JPH0217991A - Water purifier with cooler - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To efficiently cool clean water produced from system water by attaching a thermoelectric heat transfer module in a state where a low temp. side and the clean water in the clean water room are in a heat transfer relation and allowing the system water to flow through a flow path of a heat exchange body being in a heat transfer relation with a high temp. side of the module.

CONSTITUTION: The clean water produced from city water is stored in the clean room 44 of a storage tank 14 and the clean water is in a heat exchange relation with the low temp. site of the thermoelectric heat transfer module 52. At this time, the system water (e.g. waste water) is continuously made to flow through a flow path of the heat exchange body 66 being in a heat transfer relation with the high temp. side of the thermoelectric heat transfer module 52. Thus, the heat energy drawn out from the clean water is continuously carried away with a flow of the system water from the high temp. side of the module 52, and the clean water is cooled.

COPYRIGHT: (C)1990,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to water purification devices of the type adapted to produce a clean water supply for use in drinking, cooking, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a water purification device designed primarily for domestic use and having a compact and efficient cooling device for cooling the resulting clean water supply.

[Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In general, water purification devices used to produce clean feed water from ordinary tap water and the like are relatively well known in the art. Such water purification devices typically include a reverse osmosis unit having an inlet in communication with a tap water supply, and the reverse osmosis unit has two water effluents, including a clean supply water and a wastewater supply containing concentrated impurities. produce a flow. This wastewater is sometimes called brine. In this type of water purification device, the production of clean water is usually relatively slow, so the clean water effluent stream is typically
It is sent to and stored in a suitable storage tank which can be supplied via a faucet valve or the like when desired.

Such water purification devices are typically installed in a cabinet space under a standard residential kitchen sink, with a faucet valve mounted on or in the sink in an accessible location ready for use. . Examples of this general type of water purification device include U.S. Pat.
．． No. 497.

Cooling devices have been proposed for lowering the temperature of the clean water supply in the storage tank in some of the conventional water purification devices of the above-mentioned general type. In such a cooling system, clean water can be supplied at a cold temperature to provide a very satisfactory source of water for drinking or other uses.

However, such cooling systems typically have mechanical refrigeration systems that undesirably increase the overall cost, complexity, size, and operating noise of the water purification system.

Although alternative cooling proposals suggest the use of relatively compact thermoelectric heat transfer cooling modules, these proposals require relatively large surface area heat sinks to achieve sufficient transfer of thermal energy from the clean water supply. and/or required the use of cooling fans. However, the use of large heat sinks and/or cooling fans in water purification devices designed for under-sink installations creates significant device size issues and undesirably increases the cost of the device. Moreover, the closed nature of the cabinet installation often severely restricts airflow, preventing proper heat transfer when using cooling fans.

[Means to solve the problem]

In accordance with the present invention, the improved water purification device provides a compact, energy efficient and relatively simple means for reducing the temperature of the resulting clean water. The temperature reduction means consists of a thermoelectric heat transfer module which extracts thermal energy from the clean supply water stored in a storage tank and transfers this thermal energy to a system water stream, such as a waste water stream produced in a water purification plant. is configured to communicate.

In a preferred device configuration, the water purification device includes a reverse osmosis module having an inlet communicating with a water supply, such as regular tap water. The reverse osmosis module operates in a known manner to produce two water effluent streams: a clean feedwater substantially free of impurities and a wastewater or brine feedwater containing concentrated impurities. The clean supply water is stored in a storage tank ready to be supplied, for example via a tap valve, and the waste water supply is finally discharged to a drain. Suitable devices include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,554, 4.
No. 595,497 and pending application No. 685,546.
Waste water is used in conjunction with tap water to control the operating pressure and flow of all equipment, as described in the above.

The thermoelectric heat transfer module is provided so that the low temperature side is in a heat exchange relationship with the clean water in the storage tank. The module is adapted to be powered by a suitable power source, preferably a standard domestic AC power supply via a 12 volt DC transformer. This module operates to extract thermal energy from the clean water supply and transfer this energy to the hot side of the module.

This hot side of the module is placed in heat exchange relationship with a relatively cool system water flow, such as waste water, which forms a compact heat sink that carries thermal energy away from the hot side of the module.

In another configuration, the system water flow may constitute a tap water flow to the reverse osmosis unit, thereby partially heating the tap water flow and increasing the operating efficiency of the unit. If desired, a temperature sensor can be provided to detect the cooling temperature of the clean water and disable the module when the temperature drops to a predetermined lower limit, e.g. 45-50oF.

〔Example〕

As shown in the exemplary drawings, an improved water purification system 10 is provided for producing clean water from a water supply, such as regular tap water 12. The resulting clean water is stored in a storage tank 14 ready for water supply through the outlet 16 of the faucet valve 18. According to the invention, the device 10 has a compact, energy-efficient cooling device 20 for cooling the clean water supply in the storage tank 14.

The exemplary water purification device 10 is designed to provide a quick delivery of substantially purified water for drinking, cooking, and the like. The device 10 is intended for residential or domestic use and can typically be installed in a cabinet space under a kitchen sink or the like, and the faucet valve 18 is typically installed in the sink drainer (FIG. 1). (not shown)
provided extending through the. Water purification system 10 includes relatively simple water treatment equipment that treats regular tap water 12 to remove undesirable salts, particulates, and other impurities to produce a clean water supply. For an example of this general type of water purification device, see U.S. Pat.
, 595,497 and pending application No. 685.54.
See No. 6.

In accordance with the present invention, the water purification system 10 includes a relatively simple, very compact, and energy efficient cooling system 20 that reduces the temperature of the resulting clean feed water.

Importantly, the cooling device 20 cools the supply of clean water during storage in the storage tank 14 so as to provide a highly desirable source of water for potable and other uses. The size and function of the device are perfectly compatible with the overall compact and quiet device, which is designed to be installed under the sink in a conventional manner.

As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the water purifier 10 includes a tap water supply conduit 22 for conveying a flow of normal tap water to a regulating valve 24 located at the top of the storage tank 14.

In normal operation, the regulator valve 24 directs the tap water supply 12 through the supply conduit 26 to a reverse osmosis unit 28, which typically has an elongated cylinder or cartridge shape.

The reverse osmosis unit 28 functions to produce a clean feed water substantially free of impurities, which clean feed water is passed through a first discharge conduit 30 connected to a suitable filter unit, such as a charcoal-containing filter cartridge or the like. unit 28
flows out from. From the filter unit, the clean water supply passes through a storage conduit 34 and via a suitable fitting 35 to the storage tank 1.
4 or through supply conduit 36 to tap valve 18 .

The reverse osmosis unit 28 also produces a secondary effluent in the form of wastewater or prine containing concentrated impurities. This wastewater is routed from the reverse osmosis unit through a second discharge conduit 38 to the lower end of the faucet valve 18 .

From the faucet valve 18, the wastewater flows depending on the operating mode of the device:
Auxiliary conduit 40. through the joint 41 to the storage tank 14.
1 to a separate wastewater chamber (not shown in FIG. 1) or to a drain through drain pipe 42.

More particularly, exemplary water purification apparatus 10 is shown and described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. It functions in much the same way as the device. Although,
Briefly, when the faucet valve 18 is closed, the ?? caused by the reverse osmosis unit 28? n Purified water is supplied through a storage conduit 34 and a tank fitting 35 into a lower tank chamber 44 located within the tank below a flexible diaphragm or barrier 45. This flow of clean water into chamber 44 continues until barrier 45 forces the upper phase wastewater out of the tank and through fitting 41 and then through auxiliary conduit 40 and drain line 42 to the drain. During this clean water chamber filling process, additional wastewater produced by the reverse osmosis unit 28 is also discharged to the drain. When the clean water chamber 44 reaches its full state, the barrier 45 eventually engages the pressure plate 46, which forms an integral part of the regulating valve 24, to throttle or stop the flow of tap water entering the device.

When it is desired to supply clean water, the handle 48 of the faucet valve 18 is operated appropriately to allow clean water to flow from the tank chamber 44 through the filtration unit 32 and the supply conduit 36 to the faucet valve 18;
Furthermore, it is discharged from the discharge port 16. At the same time, the faucet valve 18 directs a significant flow of waste water from the second discharge conduit 38 to the auxiliary conduit 4.
0 into the storage tank above the barrier 45 , so that this wastewater stream forms an expulsion medium for expelling the clean water to the outlet 16 . Faucet handle 48
Upon returning to the normally closed position, the device 10 returns to the refill mode in which the tank chamber 44 is filled again with clean water as previously described.

According to the present invention, as schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cooling device 20 includes a heat exchanger plate 50, such as copper, whose inner surface is in direct contact with the clean water supply in the clean water chamber 44. It is located at the bottom of the storage tank 14 in a close heat transfer relationship. The cooling system 20 generally includes a thermoelectric heat transfer module 52, such as a model Na920-31, using semiconductor materials of different properties (p-type material and N-type material) connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. Each is equipped with modules manufactured by BorgWarner. This module 52
is operative to extract thermal energy from the clean water supply in chamber 44 via heat transfer plate 50 and to transfer this thermal energy to a suitable heat sink for dissipation. According to the invention, this heat sink has a system water flow that carries away heat away from the thermoelectric module. Heat dissipation can be enhanced by mounting the module on an enlarged support frame 54 made of a thermally conductive material and having a large transfer surface area.

As shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, thermoelectric module 52 includes a plurality of semiconductor devices 56 sandwiched between upper and lower heat transfer substrates 58, 60, respectively. Electrical conductors 62 are suitably connected to these semiconductor devices 56 and extend from module 52 for connection to a suitable power source. In the preferred form of the invention, as shown in FIG. It is designed to be plugged in and connected to. In operation, the upper substrate 58 comprises the cold side of the module for extracting thermal energy and transfers this thermal energy to the lower substrate 60, thereby forming the hot side of the module.

The thermoelectric heat transfer module 52 is sandwiched between a heat transfer plate 50 and a thermally conductive support frame 54, which is in intimate contact with a once-through heat exchanger 66, as best shown in FIG. A good heat transfer relationship is maintained. More specifically, the mounting screws 68 are passed through the heat exchanger 66 and into the lower surface of the heat exchanger plate 50, and the module 52 and the support frame 54 are inserted between the heat exchanger 66 and the heat exchanger plate 5°. can be tightened tightly. Additional mounting screws 70
is provided to secure the heat transfer plate 50 within the central opening 72 at the bottom of the storage tank 14, and an O-ring seal 4 or the like is provided to prevent water from leaking from the tank.

The heat exchanger 66 consists of a suitable housing of heat-conductive material forming a through-flow passage 75 which is in line with the flow of relatively cold system water, e.g.
As can be seen, it is connected in line with a waste water discharge conduit 38. Connect conduit 38 with appropriate inlet and outlet fittings.
and connect them without any leakage. The flow of waste water through the passages 75 of the heat exchanger 66 thus forms a fluid heat sink to which thermal energy from the clean water supply is transferred. As a result,
Clean feed water is effectively and efficiently cooled in a completely compact device configuration. Of course, during operation of the device, once the clean water chamber 44 is refilled, waste water is discharged from the conduit 38 to the drain. Similarly, the regulator valve 24 at the top of the tank can be adjusted to allow sufficient water to flow through the conduit 38 to the drain for the heat sink once the chamber 44 is full of clean water.

Although the cooling system is shown in FIGS. 1-5 in conjunction with a preferred water purification system design, it will be appreciated that the cooling system can be incorporated into a variety of different types of water purification systems. For example, other types of valve arrangements and/or flush or water supply arrangements may be provided. Also, other relatively cold system flows may be used to form a fluid heat sink through heat exchanger 66.

More particularly, in an alternative apparatus configuration as shown in FIG. 6, a heat exchanger 66 can be connected in series with the mains water supply upstream of the reverse osmosis unit.

In this configuration, the relatively cold tap water 12 forms an effective fluid heat sink, carrying heat away from the thermoelectric module 52 to cool the clean water, advantageously warming the tap water, and increasing the operating efficiency of the reverse osmosis unit. can be improved. In this regard, it has been found that a relatively small increase in the temperature of tap water supplied to a reverse osmosis unit significantly increases the operating efficiency of the unit and, correspondingly, significantly increases its clean water production capacity. .

Also, as seen in FIG. 6, a temperature sensor 80 may be provided for measuring the temperature of the clean feed water in the storage tank chamber 44. This temperature sensor 80 is connected to the storage tank 1
4 and connected via leads 82 to a suitable control device 84, which controls the thermoelectric module when the clean water supply reaches a lower temperature limit, e.g. about 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Deactivate. In this way, when the demand for clean water is relatively low, the thermoelectric module 52 is prevented from cooling the clean water supply too much, thereby preventing undesirable system freezing. Of course, the use of the temperature sensor 80
Regardless of the particular system water flow through the heat exchanger 66, it can be incorporated into a wide variety of different water purification devices.

Various further modifications and improvements to the invention described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water purification system with a cooling device embodying the novel features of the present invention; FIG. 2 is generally taken along line 2--2 of FIG.
3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken generally along line 3--3 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view showing the installation of the cooling system at the bottom of the storage tank; FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic partial perspective view showing various components of the cooling device; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the water purifying device with a cooling device according to the present invention. 10...Water purification device 12...Tap water 14...Storage tank 16...
・Discharge port 18...faucet valve 20...
...Cooling device 22...Tap water supply pipe 24
...Adjustment valve 28 ...Reverse osmosis unit 32 ...Filter snit 42.
...Drain pipe 44...Clean water chamber 45...Barrier 46...Pressure plate 50...Heat transfer plate 52...・Thermoelectric heat transfer module 66...
・Heat exchange body 80...Temperature sensor 84・
·····Control device

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A water purification device for producing clean water from a supply of water such as tap water, which has an inlet for receiving the supply of tap water, and a water purification means for producing clean water and wastewater from this supply of water. a storage tank having a clean water chamber for receiving and storing clean water; means for supplying clean water from the clean water chamber in the tank; and having a hot side and a cold side and for transferring thermal energy to the a thermoelectric heat transfer module having means for transmitting heat from a low temperature side to the high temperature side; means for mounting the module with the low temperature side in a heat transfer relationship with a clean water chamber within the clean water chamber; and the high temperature side of the module. a heat exchanger having a fluid flow path in heat transfer relationship with the module; means for making the flow continuous, and wherein the system water flow is selected from the group including tap water supply and waste water supply. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said system water flow comprises a tap water supply, and said tap water supply is heated before being received by said water purification means. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system water flow comprises a waste water supply. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising means for conveying the wastewater feed from the heat exchanger to a drain. 5. The mounting means includes a heat exchanger plate provided in the storage tank, the inner surface of which is in a heat transfer relationship with the clean water in the clean water chamber;
and means for mounting the module as a whole between the heat exchanger plate and the heat exchanger, and the module is characterized in that the low temperature side is in a heat transfer relationship with the heat exchanger plate. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a housing made of a heat conductive material. 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the heat transfer plate is made of copper. 8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a tank support frame formed of a thermally conductive material, a portion of which is in thermal communication with the hot side of the module. 9. Further comprising temperature sensor means for detecting the temperature of the clean water in the clean water chamber, and control means for deenergizing the module in response to the temperature of the clean water reaching a predetermined lower limit. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an AC-DC transformer for connecting said module to a power source.