply to the ion exchange device 1 and the salt water supply to the sprinkler 5.

Also, by driving the pump 8, salt water is supplied to the ion exchange device 2 through a part of the circulation line 7 and the salt water supply line 15 to regenerate the ion exchange resin. As described above, a part of the circulation line 7 is shared as a part of the salt water supply line 15 and the pump 8 is also used as a salt water supply pump, so that the configuration of the ion exchange system can be simplified. In addition, since salt water is supplied to the ion exchange device 2 using the pump 8, when the salt water generation and storage device 1 is installed away from the ion exchange device 2 (remote installation), the raw water pressure is reduced. Saline water can be supplied without lowering the water supply capacity compared to the ejector system used.

(Water replenishment process)
Next, in the water replenishment step, referring to FIG. 7, the raw water in the raw water line 25 is supplied into the salt water tank 4 through the flow path control valve 14, the salt water supply line 15, and the water replenishment line 19. In this water replenishment process, since water replenishment is not limited by the flow rate adjustment valve 17, water replenishment can be performed quickly. Further, since the check valve 18 is provided between the branch portion of the supplementary water line of the salt water supply line 15 and the flow rate adjusting valve 17, the raw water pressure is not applied to the pump 8 at the time of supplementary water, and pressure resistance. A low pump can be used.

(Waiting process)
The completion of the water replenishment process is controlled by the controller 24, and the process proceeds to a water flow standby process (see FIG. 3) that is performed until there is a water flow request and the controller 24 switches control to the water flow process. In this water flow waiting step, referring to FIG. 4, YES is determined in processing step S1 (hereinafter, processing step SN is simply referred to as SN), pump 8 is driven in S2, and the salt water concentration increases. Means 10 are activated.

  To explain this, referring to FIG. 8, the salt water concentration increasing means 10 performs the salt water concentration increasing action similarly to the regeneration step of FIG. The difference from the regeneration step is that the salt water sent by the pump 8 is not sent to the ion exchange device 2. For this reason, compared with a reproduction | regeneration process, the circulation amount of salt water increases and it can raise salt water density | concentration at an early stage.

  When the set time has elapsed in S3, YES is determined, the process proceeds to S4, the pump 8 is stopped, and the salt water concentration adjusting operation is terminated. Since S3 is performed for the set time, even if NO is determined in S1 and the water flow operation is started, the operation of the pump 8 is continued.

  This invention is not limited to the said Example 1, The salt water production | generation storage apparatus 1 of Example 2 shown in FIG. 9 is included. In FIG. 9, the description will focus on the configuration different from that of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. What is different is that a water level sensor for detecting the upper limit water level in the salt water tank 4 while replenishing the salt water tank 4 with a part of the salt water supply line 15 and the circulation line 7 is used. 28 is provided, and an electric open / close type second water replenishment control valve 29 that is closed when the upper limit water level is detected is provided. Further, a part of the salt water circulation line 7 is configured to be performed using the salt water supply line 15. The operation of the salt water concentration increasing means 10 is the same as that in the first embodiment. During the water replenishment step, the raw water in the raw water line 25 is supplied into the salt water tank 4 through the flow path control valve 14, a part of the salt water supply line 15, a part of the circulation line 7, and the sprinkler 5. The replenishment of water is completed by the controller 24 receiving the detection signal from the water level sensor 28 and closing the second refill water control valve 29.

  Moreover, in the said Example 1, in the water flow waiting process, control of the drive stop of the said pump 8 is performed using the timer, but this invention is implemented using the said salt water concentration sensor 22 and implemented in FIG. Example 3 is included. In the third embodiment, when the water flow standby process is determined in S11, it is determined in S12 whether the salt water concentration is equal to or lower than the first set value. If YES, the pump 8 is driven in S13. In S14, when the salt water concentration reaches a second set value that is higher than the first set value by a predetermined value, the process proceeds to S15 and the pump 8 is stopped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The whole block diagram of the ion exchange system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the principal part expanded cross section of the Example 1. FIG. The flowchart figure explaining the control procedure of the Example 1. FIG. The flowchart figure explaining the different control procedure of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the water flow, backwashing, extrusion, and washing | cleaning process of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the reproduction | regeneration process of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the water replenishment process of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the water flow waiting process of the Example 1. FIG. The whole ion exchange system lineblock diagram concerning Example 2 of this invention. The flowchart figure explaining the control procedure of Example 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Salt water production | generation storage apparatus 2 Ion exchange apparatus 4 Salt water tank 5 Sprinkler 6 Salt water storage part 7 Circulation line 8 Pump

Claims (2)

A salt water generating and storing unit that includes salt holding means for holding salt and a salt water tank that generates and stores salt water by immersing a part of the held salt in water, and supplies the salt water in the salt water tank to an ion exchange device. A device,
A sprinkler for sprinkling salt water in the salt water tank to the retained salt;
A circulation line connecting the salt water reservoir of the salt water tank and the sprinkler;
A pump provided in the circulation line ,
The salt water generating and storing device , wherein the water sprinkler is configured to spray water toward an inner wall of the salt water tank . The salt water generation and storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a salt water supply line having one end branched from the pump downstream side of the circulation line and the other end connected to the ion exchange device.

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