JPH02265686A - Water purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form a uniform precoat layer on the surface of an element by setting the space surrounded by the bottom part of a casing and the bottom wall of the element to a mixing chamber of a powdery filtering agent and water and forming a water jet port to the center of said chamber. CONSTITUTION:The mixing chamber 14 formed by the bottom part 3a of a casing and the bottom wall 12 of an element 13 is packed with a powdery filtering agent 35 prior to starting use and water is supplied to the mixing chamber 14 from the center thereof. Whereupon, water is mixed with the filtering agent 35 in the mixing chamber 14 at first and the resulting mixture flows in the element 13 and the filtering agent 35 is adhered to the surface of the element 13 in a membrane form when water passes through the element 13 to form a precoat layer. By injecting water in the mixing chamber 14 from the center thereof, water and the filtering agent are premixed and the obtained mixture is subsequently allowed to flow in the element 13 and, therefore, the mixing of the filtering agent 35 is performed extremely uniformly and the precoat layer can be uniformly formed to the element 13 over the entire surface thereof.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a water purifier for removing impurities such as residual chlorine contained in tap water. The present invention relates to improving the uniformity of a precoat layer when a so-called precoat layer is formed by depositing a powdered filter agent such as powdered activated carbon in a thin film.

[Conventional technology]

For example, tap water generally contains a very small amount of residual chlorine, which causes unpleasant sensations such as odor when used for drinking. Therefore, conventionally, the tap water is filtered with a filtering agent such as activated carbon using a water purifier to remove the residual chlorine and the like.

As such a water purifier, for example,
No. 9, Utility Model Application Publication No. 50-100367, a filter cloth is formed into a bag shape, and the bag-like filter cloth is stored in a folded state in a casing, and powdered activated carbon is placed in this bag. Some filters are filled around a filter cloth. In this water purifier, when tap water is introduced at the beginning of use, when the water enters the bag, powdered activated carbon is deposited in a thin film on the surface of the filter cloth, thereby forming a precoat layer. In this water purifier, the precoat layer and filter cloth allow
Tap water will be purified.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the conventional water purifier described above, when forming the precoat layer, powdered activated carbon is filled around the filter cloth placed in the casing, and water is simply supplied from above. In other words, activated carbon is inherently hydrophobic and difficult to disperse, so even if water is simply supplied to activated carbon, it tends to aggregate, making it difficult to mix uniformly in water. It is. As a result, conventional water purifiers have a problem in that a uniform precoat layer cannot be formed over the entire outer surface of the filter cloth.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and when forming a precoat layer, it is possible to first uniformly mix a powdered filter agent in water, and as a result, a uniform precoat layer is formed on the element surface. The purpose is to provide a water purifier that can form

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, a filtration element is placed inside a bottom cylindrical casing, and at the beginning of use, a powdered filtration agent is attached to the outer surface of the element to form a precoat layer. In a water purifier that purifies water by passing it from the primary side to the secondary side of the precoat layer and the element, the bottom wall of the element is positioned above the bottom wall of the casing, so that the bottom wall of the casing The space surrounded by the bottom wall of the element and the bottom wall of the element is used as a mixing chamber for mixing the powdered filter agent with water at the beginning of use, and a space in the center of the mixing chamber for spouting water into the mixing chamber. It is characterized by the formation of a spout.

[Effect]

In order to form a precoat layer in the water purifier according to the present invention, the bottom of the casing and the element must be
A powdered filter agent is filled into the mixing chamber formed by the bottom wall of the container, and water is supplied from the center of the mixing chamber. Then, water and filtration agent are first mixed in the mixing chamber, and this mixed water flows into the element side, and as the water passes through the element, the filtration agent adheres to the element surface in an atli-like manner, forming a precoat layer. .

In this way, in the present invention, an independent mixing chamber is formed, a filtration agent is filled in the mixing chamber, and water is jetted from the center of the mixing chamber to mix the water and the filtration agent in advance, and then the element Compared to the conventional structure in which the filtration agent is filled around the element described above and water is simply supplied from the top, the filtration agent is mixed extremely uniformly, and as a result, the precoat layer is formed uniformly over the entire surface of the element.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, l is the water purifier, which is the main casing 2
A structure in which an inner casing 3 is housed in the inner casing 3, a filter unit 4 as a primary filter body is housed in the inner casing 3, and a hollow fiber unit 5 as a secondary filter body is housed in the unit 4. It has become.

The main casing 2 has a structure in which a plate-shaped cylindrical body 2a is removably attached to a resin base 2b, and an upper part 12c is fixed to the upper end.

Further, the inner casing 3 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with a tapered shape having a slightly smaller diameter on the bottom side, and the inner circumferential wall portion of the bottom wall portion 3a has a tapered shape with a steep angle. Further, the outer peripheral portion of this bottom wall portion 3a is the base 2b of the main casing 2.
The inner casing 3 is screwed into the connecting cylinder portion 2d of the main casing 2, thereby fixing the inner casing 3 within the main casing 2.

The center of the bottom wall portion 3a, that is, the inner casing 3
An inlet 3b is formed on the axis of the inlet 3.
A check valve 6 is arranged inside b. This check valve 6 is for preventing water from returning downward in the figure.
A lead weight 6 is placed at the bottom of a resin valve body 6a that opens and closes the upper end opening of the inlet 3b for urging the valve body 6a downward.
b is buried and fixed. Note that 6C is a guide rib.

Further, an ejection case 7 is attached to cover the upper part of the inlet 3b. This is composed of a cylindrical part 7a attached to the inlet 3b with a slight gap, and a lid part 7b that closes the upper end of the cylindrical part 7a. This ejection case 7 is
A support l1 extending from the upper edge of the inlet 3b to the lid portion 7b
It is fixedly supported by inserting j3e and welding its protruding end. A plurality of slit-shaped ejection lowers C extending in the circumferential direction are formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 7a, and the ejection lowers C are covered with an eaves portion 7d projecting outward from the lid portion 7b. .

Also, a connecting pipe portion 3 integrally formed at the lower end of the inlet port 3b.
One end of a connecting elbow 8 is fitted and inserted into the inside d, and a water supply hose 9 is connected to the other end of the elbow 8. The connecting elbow 8 is fixed to the base 2b, and is adapted to fit into the connecting pipe portion 3d when the inner casing 3 is attached. Further, 2e is a bottom cover made of a rubber plate, which covers the lower part of the water supply hose 9, and
This prevents the water purifier l from slipping when placed on a table or the like.

The filter unit 4 has an upper end plate 11 at the upper and lower ends of the center core 10. The lower end plates 12 are fixed to each other, and an element 13 is attached so as to surround the outer periphery of the center core 10. The center core 10 is a cylindrical body made of resin, and has an outer large hole 10a extending in one direction. The upper end plate 11 is made of resin and has a connecting part 11b that extends upward in a cylindrical shape integrally formed on the inner periphery of an annular closed part 11a, and is fitted to the upper end of the center core 1o.
And it is fixed by welding. Further, a holding lid 15 is attached to the outer periphery of the connecting portion 11b of the upper end plate 11, and both are prevented from being removed with a circlip 16. By screwing and attaching this holding lid 15 to the inner casing 3,
The filter unit 4 is arranged and fixed within the inner casing 3.

The lower end plate 12 is made of resin and has a disc shape, and an engaging portion 12a protruding from its upper surface is fitted into the lower end of the center core 10 and fixed by welding. There is a slight gap between the outer periphery of the lower end plate 12 and the inner casing 3, and projections 12 are provided on the outer periphery at predetermined angular intervals.
radial positioning is performed by b. Thereby, the gap around the lower end plate 12 is uniform.

Further, the lower surface 12C of the lower end plate 12 is formed in a spherical shape, and is positioned with a predetermined distance from the bottom wall portion 3a of the inner casing 3. This forms a mixing chamber 14 for mixing water and activated carbon, which will be described later, and the ejection case 7 is located at the center of this mixing chamber 14.

The element 13 includes an element body 17 formed by further shaping a wave-shaped filter cloth into a cylindrical shape, and a reinforcing member that comes into contact with the inner surface of the element body 17 to hold it in the wave-shaped cylindrical shape. Support Net 1 as
It consists of 8. On the outer surface of the element body 17, a precoat layer 37 made of a thin film of powdered activated carbon is formed to have a uniform thickness. The support net 18 is an integrally molded resin product, has the same shape as the element body 17, and has a large number of through holes 18b for introducing water filtered by the element body 17 into the center core 10 side. It is formed. In addition, the element body 17. An end 17a of the support net 18,
The parts 18a are joined by stacking them on each other and holding and heating them.

The hollow fiber unit 5 is constructed by screwing and attaching a support cap 20 to a protective case 19 having a large number of hollow fibers 24.
It is screwed onto b. A filtered water hose 23 is connected to this support camp 20 via a coupling 21° connecting elbow 22, and the hose 23 is led out through the bottom of the main casing 2. In addition, 36
is a clip that fixes the filtered water hose 23 to the inner casing 3, and this is bolted to the boss portion 3e of the inner casing 3.

The hollow fiber 24 housed in the protective case 19 is a tubular body made of a resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like, and has numerous extremely small diameter filtration holes formed therein, and is bent into a U-shape. Opening end of lever (upper end shown)
is arranged and fixed at the upper end of the protective case 19 by a resin layer 25, and the upstream side of the hollow fiber unit 5 and the filtered water hose 23 side communicate with each other via the filtration holes of the hollow fibers 24.

Further, the outer surface of the hollow fiber 24 is subjected to antibacterial treatment. This antibacterial treatment is to prevent the growth of bacteria in the space between the element 13 and the hollow fiber unit 5. For example, Zeomic (registered trademark) by Sinanen New Ceramic Co., Ltd. or San-Ai Oil Co., Ltd. T.B.
It is constructed by attaching an anti-denting agent made of powdered Z to the outer surface of the hollow fibers 24. This antibacterial agent is attached by putting a predetermined amount of the antibacterial agent into the protective case 19 of the hollow fiber unit 5, attaching a net 26 to the opening, inserting it into the water purifier 1, and letting tap water flow in. realizable.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be explained.

First, filter unit 4. To explain the case of cleaning, replacing, etc., the hollow fiber unit 5, etc., the cylindrical body 2a of the main casing 2 is removed from the base 2b, the filtered water hose 23 is removed by the coupling 2I, and the holding cap work 5 is loosened. Accordingly, both the filter unit 4 and the hollow fiber unit 5 can be removed. At this time, leave the retainer 115 as it is, and raise the support cap 20 @ temporary 11.
It is also possible to remove only the hollow fiber unit 5 by loosening the connecting portion 11b. In addition, when removing the entire inner casing 3 from the base 2b, it is sufficient to loosen the inner casing 3 relative to the connecting cylinder portion 2d of the base 2b.In this case, the check valve 6 is placed on the inner casing 3 side. Therefore, the water remaining in the inner casing 3 will not leak out.

To form the pre-coat layer 37 of powdered activated carbon on the outer surface of the element main body 17, apply the filter unit 4 according to the above procedure.
Remove the entire hollow fiber unit 5, put powdered activated carbon 35 into the mixing chamber 14 of the inner casing 3 to a level slightly lower than the spout lower c (indicated by the dotted chain line in the figure), and remove the filter unit 4 and the hollow fiber unit 5. After assembling, supply water.

Then, water pushes up the check valve 6 from the water supply hose 9 and enters the spout case 7 , and flows from the spout lower c of the case 7 along the surface of the powdered activated carbon 35 and the powdered activated carbon 35 .
As the amount of water increases, a vortex is generated in the mixing chamber 14 as shown by the arrow in the figure, thereby uniformly mixing the powdered activated carbon 35 with the water. This mixed water then rises through the gap between the outer periphery of the lower end plate 12 of the filter unit 4 and the inner peripheral wall of the inner casing 3. When this mixed water passes through the element body 17, the mixed activated carbon is filtered by the element body 17 and adheres to the outer surface, and as a result, a precoat layer 37 is formed.

In normal use as a water purifier, tap water enters the mixing chamber 14 from the water supply hose 9 through the spout lower C of the spout case 7, and enters the element body 17 of the filter unit 4. The water passes through the through hole 18b of the support net 18 and the introduction hole 10a of the center core 10, passes through the fine filtration holes of the hollow fibers 24 of the hollow fiber unit 5, and is taken out from the filtered water hose 23. In such a flow of water, when first passing through the element body 17, impurities such as residual chlorine are removed by the precoat layer 37 on the surface. In addition, bacteria that have invaded the space downstream of the element body 17 and between the hollow fiber unit 5 and the hollow fiber unit 5 are
,! Since it cannot pass through the H filter holes, it will not flow out to the outside.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the residual chlorine is removed by the pre-coat layer 37, there is a concern that bacteria that have invaded the space between the element body 17 and the hollow fiber unit 5 will proliferate in the space. There is a concern that the filtration life will be shortened due to clogging.On the other hand, since the anti-image side is attached to the hollow fiber 24 of this embodiment, the proliferation of bacteria that has entered the vicinity of the hollow fiber 24 is prevented. Therefore, the period until the hollow fibers 24 become clogged can be extended, and as a result, the filtration life of the water purifier 1 can be significantly extended.

The precoat layer 37 formed on the surface of the element body 17 of this embodiment has significantly improved uniformity and durability for the following reasons.

First, at the beginning of use, the powdered activated carbon and water are uniformly mixed. That is, (1) the mixing chamber 14 is formed in a substantially sealed shape with a passage area to the filter unit 4 side narrowed to the gap between the lower end plate 12 and the inner casing 3;
The lower surface 12C of the lower end plate 12, which is the top wall of the mixing chamber 14, is formed into a spherical shape, and the corner portion 14a of the bottom wall portion 3a is formed into a steeply tapered shape. The ejection lower C of the ejection case 7 is located around the axis of the inner casing 3 and is located above the level of powdered activated carbon that has been filled prior to the start of use. The water ejected from the lower end plate 12 and the inner wall of the inner casing 3 generates a swirling vortex as shown by the arrow in the figure, and the powdered activated carbon 35 is gradually peeled off from the surface and mixed with water. The powdered activated carbon 35 is mixed uniformly, and the powdered activated carbon 35 does not remain in the corner part 14a of the mixing chamber 14.Incidentally, when water is jetted from a position lower than the surface level of the powdered activated carbon 35, water is mixed inside the powdered activated carbon. will blow out, and the powdered activated carbon will tend to aggregate, resulting in non-uniform mixing. This point is not so much of a problem when the amount of water supplied is large, but it becomes a problem especially when the amount of water supplied is small due to low water pressure or the like. However, if water is ejected along the activated carbon surface as in this embodiment, such aggregation problem can be avoided.

Note that if a check valve is placed at the inlet of the mixing chamber, there is a risk that the activated carbon that has settled when the water supply is stopped will enter between the valve body and the seat, impairing the check valve function. Since the eaves portion 7d is formed to cover the ejection lower C, it is possible to prevent activated carbon from entering and avoid this problem.

Second, the uniformly mixed water is transferred to the element main body 1.
It is evenly supplied to the surface of 7. That is, the mixed water rises through the constriction part of the mixing chamber 14 and reaches the element body 1.
7 and enters the center core 10, the powdered activated carbon adheres to the outer surface of the element body 17 in a thin film form, but in this case, the ejection case 7 is located at the center;
By making the gap around the lower end plate 12 uniform by the protrusions 12b, the mixed water is uniformly supplied to the entire circumference of the element body 17.

Thirdly, the element main body 17 is regulated into a wave-shaped cylindrical shape by a support net 18 as a reinforcing member disposed so as to be in contact with the back surface thereof. Therefore, between the element bodies 17 or between the element bodies 17
The space A formed by the element body 17 and the inner casing 3 is approximately uniform over the entire surface of the element body 17, and as a result, the amount of mixed water supplied to the element body 17 is also uniform.

Due to the above three reasons, the amount of activated carbon adhering to the surface of the element main body 17 becomes uniform, and the precoat layer 37 also becomes uniform. Moreover, it goes without saying that the element bodies 17 or the element bodies 17 and the inner casing 3 do not come into contact with each other, and there is no possibility that there will be any portion where the precoat layer is not formed.

Next, the reason why the formed precoat layer has high durability is as follows. That is, as described above, the element body 1
7 is regulated to its initial shape by the support net 18, and there are no wrinkles due to the difference between the inner and outer circumferences, so its shape will not change even if pressure changes due to water flow or stoppage. Since no cranking occurs in the layer 3''I, the precoat layer 37 can maintain a constant and uniform thickness over a long period of time, and its durability can be greatly improved.

Further, as described above, since the shape of the element main body 17 does not change, the problem of reduction in the filtration area naturally does not occur.

In the above embodiments, the case where the element body is made of filter cloth has been described, but the element body is not limited to filter cloth, and may be any material having a filtering function such as paper, nonwoven fabric, porous film, etc. Although the case where the powdered filter agent is powdered activated carbon has been described, the filter agent may also be a powdered material such as silicon earth.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the water purifier of the present invention, the space surrounded by the bottom of the bottomed cylindrical casing and the bottom wall of the element is used as an independent mixing chamber, and the powdered filter agent is added to water in advance in the mixing chamber. After mixing, the water is allowed to flow into the element, making it easier to mix water and filtration agent compared to the conventional structure in which filtration agent is filled around the element and water is supplied to it. This has the effect of greatly improving the uniformity of the precoat layer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a spout case, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-■ in FIG. 3. FIG. In the figure, 1 is the water purifier, 3 is the inner casing, 3a is the bottom wall (bottom of the casing), 7c is the spout, 12 is the lower end plate (bottom wall of the element), 13 is the element, 14 is the mixing chamber, 35 37 is powdered activated carbon (filtering agent) and a precoat layer. Patent Applicant IIC Co., Ltd. Representative Patent Attorney Tsutomu Tsutomu Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A filtration element is placed in a bottomed cylindrical casing, and at the beginning of use, a mixture of water and powdered filtration agent is passed from the primary side of the element to the secondary side of the element. In a water purifier in which a precoat layer is formed by adhering the powdered filter agent in a thin film form to the surface of the element, the bottom wall of the element is positioned above the bottom wall of the casing, so that the bottom of the casing and the The space surrounded by the bottom wall of the element is used as a mixing chamber for mixing the powdered filter agent with water at the beginning of use, and a spout for spouting water into the mixing chamber is provided in the center of the mixing chamber. A water purifier characterized by the following: