KR100610236B1 - Apparatus for Reducing Condensed Water Discharge of Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a concentrated water discharge reducing device of a reverse osmosis water purifier, wherein, in a water purifier including a reverse osmosis membrane filter, the concentrated water is installed on a discharge line branched from a lower portion of the reverse osmosis membrane filter. A discharge valve configured to discharge only a predetermined flow rate so as to maintain a water pressure that can be forced to pass through, a rapid discharge line branched from a discharge line in front of the discharge valve and connected to a discharge line behind the discharge valve, the rapid discharge line It is installed on the valve to control the opening and closing of the opening and closing valves, the on-off valve to discharge the flow of concentrated water completely or temporarily according to the opening and closing, the concentrated through the discharge valve having a high recovery rate While minimizing water emissions, contaminants in the reverse osmosis membrane filter are intermittent It is the to be washed through the opening of the valve to be discharged to the outside.

Reverse osmosis, water purifier, concentrated water, purified water, emission reduction, recovery rate

Description

Apparatus for Reducing Condensed Water Discharge of Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier}

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a reverse osmosis water purifier according to the prior art,

2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a reverse osmosis water purifier according to the present invention;

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a discharge valve according to the present invention;

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the discharge valve according to the present invention;

5 is a graph showing a change in the total dissolved solids of the waste water against the washing time when opening and closing the valve of the reverse osmosis water purifier equipped with a pressure pump according to the present invention,

Figure 6 is a graph showing the change in the total dissolved solids of the waste water with respect to the washing time when opening and closing the valve of the reverse osmosis water purifier without a pressure pump according to the present invention,

7 is a graph showing changes in the removal rate and the purified water amount of the total dissolved solids in a state in which the recovery rate of the discharge valve is set to 65% according to the present invention;

8 is a graph showing changes in the removal rate and the purified water of the total dissolved solids in a state in which the recovery rate of the discharge valve is set to 35% according to the present invention.

-Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings-

100: sedimentation filter 110: sun carbon filter

120: reverse osmosis membrane filter 130: fucarbon filter

140,140 ': discharge valve 141: body

142: Euro 143: spring

144: flow control member 145: hose

146: capillary tube 150: on-off valve

160: control unit 200: water purification line

300: discharge line 400: rapid discharge line

The present invention relates to a water purifier of the reverse osmosis method, in particular, to wash the reverse osmosis membrane filter using the concentrated water generated in the water purification process, as well as to reduce the discharge of the concentrated water to prevent waste of raw water The present invention relates to a concentrated water discharge reducing device of a reverse osmosis water purifier.

As water pollution becomes serious, interest in water purifiers capable of filtering contaminated water cleanly is increasing. The water purification method of such a water purifier includes a reverse osmosis method, hollow fiber membrane method, natural filtration method, etc. Of these, the reverse osmosis method in more detail as follows.

Reverse osmosis is a method of installing an osmosis membrane (semi-permeable membrane) between high and low concentrations of ions, molecules, etc. The osmotic pressure is called osmotic pressure. When the pressure is greater than the osmotic pressure in the opposite direction of osmotic pressure, water passes through the osmosis membrane to remove water other than the water contained in the water to the desired level to purify the water. Say

Such a reverse osmosis type water purifier is commonly used in homes. Looking at its configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, a sediment filter 10 for removing particulate matter from raw water, such as tap water, is passed through the sediment filter 10. A sun carbon filter 20 to remove chlorine and oxides from the first purified water, and a reverse osmosis membrane filter to remove ionic substances from the water purified secondly through the sun carbon filter 20. 30), the carbon filter 40 is sequentially connected on the water purification line 50 to remove gaseous substances or perform sterilization function from the third purified water through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30. .

Here, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30 is connected to the discharge line 60 to discharge the concentrated water that is inevitably generated in the reverse osmosis process, the discharge line 70 is provided on the discharge line 60, this The flow rate of the concentrated water discharged through the discharge valve 70 is delayed, and the recovery rate of the discharge valve 70 is generally set to about 20% to 35% in consideration of the degree of contamination of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30.

Here, the recovery rate = purified water / (purified water + concentrated water) x 100 means.

On the other hand, spiral wound reverse osmosis membrane filter 30 has a high foreign material removal rate, while the surface of the membrane is characterized in that the contamination or scaling is easily accelerated, typically in the case of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30, Part of the purified and non-purified feed water has been discharged into the concentrated water to maintain the life of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30 in a partial filtration manner to lower the concentration of contamination in the feed water portion.

That is, in the conventional reverse osmosis water purifier, in consideration of such characteristics of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30, a larger amount of concentrated water is discharged than purified water to suppress contamination and scaling on the membrane surface.

Accordingly, in the case of the reverse osmosis water purifier used for home use, the ratio of purified water: condensed water is set to 1: 2 or more, and the discharge of concentrated water is generally much higher than that of purified water, and the ratio of purified water: concentrated water is kept constant. In order to operate the water purifier with a control valve designed to be calibrated according to the pressure, a certain percentage of concentrated water was discharged.

However, when the purpose of the initial use of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30 is approaching seawater desalination, when the sea water is actually used, waste of feed water is not a big problem, but the reverse osmosis membrane filter 30 is disposed in a household water purifier. As it is applied, the amount of discharged to the concentrated water is too much than the purified water, there is a problem that the waste of water is too high to meet the requirements of the user.

Accordingly, the present invention was created to solve the above problems, by forming two flow paths with different concentrations of discharged water to one side so that the concentrated water is discharged at a predetermined rate and the other side can be opened and closed, In order to maximize the reduction of the discharged water of the reverse osmosis water purifier by controlling the discharge of water and maximizing the washing effect by controlling the opening time and opening time of the opening and closing flow path, the purpose of the present invention is to provide the reduced water discharge device of the reverse osmosis water purifier. There is this.

 The present invention for achieving the above object, in a water purifier including a reverse osmosis membrane filter, is installed on the discharge line branched from the lower portion of the reverse osmosis membrane filter and the concentrated water is forced through the reverse osmosis membrane filter A discharge valve configured to discharge only a predetermined flow rate to maintain water pressure, a rapid discharge line branched from the discharge line in front of the discharge valve and connected to the discharge line behind the discharge valve, and installed on the rapid discharge line It is characterized by consisting of a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valve, the on-off valve to discharge the flow of the concentrated water completely or temporarily according to the opening and closing.

Here, the discharge valve is characterized in that the body is formed with a flow path of a predetermined shape, the flow rate adjusting member is elastically supported on the body via a spring to open and close the flow path of the body, the fine hole is formed.

In addition, the discharge valve is characterized in that the capillary tube having a small inner diameter is inserted into the hose.

And, the recovery rate of the discharge valve is characterized in that more than 45%.

In addition, the on-off valve is characterized in that the solenoid valve.

In addition, the opening period of the open / close valve is opened once every 1 to 10 hours based on the operation time of the water purifier, and the opening time is 15 to 120 seconds.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a reverse osmosis water purifier according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the discharge valve according to the present invention, Figure 4 is another embodiment of the discharge valve according to the present invention Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example, Figure 5 is a graph showing the change in total dissolved solids of the waste water with respect to the washing time when opening and closing valve of the reverse osmosis water purifier equipped with a pressure pump according to the present invention, Figure 6 According to the present invention is a graph showing the change of the total dissolved solids of the waste water with respect to the washing time when opening and closing the valve of the reverse osmosis water purifier without a pressure pump, Figure 7 is set to 65% recovery rate of the discharge valve according to the present invention Figure 8 is a graph showing the change in the removal rate and the purified water of the total dissolved solids in the state, Figure 8 is the removal rate and the removal of the total dissolved solids in the state of setting the recovery rate of the discharge valve according to the invention 35% A graph showing the amount of change.

Figure 2 is an embodiment of the reverse osmosis water purifier according to the present invention, a precipitation filter 100 to remove particulate matter from raw water such as tap water, chlorine in the water purified primarily through the precipitation filter 100 And a sun carbon filter 110 to remove oxides, a reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 and a reverse osmosis membrane filter to remove ionic substances from the water purified secondarily through the line carbon filter 110. After the carbon filter 130 to remove the gaseous substances from the third purified water through the sterilization function or performs a sterilization function is sequentially connected to the purified water line (200).

In addition, a discharge line 300 is formed below the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120, and the discharge valve 140 is configured to maintain a constant water pressure by delaying the flow of concentrated water discharged on the discharge line 300. ) Is provided, and branched from the discharge line 300 in front of the discharge valve 140 to the rapid discharge line 400 connected to the discharge line 300 behind the discharge valve 140 to completely flow the concentrated water. An on / off valve 150 is provided to block or temporarily discharge, and the control unit 160 is configured to control whether the on / off valve 150 is opened or closed.

On the other hand, the discharge valve 140 is made of a structure that can maintain a constant water pressure by delaying the flow of the concentrated water, as shown in Figure 3, the discharge valve 140 is a flow path 142 formed in the body 141 The spring 143 is elastically supported by the body 141 to open and close the body 141 and is formed of a flow rate adjusting member 144 having a micro hole, thereby changing the elastic force of the spring 143 to secure a desired recovery rate. 4, the capillary tube 146 having a small inner diameter is inserted into the hose 145, the desired recovery rate by changing the length of the hose 145 and the inner diameter of the capillary tube 146 It can be changed to a discharge valve (140 ') of the form that can be secured, but as described above, if only the conditions that can maintain the constant water pressure by delaying the flow of the concentrated water can be changed more variously can be carried out. A.

The on-off valve 150 is a solenoid valve and is electrically connected to the controller 160.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described in detail.

According to the present invention, the raw water supplied to the reverse osmosis water purifier is purified water while passing through the precipitation filter 100, the sun carbon filter 110, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 and the after carbon filter 130 in sequence. The water is moved through the purified water line 200, in which the remaining water that does not pass through the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 becomes concentrated water through the discharge valve 140 along the discharge line 300 to the outside. Discharged.

Since the discharge valve 140 is set to have a high recovery rate of 45% or more according to the initial design criteria, the discharge of the concentrated water is significantly suppressed. It is filtered through 120 and is moved through the water purification line 200, the reduction of the concentrated water discharge is brought to increase the pressure inside the membrane filter 120 to help increase the water flow rate.

That is, the present invention is to use the discharge valve 140 having a high recovery rate in order to minimize the discharge of the concentrated water, the recovery rate of the discharge valve of the conventional reverse osmosis water purifier is about 20 ~ 35%, the concentrated water In the present invention that can cause the washing effect by the flushing (Flushing) of the operation to set the recovery rate to 45% or more, minimizing the discharge of concentrated water within the range to maintain the life of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 It is preferable to maintain 55%-80% of the range of the recovery rate.

When a predetermined time elapses while the above-described process is repeated, contaminants accumulate in the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120. At this time, an open signal is generated according to an input value set in the controller 160 to open / close the valve 150. ) Is opened.

Since the concentrated water is not discharged by the opening of the on-off valve 150 and is temporarily discharged to the outside through the rapid discharge line 400, in the process, it passes through the surface of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120. As the concentrated water is discharged at a high flow rate, the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 is naturally washed.

In order to maximize the cleaning effect, the proper reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 washing cycle and washing time act as a major factor in determining efficiency.

 As the method of opening and closing the valve 150 for the washing effect of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120, the optimum washing cycle is most appropriately controlled according to the time when the reverse osmosis water purifier is operated, and the operation of the reverse osmosis water purifier is performed. It is required to wash by opening and closing the valve 150 once for 1 to 10 hours of operation based on time, more preferably it is effectively washed once for 2 to 3 hours of operation.

Also experimented by the Applicant, FIG. 5 (with pressure pump) and FIG. 6 (without pressure pump), which are graphs showing the change in total dissolved solids (TDS) of wastewater against wash time. As shown in, the washing time is suitable for 15 ~ 120 seconds, and the frequent washing cycles and long washing times are difficult to maximize the effect of reducing the discharge of concentrated water. The washing time is most preferably maintained at 20 to 30 seconds.

The experiment was performed by setting the recovery rate of the discharge valve 140 to 65% three times, and then opening and closing the valve 150 to open the total dissolved solids (TDS) of the concentrated water discharged from the open time in time. Measured according to, the concentration of the total dissolved solids of the supplied feed water is 87mg / ℓ, the initial high concentration of the feed water to be the same as the supply water again after washing due to the opening of the valve 150 is 20 ~ 30 You can see that seconds are enough. That is, the washing effect by the opening and closing of the valve 150 is made in 20 to 30 seconds.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7, the recovery rate of the on-off valve 150 is fixed to 65% and after operating the reverse osmosis water purifier according to the present invention for 3 hours, once, the opening and closing valve 150 for 20 seconds When the concentrated water was discharged, it can be seen that the flow rate reduction of the reverse osmosis membrane filter 120 hardly occurred, and the recovery rate of the on-off valve 150 was set to 35% (FIG. 8). In contrast, it can be seen that the more stable form.

As described above, according to the present invention, while minimizing the discharge of the concentrated water through the discharge valve having a high recovery rate, contaminants in the reverse osmosis membrane filter can be cleaned and discharged to the outside through the opening of the intermittent open / close valve. Thus, there is an effect of improving the water hydration ratio of the raw water supplied to the reverse osmosis water purifier and extending the service life of the reverse osmosis membrane filter.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to specific preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains should have the following claims. Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the technical spirit of the invention described.

Claims (6)

In a water purifier comprising a reverse osmosis membrane filter, A discharge valve installed on a discharge line branched from the lower portion of the reverse osmosis membrane filter and configured to discharge only a predetermined flow rate to maintain a hydraulic pressure through which the concentrated water can pass through the reverse osmosis membrane filter; A quick discharge line branched from the discharge line and connected to a discharge line behind the discharge valve, a solenoid valve installed on the rapid discharge line to completely or completely discharge the flow of concentrated water depending on whether it is opened or closed; And a control unit configured to control whether the on / off valve is opened or closed, wherein the discharge valve is elastically supported on the body through a spring to open and close a flow path of the body, and a micro hole for opening and closing the flow path of the body. Concentrated water fold of the reverse osmosis water purifier, characterized in that consisting of the formed flow control member Reduction device. delete delete The method of claim 1, Recovery of the concentrated water discharge of the reverse osmosis water purifier, characterized in that the recovery rate of the discharge valve is 45% or more. delete The method of claim 1, The opening period of the on-off valve is opened once every 1 to 10 hours based on the operation time of the water purifier, the open time is a concentrated water discharge reduction device of the reverse osmosis water purifier, characterized in that 15 to 120 seconds.

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