JPH0866684A - Electrolyzed water manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a material to be electrolyzed incorporated in a high concn. dissolving water from being recrystallized and to prevent a feed pump from being broken down with the recrystallized material. CONSTITUTION: In this electrolyzed water manufacturing device, and electrolytic cell 1 provided with electrodes 2 supplying power to water to which the material to be electrolyzed is added, a power source 7 applying voltage to the electrodes 2, a supply tank 4 storing the dissolving water of the material to be electrolyzed and the feed pump 5 adding this dissolving water to the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 are installed. A heater 17 heating the dissolving water is disposed at a discharging side of the supply tank 4, and the dissolving water heated by the heather 17 is sucked to the feed pump 5. In this way, since the dissolving water is heated by the heater even if the high concn. dissolving water is discharged from the supply tank, the material to be electrolyzed hardly causes recrystallization, and the recrystallized material hardly causes a trouble of the feed pump.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for applying electrolyzed water to electrolyzed water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Devices for adding electrolytic substances to water to produce electrolyzed water have been used for various purposes. For example, as a device for generating water having a sterilizing power, a device for energizing water to separate it into acidic water and alkaline water has been developed. The outline of this apparatus is shown in FIG. This apparatus includes an electrolytic cell 1 that separates water into acidic water and alkaline water. Electrolyzer 1
Has an electrode 2 facing inside. The electrodes 2 are separated by a separator 3. The separator 3 prevents the separated water from mixing with acidic water and alkaline water, and is a microporous membrane that allows ions to pass but does not allow water to pass freely.

In this apparatus, when the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 is energized, negative ions such as chlorine ions gather near the positive electrode and become acidic water, and positive ions such as sodium and calcium are near the negative electrode. Gather to become alkaline water. The pH of acidic water and alkaline water changes depending on the magnitude of the electric current between the electrodes. When the electric current is increased, the pH of the acidic water decreases,
The pH of alkaline water increases. That is, when a large current is applied to the electrode, it can be separated into strong acidic water and alkaline water. Strong acidic water has strong bactericidal power. In addition, this device
Residual chlorine with strong bactericidal power is generated in the vicinity of the + electrode 2. This is because the + electrode receives the − charge from chlorine ions and changes it to 2Cl ⁻ + 2e ⁺ → Cl ₂ .

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, in order to strengthen the acidity and alkalinity of water, an electrolytic substance such as sodium chloride is added to the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1. The water to which the electrolytic substance is added has a small electric resistance, the current between the electrodes increases, the pH of the acidic water decreases, and the pH of the alkaline water increases, so that it can be separated into strong acidic water and alkaline water. Strongly acidic water
The bactericidal power becomes stronger. Further, when the current between the electrodes is increased, the amount of chlorine ions converted to chlorine molecules is increased, the amount of residual chlorine is increased, and the sterilizing power is strengthened. Furthermore, the redox potentials of acidic water and alkaline water increase. Increasing the redox potential is also effective in increasing the sterilizing power of water. Further, when the inter-electrode current is increased, oxygen and chlorine contained in water are liberated to generate oxygen and chlorine which are generating groups, and these also increase the sterilizing power.

As described above, adding an electrolytic substance to make water in which electricity easily flows, and flowing this water into the electrolytic cell to increase the current between the electrodes are effective in strengthening the sterilizing power of water. There is. This is extremely important for the electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus.

[0006]

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, dissolved water of an electrolytic substance is stored in a supply tank 4, and dissolved water of an electrolytic substance is added to a water inflow side of an electrolytic cell 1 by a supply pump 5. There is. This device controls the flow rate of the supply pump 5 to control the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the water added to the electrolytic cell 1. For example, in an electrolyzed water production apparatus that uses sodium chloride as an electrolytic substance, the residual chlorine concentration of water discharged from the electrolyzer 1 is about 4
It can be controlled to 0 ppm to obtain water having sufficient sterilizing power. In order to set the residual chlorine concentration of water discharged from the electrolytic cell 1 to 40 ppm, the concentration of sodium chloride in the water introduced into the electrolytic cell 1 may be set to about 500 ppm. This is because the sodium chloride concentration of the water that flows into the electrolytic cell 1 is one parameter that specifies the residual chlorine concentration of the water that is discharged. The sodium chloride concentration in the electrolytic cell 1 can be kept constant by controlling the operation of the supply pump 5 with the control unit 6. The control unit 6 measures the temperature and electric conductivity of the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 and controls the operation of the supply pump 5 so that the electric conductivity has a predetermined value. The operation of the supply pump 5 is controlled by the electric conductivity because the temperature and the electric conductivity are parameters of the sodium chloride concentration.

As described above, in the device for adding the dissolved water of the electrolytic substance by the supply pump 5, it is preferable that the concentration of the electrolytic substance stored in the supply tank 4 is made as high as possible. Supply tank 4
This is because the flow rate can be reduced and the size can be reduced. further,
When high-concentration dissolved water is stored in the supply tank 4, a small amount of dissolved water is added to the inflow side of the electrolytic cell 1 to precisely set the concentration of the electrolytic substance of the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 to the set value. You can also More preferably, the dissolved water stored in the supply tank 4 has a constant concentration, which enables more accurate control.

In order to realize this, in the conventional apparatus, the electrolytic substance-dissolved water having a constant concentration close to the saturated state is prepared and supplied to the supply tank 4 for storage. This device has a drawback that it takes time and effort to adjust the dissolved water because it is necessary to prepare the dissolved water whose concentration is accurately adjusted and replenish it to the supply tank 4 when the dissolved water in the supply tank 4 is exhausted. This drawback can be eliminated by supplying the supply tank 4 with a larger amount of electrolytic substance than the amount of supersaturation. In other words, it is used in a state where the undissolved electrolytic substance remains at the bottom of the supply tank 4. The electrolytic substance remaining on the bottom of the supply tank 4 always maintains the concentration of the dissolved water in a saturated state. By doing so, the dissolved water in the supply tank 4 is always saturated and is maintained at a high concentration and a uniform concentration.

However, when the concentration of the dissolved water stored in the supply tank 4 is increased, the electrolytic substance dissolved in the dissolved water flowing out from the supply tank 4 is recrystallized to generate solid matter, which is a supply pump. Have a bad effect on. Since the supply pump 5 is designed to transfer liquid, if solid matter is mixed in, the supply pump 5, which is a diaphragm, may not be able to supply water because of clogging the valve seat of the check valve. The recrystallized substance is formed on the suction side of the supply pump 5 because the dissolved water, which was saturated in the supply tank 4, becomes supersaturated while being discharged from the supply tank 4 and partially precipitates without being dissolved. This is because the deposited electrolytic substance is recrystallized. The reason why the dissolved water in the saturated state becomes supersaturated is that the solubility of the electrolytic substance changes with temperature. For example, the specific gravity of a saturated sodium chloride or potassium chloride solution used as an electrolytic substance changes as follows depending on the temperature.

Sodium chloride / potassium chloride 0 ° C .... 1.173 1.161 10 ° C .... 1.193 1.162 20 ° C .... 1.197 1.174 30 ° C .... 1 .201 1.182

As described above, since the specific gravity of the saturated solution changes depending on the temperature, for example, the saturated solution stored at 20 ° C. in the supply tank 4 is discharged from the supply tank 4 and cooled to 10 ° C. by piping or the like. Then, about 4 g of sodium chloride is precipitated as a recrystallized substance per liter. The state in which the saturated solution discharged from the supply tank 4 is cooled by a pipe or the like occurs, for example, in the morning of winter. Since a large amount of dissolved water is stored in the supply tank 4, the temperature drop is small, but the piping and the supply pump 5 have a considerably large surface area with respect to the capacity, which makes the environment easy to cool to the outside air. Therefore, when the temperature decreases at night, the saturated solution sent to the pipe or the supply pump 5 becomes supersaturated, a part of the electrolytic substance precipitates and becomes a recrystallized product, and the supply pump designed to transfer the liquid. Affects 5.

The fact that the electrolytic substance recrystallizes on the suction side of the supply pump is not limited to the device using the acid ionized water, which is electrolyzed water, as sterilizing water. It also occurs in other electrolyzed water production equipment that ionizes by adding an electrolytic substance to water. For example, a device used for sterilizing water by mixing acidic ionized water and alkaline ionized water, or potassium ion is added to water for ionization, and potassium ion is added to water to produce water to be sprayed on crops. It also occurs in the device. Sodium chloride is added to water to ionize acidic ionized water and alkaline ionized water, and mixed water thereof also has bactericidal activity. This electrolyzed water contains sodium hypochlorite, which has sterilizing power.
Furthermore, the high redox potential also improves the bactericidal activity. Further, water containing potassium in an ionic state supplies potassium fertilizer to agricultural products.

However, in the device for adding an electrolytic substance to water to ionize it, a recrystallized substance of the electrolytic substance is formed on the suction side of the supply pump, as in the above-described sterilizing water producing device.
This has a harmful effect on the supply pump.

The present invention was developed for the purpose of solving these drawbacks. An important object of the present invention is to effectively prevent the generation of recrystallized products due to high concentration of dissolved water,
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyzed water production apparatus capable of effectively preventing a failure of a supply pump due to a recrystallized product.

[0015]

The electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention has the following constitution in order to achieve the above-mentioned object.
The electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus includes an electrolyzer 1 including an electrode 2 for supplying electricity to water containing an electrolyte, a power source 7 for applying a voltage to the electrode 2 of the electrolyzer 1, and a supply tank 4 for storing dissolved water of the electrolyte. And a supply pump 5 for adding the dissolved water in the supply tank 4 to the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1.

Further, in the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention, a heater for heating the dissolved water is provided on the discharge side of the supply tank 4. The heater heats the dissolved water discharged from the supply tank 4, prevents the dissolved water from becoming supersaturated by a pipe or the like, and adds an electrolytic substance to the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1. The supply tank 4 preferably stores a saturated solution of the electrolyte.

[0017]

In the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention, the dissolved water sent to the discharge side of the supply tank 4 is heated by the heater. The dissolved water heated by the heater does not become oversaturated even when it is a saturated solution when it is sent out from the supply tank 4. This is because, as shown in FIG. 2, the dissolved amount of the electrolytic substance increases as the temperature rises. FIG. 2 shows the specific gravity of a saturated solution of sodium chloride and potassium chloride.
As shown in this figure, when the temperature rises, the amount of dissolution of potassium chloride increases and the specific gravity of the saturated solution becomes heavy. Sodium chloride increases in dissolved amount as the temperature rises up to about 30 ° C., but thereafter slightly decreases. Not only sodium chloride and potassium chloride, but the electrolytic substance added to the electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus tends to increase the amount of dissolution when heated from room temperature to a predetermined temperature. As described above, since the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention heats the dissolved water sent from the supply tank 4, even if the saturated solution is sent from the supply tank 4, it is cooled and not supersaturated, And the supply pump 5 does not recrystallize.

In order to make the discharged water have a predetermined concentration,
Control the amount of electrolyte added. When a chlorine compound that dissolves in water to release chlorine ions, such as sodium chloride, is used as the electrolytic substance, the residual chlorine concentration can be adjusted to a set value to make the sterilizing power constant. The residual chlorine concentration in the wastewater changes depending on the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the water that flows into the electrolytic cell 1. When the electrolytic substance concentration in the electrolytic cell 1 is increased, the residual chlorine concentration in the waste water is also increased. To keep the residual chlorine concentration in the wastewater constant,
The concentration of the electrolytic substance flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 is controlled to a set value. The concentration of the electrolytic substance in the electrolytic cell 1 is adjusted by the control unit 6 controlling the operation of the supply pump 5. When the concentration of the electrolyte substance in the electrolytic cell 1 becomes lower than the set value, the control unit 6 speeds up the operation of the supply pump 5 to increase the amount of the electrolyte substance supplied. On the contrary, when the concentration of the electrolyte substance in the electrolytic cell 1 becomes higher than the set value, the operation of the supply pump 5 is delayed to reduce the amount of the electrolyte substance supplied. The electrolytic substance concentration of the water supplied to the electrolytic cell 1 changes depending on the electric conductivity of the water. As the concentration of the electrolyte increases, the electric conductivity of water increases and electricity easily flows. The electric conductivity of water is detected by the electric conductivity sensor, and the electric conductivity sensor inputs a detection signal to the control unit 6. The conductivity sensor can be specially provided, but can also be calculated from the voltage and current applied to the electrode 2 of the electrolytic cell 1. This is because the electric conductivity of water can be calculated by the following formula. Electrical conductivity = K × (current ÷ voltage) However, in this equation, K is a constant determined by the electrode area, shape, and electrode spacing. When the control unit 6 controls the operation of the supply pump 5 and adjusts the electric conductivity of water in the electrolytic cell 1, the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the electrolytic cell 1 can be controlled.

However, this state can be set only when the water temperature is constant. This is because the electrical conductivity of water changes significantly when the water temperature changes. When the water temperature rises, water easily conducts electricity and its electric conductivity increases. The change in electric conductivity depending on the water temperature is considerably large as shown in FIG. The electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus stores in the memory of the control unit 6 a function in which the electric conductivity changes when the water temperature changes. The control unit 6 includes a temperature sensor 8
The water temperature signal input from is calculated to correct the electric conductivity control value. When the temperature rises, the electric conductivity of water increases even if the concentration of the electrolyte is constant, so the control value of the electric conductivity is corrected to a high value. On the contrary, when the temperature decreases, it becomes difficult for electricity to flow, so the control value of the electric conductivity is corrected to a low value.

For example, when the water temperature rises from 10 ° C. to 45 ° C., the electric conductivity of water in which sodium chloride is dissolved doubles. Therefore, the electrical conductivity at 45 ° C is 10 ° C.
It is corrected to twice the electric conductivity at the time. Since the electrolyzed water production apparatus corrects the control value of electric conductivity according to the water temperature,
Even if the water temperature changes, the sterilizing power of drainage does not change.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the examples shown below exemplify an electrolyzed water production apparatus for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, the electrolyzed water production apparatus of the present invention, the material, shape, structure of the components, The layout and usage are not specified below. The electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

Further, in this specification, for easy understanding of the claims, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are referred to as "claims column", "action column", and "action column". It is added to the members shown in the section of "Means for Solving the Problems". However, the members shown in the claims are
It is by no means specific to the members of the examples.

The electrolyzed water producing apparatus shown in FIG.
, Power supply 7, supply tank 4, supply pump 5, heater 17, conductivity sensor, and control unit 6
And a temperature sensor 8.

In the electrolytic cell 1, plate-shaped electrodes 2 are arranged facing each other in a watertight casing. The electrode 2 is formed by laminating a thin film of platinum on the surface of titanium for durability. A separator 3 is arranged between the electrodes 2 to divide the inside of the electrolytic cell 1 into two ion water channels 10. The ion channel 10 is an acid channel and an alkaline channel.
The separator 3 that divides the ion water channel 10 is a microporous membrane that allows ions to pass therethrough and prevents free passage of water.
The ion channel 10 has an acid channel on the + electrode side and an alkaline channel on the − electrode side. The electrode 2 is connected to the DC power supply 7. When one electrode 2 is connected to the + side of the power supply 7, the other electrode 2 is connected to the-side of the power supply 7. The electrode 2 connects +-in reverse at a constant cycle. This is to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the surface of the electrode 2.

The electrolytic cell 1 shown in FIG. 3 is divided into an acidic water channel and an alkaline water channel by using a separator 3, and the acidic water and the alkaline water are separately discharged. Switching valves A and B are connected to the discharge side of the electrolytic cell 1. The switching valves A and B open one and close the other. The switching valves A and B are switched together with the +-of the electrode 2. This is because the alkaline water and the acidic water are drained in the same manner even if the +/- of the electrode 2 is switched.

However, the apparatus of the present invention can also mix acidic water and alkaline water for draining. In this device, a mixing section (not shown) is provided in the upper part of the electrolytic cell for acidic water and alkaline water. The mixing part is a part that is not partitioned by the separator, and mixes the acidic water and the alkaline water and drains them. The mixing section does not necessarily have to be provided in a part of the electrolytic cell. It is also possible to mix the acidic water and the alkaline water and discharge them with a single hose or pipe. Further, in the device for mixing and discharging the acidic ionized water and the alkaline ionized water, the separator built in the casing can be omitted.

Power source 7 for supplying electric power to the electrode 2 of the electrolytic cell 1
Is a DC power supply 7. The output voltage is set to a voltage that allows a current of, for example, 10 to 100 A to flow between the electrodes. The power source 7 is a constant current source capable of flowing a constant current set in the electrode 2. In order to set the residual chlorine concentration of the waste water to the set value, it is necessary to pass the set current through the electrode 2. This is because when the electric current is small, the amount of the chlorine ion deprived of −charge to form residual chlorine decreases. The electrode current is adjusted to an optimum value according to the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the electrolytic cell 1. The electrode current is increased when the electrolyte concentration is increased. This is because when a large amount of chlorine ions is contained in water, a large current is passed to make a large amount of chlorine ions into residual chlorine. It is not always necessary to use a constant current source for the power supply 7, and for example, the electrode current may be controlled by the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the electrolytic cell.

The power supply 7 adjusts the electrode current by changing the output voltage. The electrode current increases as the output voltage increases. By increasing the electrode current, more chlorine ions can be converted to residual chlorine. However, if the electrode current is excessively increased when the concentration of the electrolyte is low, the efficiency of converting chlorine ions into residual chlorine decreases. Therefore, the electrode current is adjusted to an optimum value according to the electrolyte concentration. The electrode current also changes the pH of acidic water and alkaline water. When the electrode current is increased, the pH of acidic water decreases and the pH of alkaline water decreases.
Becomes larger and becomes more acidic and alkaline.

The supply tank 4 is a tank for storing dissolved water obtained by dissolving an electrolytic substance such as sodium chloride or potassium chloride in water. The supply tank 4 has a lid (not shown) that can be opened and closed so that a predetermined amount of water and an electrolytic substance can be put therein. In the supply tank 4, the electrolytic substance is preferably melted and stored in a saturated state. In order to store the electrolytic substance in a saturated state, a larger amount of electrolytic substance than the melting amount is supplied to the supply tank 4 containing water. When the amount of water in the supply tank 4 is low, water is supplied from the water supply tube, and when the electrolytic substance is not dissolved in the water, the electrolytic substance is supplied. This is because when the electrolytic substance is dissolved in the supply tank 4 in a saturated state, the supply pump 5 can add a small amount of electrolytic substance-dissolved water from the supply tank 4 to the water and adjust the conductivity of the water to be high.

The heater 17 is arranged on the suction side of the supply pump 5 and heats the dissolved water discharged from the supply tank 4 to flow it into the supply pump 5. The heater 17 is arranged near the supply pump 5. This is because no recrystallized product is generated in the dissolved water flowing into the supply pump 5. In the device shown in the figure, a heater 17 is provided in a pipe 19 near the suction side of the supply pump 5.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in which the heater 17 is provided on the pipe 19. The heater 17 in this figure is configured such that a nichrome wire is wound around the pipe 19 to heat the dissolved water through the pipe 19. Around the heater 17,
A heat insulating material 18 is wound to reduce heat radiation.
The heater 17 has terminals A and B in FIG. 3 connected to a power supply 7 via a thermostat (not shown) that is switched by detecting the temperature of the dissolved water. The thermostat is turned on when the temperature of the dissolved water is below a set value and energizes the heater 17, and is turned off when the temperature is above the set temperature and stops energization of the heater 17. Power supply
Preferably, the heater 17 is energized only when the electrolyzed water producing apparatus is used. This is because the dissolved water does not flow into the pipe or the supply pump when the electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus is not used.

Further, the heater 17 is shown by A in FIG.
It is also possible to connect the A ′ and B ′ terminals in series with the electrodes and connect them between the power source 7 and the electrode 2 without connecting the B terminal to the power source. The heater 17 connected to this position is
The pipe is heated by the electric current supplied to the electrode 2. Therefore, the pipe is always heated when the electrolyzed water producing apparatus is used. The heater 17 having this structure is designed to have a capacity that does not overheat the dissolved water even when continuously energized when using the electrolyzed water producing apparatus. For example, when using sodium chloride as the electrolyte, dissolve the dissolved water in the pipe at about 30 ° C.
Designed to have a capacity that does not heat above. As described above, the device for energizing the heater 17 with the electrode current does not require a switch such as a thermostat and has a feature that the circuit for energizing the heater 17 can be simplified.

The dissolved water heated by the heater 17 passes through the supply pump 5 and is supplied to the electrolytic cell 1. The operation of the supply pump 5 is controlled by the control unit 6. The control unit 6 calculates the conductivity sensor and the input of the temperature sensor 8 to control the operation of the supply pump 5. The conductivity sensor measures the electrical resistance between the electrodes 2 of the electrolytic cell 1 to detect the electrical conductivity of water. In the electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the temperature sensor 8 is connected to the water inflow side, which is in a stage before the addition of the electrolytic substance to the water. Water to which the electrolyte is added does not pass through the temperature sensor 8 connected thereto.
Therefore, the electrolytic substance does not adhere and the measurement accuracy is not reduced. However, in the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention, the temperature sensor only needs to detect the temperature of water that is ionized in the electrolyzer 1, so that the electrolyzer 1 may have an inflow side, an inside of the electrolyzer 1 or an electrolyzer 1.
It can also be connected to the discharge side of.

The operation of the supply pump 5 is controlled by the control unit 6 so that the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the water supplied to the electrolytic cell 1 is kept constant. When the supply pump 5 supplies a large amount of electrolytic substance-dissolved water from the supply tank 4 to the electrolytic cell 1,
The electric conductivity of the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 is increased, and the concentration of the electrolytic substance is also increased. On the contrary, when the flow rate of the supply pump 5 is reduced, the electric conductivity of water in the electrolytic cell 1 is lowered and the concentration of the electrolytic substance is lowered.

The control unit 6 controls the operation of the supply pump 5 so that the electric conductivity of the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 is set to a set value. A conductivity sensor that detects the electric conductivity of water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 detects the electrode voltage and the electrode current of the electrolytic cell 1 to calculate the electric conductivity. In the device having this structure, the electrolytic cell 1 is also used as the conductivity sensor. The conductivity sensor calculates [electrode current / electrode voltage] and multiplies this by a constant to calculate the electric conductivity of water. The constant is determined by the electrode structure, and increases when the electrode area is increased and the electrode interval is reduced. The electric conductivity of water in the electrolytic cell 1 is detected by this calculation formula, and the control unit 6 controls the operation of the supply pump 5 so that the electric conductivity is set to a set value.

When the electric conductivity of the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 becomes lower than the set value, the control unit 6 quickly adjusts the rotation speed of the supply pump 5. When the rotation speed of the supply pump 5 increases, a large amount of electrolytic substance-dissolved water is supplied to the electrolytic cell 1 and the conductivity of the water increases. On the contrary, when the conductivity of water in the electrolytic cell 1 becomes high, the control unit 6 slows down the rotation of the supply pump 5 and adjusts the conductivity of water to be low.

Further, the control unit 6 corrects the set value of electric conductivity with the water temperature. This is because the electric conductivity changes when the water temperature changes. Control unit 6
Stores a change function of electric conductivity with respect to water temperature in a memory. The electric conductivity change function is a function representing the relationship that the electric conductivity increases as the water temperature rises. FIG. 5 shows a change in electric conductivity with respect to temperature when sodium chloride as an electrolytic substance is set to 1000 ppm. As shown in this figure, the electrical conductivity increases linearly with increasing temperature. The control unit 6 stores a temperature function of electric conductivity with respect to the concentration of the electrolytic substance to be set. For example, the concentration of the electrolyte is 1000 pp
When set to m, the control unit 6 calculates the signal of the temperature sensor 8 and corrects it to the graph shown in FIG.
When the temperature sensor 8 detects the water temperature of 15 ° C., the control unit 6 sets the electric conductivity set value to 1700 μS / c.
m, the electric conductivity is 275 when the water temperature rises to 40 ° C.
Correct to 0 μS / cm. The control unit 6 calculates and corrects the set electric conductivity according to the detected water temperature.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electric conductivity of water changes almost linearly as the temperature (T) increases. The linearly changing electrical conductivity (D) is stored by the following linear function. D = aT + b In this equation, a and b are constants and are determined by the electrolyte concentration and the type of electrolyte. The control unit 6
The values of a and b in this equation are stored in the memory, and when the temperature is input, the electric conductivity which is the set value is calculated. In this way, when the electric conductivity is approximated to a straight line, the control unit 6 can reduce the storage capacity of the memory and calculate the electric conductivity that is the set value. However, it goes without saying that the control unit 6 can store the electric conductivity with respect to all the temperatures and the concentrations of the electrolytes, and can calculate the set value from the stored numerical values.

The control unit 6 includes a temperature sensor 8
And the input of the conductivity sensor are calculated to control the operation of the supply pump 5, and the concentration of the electrolytic substance in the water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 is adjusted to 20%.
Control in the range of 0 to 3000 ppm. The electric conductivity of water increases almost in proportion to the concentration of the electrolyte. Therefore, the control unit 6 calculates the set value of the electric conductivity from the temperature of the water and the required concentration of the electrolyte, and controls the operation of the supply pump 5 so that the set value is obtained.

In the above embodiments, sodium chloride is used as the electrolytic substance. When sodium chloride is dissolved in water, it ionizes into chloride ions and sodium ions. When the ionized water is energized, the chlorine ion is deprived of the electric charge and becomes residual chlorine. Residual chlorine has sterilizing power, so it becomes sterile water. Since sodium chloride is inexpensive and easily available, it can be conveniently used. However, the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention does not specify the application and the electrolytic substance used. As the electrolytic substance, any substance which is dissolved in water and ionized, and which produces an effect such as sterilizing power and fertilizer when the ionized ions are energized, for example, a halogen salt such as calcium chloride or magnesium chloride can be used.

Further, in the electrolyzed water producing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the discharge side of the supply pump 5 is connected to the electrolyzer 1 via the mixer 9. The inflow side of the mixer 9 has a flow rate sensor 11,
The main valve 12, the pressure reducing valve 13, and the filter 14 are connected to the pipe of tap water. Also, the flow rate sensor 11
The inflow side is branched and connected to the supply tank 4 through the water supply valve 15 and the water supply tube. The water supply valve 15 is controlled by the control unit 6 to keep the water level in the supply tank 4 constant. The control unit 6 opens and closes the water supply valve 15 by a signal from the level sensor 16 of the supply tank 4. Tap water passes through the filter 14, the pressure reducing valve 13, the main valve 12, the flow rate sensor 11, and the mixer 9, and then flows into the electrolytic cell 1. The main valve 12 is also opened and closed under the control of the control unit 6. Further, the amount of water flowing into the electrolytic cell 1 is monitored by the signal from the flow rate sensor 11.

The apparatus shown in the figure stores alkaline water in an alkaline water tank (not shown) and acidic water in an acidic water tank (not shown), and uses the acidic water and the alkaline water when necessary. When the levels of acidic water and alkaline water in the tank become less than the set values, the acidic tank sensor and alkaline tank sensor output a "low level" signal to the control unit 6, and the control unit 6 opens the main valve 12 to open the electrolytic cell. Tap water flows into 1. At this time, a predetermined voltage is also applied to the electrode 2 to energize the inflowing water. Therefore, acidic water and alkaline water are discharged from the electrolytic cell 1 and stored in the tank. When the levels of acidic water and alkaline water in the tank rise to the set values, the main valve 12 is closed and the voltage of the electrode 2 of the electrolytic cell 1 is set to 0V.

As described above, the device for storing the acidic water and the alkaline water in the tank has a feature that a large amount of the acidic water and the alkaline water can be used at a time by using the device having a small capacity. This is because acidic water and alkaline water can be continuously produced and used at one time.

[0044]

According to the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention, the dissolved water discharged from the supply tank is heated by the heater and supplied to the supply pump. Therefore, even if the high-concentration dissolved water is discharged from the supply tank, this does not become a recrystallized substance on the suction side of the supply pump, and is not sucked into the supply pump in a solid state. Therefore, in the electrolyzed water producing apparatus of the present invention, the supply pump does not break down due to the recrystallized material even if the electrolytic tank dissolves high-concentration water in the supply tank. Therefore, it is possible to store high-concentration electrolytic substance-dissolved water in the supply tank and constantly discharge water having excellent sterilizing power, and further, since it is not necessary to remove recrystallized substances of the supply pump, maintenance is easy. Features are realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional electrolyzed water manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the specific gravity of a saturated solution with respect to the temperature of sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an electrolyzed water producing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a heater provided in a pipe.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing how the electric conductivity of water in which 1000 ppm of sodium chloride is dissolved changes with temperature.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrolyte tank 2 ... Electrode 3 ... Separator 4 ... Supply tank 5 ... Supply pump 6 ... Control unit 7 ... Power supply 8 ... Temperature sensor 9 ... Mixer 10 ... Ion water channel 11 ... Flow rate sensor 12 ... Main valve 13 ... Pressure reducing valve 14 ... Filter 15 ... Water supply valve 16 ... Level sensor 17 ... Heater 18 ... Insulation material 19 ... Piping

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electrode for energizing water containing an electrolytic substance
An electrolytic cell (1) equipped with (2), a power supply (7) for applying a voltage to the electrode (2) of the electrolytic cell (1), a supply tank (4) for storing dissolved water of an electrolytic substance, and this supply Dissolve water in tank (4) into electrolyzer
In an electrolyzed water production apparatus equipped with a supply pump (5) for adding water to (1), a heater (1) for heating dissolved water to the discharge side of the supply tank (4)
7) is provided, and the dissolved water heated by the heater (17) is configured to be added to the water flowing into the electrolytic cell (1) by the supply pump (5). Electrolyzed water production equipment.