KR102670630B1 - Water purifier having deionization filter - Google Patents

Abstract

A water purifier equipped with a deionization filter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a deionization filter that performs a deionization operation to remove ionic substances contained in incoming water; a power supply unit that selectively applies a deionization voltage or a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter; an ammeter measuring the current of the deionization filter; And while the deionization filter performs a deionization operation by the deionization voltage, the accumulated charge amount is calculated using the current value received from the ammeter, and the regeneration time of the deionization filter is determined based on the calculated accumulated charge amount. It may be configured to include a control unit that makes a decision.

Description

Water purifier having a deionization filter {WATER PURIFIER HAVING DEIONIZATION FILTER}

This application relates to a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter.

Recently, research has been actively conducted on deionization filters that remove ionic substances contained in raw water using electrical attraction.

As an example, a deionization filter that performs deionization using a bipolar ion exchange membrane including a cation exchange membrane and an anion exchange membrane has been proposed.

However, as the period of use of the deionization filter accumulates, the ion exchange capacity of the deionization filter becomes insufficient, and thus the ion removal rate decreases.

Accordingly, the deionization filter needs to be periodically regenerated, but there is currently no technology for accurately determining the regeneration time of the deionization filter.

Accordingly, there is a need in the relevant technical field for a method for accurately determining when to perform a regeneration operation of a deionization filter.

In order to solve the above problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter.

The water purifier equipped with the deionization filter includes: a deionization filter that performs a deionization operation to remove ionic substances contained in incoming water; a power supply unit that selectively applies a deionization voltage or a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter; an ammeter measuring the current of the deionization filter; And while the deionization filter performs a deionization operation using the deionization voltage, the accumulated charge amount is calculated using the current value received from the ammeter, and the regeneration time of the deionization filter is determined based on the calculated accumulated charge amount. It may include a control unit that makes the decision.

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Additionally, the means for solving the above problems do not enumerate all the features of the present invention. The various features of the present invention and the resulting advantages and effects can be understood in more detail by referring to the specific embodiments below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the performance of a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter can be stably maintained by accurately determining the regeneration time of the deionization filter and performing the regeneration operation.

1 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a graph showing the cumulative water purification capacity versus the cumulative water purification capacity according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram showing a graph of current measured over time according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing a graph of accumulated charge over time according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, preferred embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention. However, when describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the same symbols are used throughout the drawings for parts that perform similar functions and actions.

Additionally, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be 'connected' to another part, this does not only mean 'directly connected', but also 'indirectly connected' with another element in between. Includes. In addition, 'including' a certain component does not mean excluding other components, but may further include other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

1 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a water purifier 100 equipped with a deionization filter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a deionization filter 110, a power supply unit 120, a conductivity meter 130, a flow meter 140, and a control unit. It may be configured to include (150).

The deionization filter 110 can perform a deionization operation to remove ionic substances contained in incoming water using electrical attraction.

For example, the deionization filter 110 may include a first electrode and a second electrode, and a bipolar ion exchange sheet positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode. Here, the bipolar ion exchange sheet may be composed of a cation exchange membrane and an anion exchange membrane bonded together, or may further include a water decomposition catalyst layer formed between the cation exchange membrane and the anion exchange membrane.

Additionally, power may be applied to the deionization filter 110 by the power supply unit 120, which will be described later. For example, a deionization voltage may be applied to the deionization filter 110 when performing a deionization operation, and a regeneration voltage may be applied to the deionization filter 110 when performing a regeneration operation.

The flow path connected to the outlet of the deionization filter 110 may be divided into a flow path for extracting purified water and a flow path for discharging reclaimed water. On each flow path, there is a purification valve (V1) for controlling the amount of purified water extracted and the discharge amount of reclaimed water. A regeneration water valve (V2) may be provided for each.

However, the configuration of the deionization filter 110 is not necessarily limited to this, and the deionization filter 110 may be configured to perform the deionization operation in various ways known to those skilled in the art. Additionally, since the principle by which the deionization filter 110 performs the deionization or regeneration operation is known to those skilled in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The power supply unit 120 may selectively apply a deionization voltage or a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter 110 under the control of the control unit 150.

For example, the power supply unit 120 may apply a deionization voltage while the deionization filter 110 performs a deionization operation, and may apply a regeneration voltage while the deionization filter 110 performs a regeneration operation. You can. Here, the deionization voltage and the regeneration voltage may have opposite polarities. In other words, when the deionization voltage is applied, the first and second electrodes provided in the deionization filter 110 become positive (+) electrodes and negative (-) electrodes, respectively, and when the regeneration voltage is applied, the deionization filter ( The first electrode and the second electrode provided in 110) may be a negative (-) electrode and a positive (+) electrode, respectively.

The conductivity meter 130 is provided on a flow path connected to the inlet end of the deionization filter 110 and can measure the conductivity of water flowing into the deionization filter 110.

The flow meter 140 is provided on the flow path connected to the inlet end of the deionization filter 110 and can measure the flow rate of water flowing into the deionization filter 110.

The conductivity and flow rate measured by the conductivity meter 130 and the flow meter 140, respectively, are transmitted to the control unit 150 and can be used to determine the regeneration time of the deionization filter 110.

The control unit 150 is for controlling the overall operation of the water purifier 100 equipped with a deionization filter, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, and an application specific semiconductor (Application Specific It can be implemented with processors such as Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).

Specifically, the control unit 150 may control the power supply unit 120 to apply a deionization voltage to the deionization filter 110 so that the deionization filter 110 performs a deionization operation.

In addition, while the deionization filter 110 performs a deionization operation, the control unit 150 calculates the water purification capacity using the conductivity value and flow rate value received from the conductivity meter 130 and the flow meter 140, respectively. Based on this, the regeneration time of the deionization filter 110 can be determined.

For example, while the deionization filter 110 performs a deionization operation, the control unit 150 supplies water corresponding to a unit flow rate (e.g., 1 L) based on the flow rate value received from the flow meter 140. Each time it flows into the deionization filter 110, the conductivity value can be received from the conductivity meter 130.

In addition, the control unit 150 can calculate the water purification capacity for each unit flow rate according to Equation 1 below, and calculate the cumulative water purification capacity by accumulating the water purification capacity calculated for each unit flow rate.

[Equation 1]

Water purification capacity = Conductivity x Water purification capacity

Table 1 shows an example of calculating the conductivity and cumulative water purification capacity measured for each unit flow rate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, Figure 2 is a diagram showing the cumulative water purification capacity versus the cumulative water purification capacity according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing Table 1.

Cumulative water quantity (L) Conductivity (uS/cm) Cumulative water purification capacity (L*uS/cm) 0 200 0 One 215 215 2 210 425 3 222 647 4 254 901 5 232 1133 6 222 1355 7 200 1555 8 211 1766 9 254 2020 10 232 2252 11 222 2474 12 200 2674 13 200 2874 14 211 3085

The control unit 150 compares the accumulated water purification capacity calculated as described above with the preset maximum water purification capacity, and when the cumulative water purification capacity exceeds the maximum water purification capacity, it may be determined that it is time to regenerate the deionization filter 110. Accordingly, the power supply unit 120 may be controlled to apply a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter 110, allowing the deionization filter 110 to perform a regeneration operation. Here, the maximum water purification capacity may be a preset value based on the ion exchange capacity of the deionization filter 110, and for example, may be set within a range of 40,000 L*uS/cm or less.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the maximum water purification capacity 21 is set to 2500 L*uS/cm, the cumulative water purification capacity exceeds the maximum water purification capacity when the cumulative water purification volume reaches 12L, so the control unit 150 controls the cumulative water purification capacity. The point in time when the amount of purified water reaches 12L is determined as the regeneration time, and the power supply unit 120 can be controlled to apply the regeneration voltage to the deionization filter 110.

Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a water purifier equipped with a deionization filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a water purifier 300 equipped with a deionization filter according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a deionization filter 310, a power supply unit 320, an ammeter 330, and a control unit 340. It can be configured. Here, the deionization filter 310 and the power supply unit 320 are the same as those described above with reference to FIG. 1, so redundant description thereof will be omitted.

The ammeter 330 can measure the current of the deionization filter 310. The current value measured by the ammeter 330 is transmitted to the control unit 340 and can be used to determine the regeneration time of the deionization filter 310.

The control unit 340 is for controlling the overall operation of the water purifier 300 equipped with a deionization filter, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, and an application specific semiconductor (Application Specific It can be implemented with processors such as Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).

Specifically, the control unit 340 may control the power supply unit 320 to apply a deionization voltage to the deionization filter 310 so that the deionization filter 310 performs a deionization operation.

In addition, while the deionization filter 310 is performing a deionization operation, the control unit 340 calculates the accumulated charge amount using the current value received from the ammeter 330 and regenerates the deionization filter 310 based on this. You can judge the timing.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a graph of current measured over time according to another embodiment of the present invention. Integrating the current curve measured by the ammeter 330 during a deionization operation gives the area under the current curve. It can be obtained, and this area becomes the accumulated charge.

Table 2 shows an example of calculating the current measured per unit time and the accumulated charge amount according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the cumulative charge amount over time according to another embodiment of the present invention, and shows Table 2 as a graph.

Time (sec) Current (A) Accumulated charge amount (A*sec) 0 0.1 0 80 0.11 8 160 0.12 16.8 240 0.13 26.4 320 0.14 36.8 400 0.15 48 480 0.16 60 560 0.17 72.8 640 0.18 86.4 720 0.19 100.8 800 0.2 116

The control unit 340 compares the accumulated charge amount calculated as described above with the preset maximum charge amount, and when the accumulated charge exceeds the maximum charge amount, it may be determined that it is time to regenerate the deionization filter 310. Accordingly, the power supply unit 320 may be controlled to apply a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter 310 so that the deionization filter 310 performs a regeneration operation. Here, the maximum charge amount may be a preset value based on the ion exchange capacity of the deionization filter 310.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the maximum charge amount 51 is set to 100 A*sec, the accumulated charge amount exceeds the maximum charge amount when the time reaches 720 sec, so the control unit 340 sets the maximum charge amount to 720 sec. The time point is determined to be a regeneration time point, and the power supply unit 320 can be controlled to apply a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter 310.

1 and 3 illustrate a water purifier including one deionization filter, but the scope of application of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. In other words, the present invention can also be applied to a water purifier including two or more deionization filters, and the cumulative water purification capacity or cumulative charge amount is calculated as described above for each of the two or more deionization filters included in the water purifier. It can be implemented to determine the playback time based on the playback time.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and attached drawings. For those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, it will be clear that components according to the present invention can be replaced, modified, and changed without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

100: Water purifier
110: Deionization filter
120: power supply unit
130: conductivity meter
140: flow meter
150: control unit
V1: Water purification valve
V2: Reclaimed water valve

Claims (6)

delete delete delete delete A deionization filter that performs a deionization operation to remove ionic substances contained in incoming water;
a power supply unit that selectively applies a deionization voltage or a regeneration voltage to the deionization filter;
an ammeter measuring the current of the deionization filter; and
While the deionization filter performs a deionization operation using the deionization voltage, the accumulated charge amount is calculated using the current value received from the ammeter, and the regeneration time of the deionization filter is determined based on the calculated accumulated charge amount. A water purifier equipped with a deionization filter including a control unit.
According to claim 5,
The control unit determines that it is time to regenerate the deionization filter when the accumulated charge exceeds a preset maximum charge amount, and the power supply unit controls the application of the regeneration voltage to the deionization filter.

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