KR20170020052A - A regeneration tank having a through-hole element capable of elevating and a softener comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a regeneration tank (200) for a water softener, into which a tablet-type regenerating agent can be introduced to produce regenerated water, and also relates to a water softener comprising the same. The present invention can solve contamination problems and, at the same time, achieve uniform salinity. The regeneration tank (200) comprises: a passage element (230) which has a plurality of through-holes enabling fluid communication, and which divides the inside of the regeneration tank into a regenerating agent-storing portion (251) on an upper side and a buffer (252) on a lower side; and a water inlet zone (220) which is disposed such that the upper end of the water inlet portion (220), through which water is discharged, is located in the regenerating agent-storing portion (251). The regenerated water located in the regenerating agent-storing portion (251) flows through the passage element (230) to the buffer (252) by its self-weight. The passage element (230) is capable of ascending and descending.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a regeneration tank having a downfalling-type passing member and a water softener including the same,

The present invention provides a regenerator for regenerators having a regeneration type passing member and a water softener including the regenerator.

In the case of tap water (hereinafter referred to as "hard water"), a large amount of chlorine ion is contained in the purification process, and when the water of the tap water passes through the old pipe or the raw water of the tap water itself is polluted, various heavy metals such as iron, zinc, lead and mercury Ions. These ionic components can be combined with fatty acids of soap, in particular, to produce metallic foreign substances, which can contact the skin and cause allergies or skin aging.

To prevent this, a water softener is used which generates soft water by passing hard water through strongly acidic cations such as Na + and exchanging hardness components Ca2 + and Mg2 + with Na +.

To this end, the water softener is provided with an ion resin tank in which water containing sodium ions is stored. However, when the ionic resin tank is continuously used, sodium ions in the ionic resin tank are continuously consumed. Therefore, in order to fill the ionic resin tank with sodium ions at regular intervals, regenerated water containing sodium ions is produced in the regenerator, It must be passed through the tank.

To this end, the regeneration vessel is filled with a regenerant capable of producing regenerated water containing sodium ions dissolved in the incoming raw water. As the regenerant, a substance such as salt containing an NaCl component is mainly used.

The regenerant can be classified into a block type such as a brick, or a powder type in the form of a powder or a small ball depending on its form.

However, in the case of the block type regenerant, when the regenerant of the other part, particularly the part to which the raw water is introduced for the regeneration, melts and disappears even though some of the blocks remain in the regeneration process, It was reported frequently.

In the case of the powder type regenerant, it is not easy to use only a desired amount of the regenerant, and the concentration (hereinafter referred to as "salinity") of regeneration water is not constant and the efficiency is low.

Particularly, in the case where the residue is not cleanly drained in the regeneration tank, which is a regenerated water tank, even when any regenerant is used, it has been reported that the concentration is changed or contamination is mixed with the regenerated water to be produced later.

On the other hand, depending on the method of dissolving the regenerant, it may be classified into a gravity type in which raw water is introduced by gravity and a hydraulic type in which water is melted according to the inflow pressure of raw water.

However, in the gravity type, that is, in the case of the automatic regeneration method, the time required varies depending on the salinity difference in which the regenerant is melted for each number of regeneration, and it is difficult to use the powder regenerant in the case of the hydraulic pressure regime.

KR 2015-0062887 A KR 2013-0112346 A GB 2012-0071174 A KR 2011-0121491 A GB 2010-0002175 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems.

Specifically, a tablet type regenerant is proposed to overcome the problems of the block type regenerant and the powder type regenerant.

Particularly, while using a tablet-type regenerant, the problem of contamination is solved by appropriately using residual water, and at the same time, a uniform saltiness is to be achieved.

One embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems is a regenerator 200 of a water softener capable of injecting a tablet type regenerant and generating regenerated water, A passage member 230 for partitioning the inside of the regeneration tank 200 into an upper regenerant storage unit 251 and a lower side buffer 252; And a raw water inflow section 220 in which the upper end of the raw water is discharged is located in the regenerant storage section 251. The regenerated water located in the regenerant storage section 251 is discharged from the passage member 230 And flows to the buffer 252, and the passage member 230 provides a regeneration vessel capable of moving up and down.

Further, it is preferable that the regenerator 200 is provided with an actuator for moving the passage member 230 up and down.

Further, it is preferable that the specific gravity of the passage member 230 is lower than the regenerated water.

Further, it is preferable that a moving hole passing through the raw water inflow base 220 is located at the center of the passing member 230.

Further, it is preferable that a passage member engaging jaw is located at the upper end of the raw water inflow base 220, and the outer diameter of the passage member engaging jaw is larger than the inside diameter of the moving hole.

The upper end of the passage member 230 is connected to the lower end of the passage member 230 and the lower end of the passage member 230 is connected to the upper end of the passage member 230, And the downward movement is limited by the step 231.

Another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems provides a water softener including the above-described regeneration tank (200).

Since the tablet-type regenerant is used in the present invention, the problem that only a part of the block-type regenerant is melted is solved, and the problem that the pressure regulator of the powder type regenerant can not be applied is solved. Accordingly, the present invention adopts a semiautomatic hydraulic water softener.

In addition, since the raw water for generating the regeneration water is introduced by a certain amount for a predetermined time at a constant water pressure, it is possible to generate regeneration water that maintains the salinity constant. According to the experiment of the present inventor, it has been confirmed that an appropriate salinity of about 9 to 11% is steadily maintained.

The raw water flows into the regenerator in a vacuum state at a constant water pressure, and the regenerated water naturally moves to the ion resin tank by the force. Here, since the check valve is adopted, the problem that the water flows into the regenerator from the ion resin tank to dilute the regenerated water is also solved.

The residual water remaining in the regenerator is mixed with the newly regenerated water for a certain period of time without any problem of contamination. However, if it is determined that a certain amount of raw water has flowed into the regenerator after a certain time, The problem of pollution is also solved because it can be discharged into the cylinder.

As the regeneration vessel is partitioned into two by the passage member, the regenerant does not meet the raw water, regeneration water or residual water unless the regeneration water producing condition is satisfied, thereby preventing the regeneration agent from unnecessarily melting.

1 shows a water softener according to the present invention. For illustration purposes, the cover is omitted.
2 shows a regenerator according to the invention.
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of a regenerator according to the invention.
4A to 4H are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining a reproduction number generation method of the regenerator according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows them together.
6 is a flowchart for explaining a reproduction number generation method of a reproduction barrel according to the present invention.
7A and 7B are views for explaining another embodiment according to the present invention.

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

Explanation of water softener

1 shows a water softener according to the present invention. The cover is not shown for the sake of explanation.

The water softener according to the present invention includes an ion resin tank 100, a regenerator 200, a timer and a ceramic disk switching valve 300, a water inlet 400 and a water outlet 500.

The ionic resin tank 100 is provided with an ionic resin. It is filled with sodium ions.

When the raw water flows into the regenerator 200, regenerated water containing sodium ions is generated and flows into the ionic resin tank 100, so that the ionic resin tank 100 are filled with sodium ions.

The timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300 change the flow path to select one of the training mode, the raw water mode, and the regeneration mode, and the timer allows the regeneration mode to be maintained only for a predetermined specific time.

The user can operate any of the training mode, the raw water mode, and the regeneration mode by operating the operation portion on the outside of the water softener. The timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300 are operated to change the flow path according to the result.

When the user selects the training mode, the training water is discharged through the heading unit 500. In this case, the raw water introduced into the water softener through the water inlet 400 through the timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300 flows to the ionic resin tank 100 to soften the hard water, and the soft water is supplied to the water outlet 500 Lt; / RTI >

When the user selects the raw water mode, the raw water is directly discharged from the water outlet 500. That is, the raw water flowing into the water softener through the water intake part 400 by the timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300 is discharged directly to the water outlet part 500 without directly passing through the ionic resin tank 100.

When the user selects the regeneration mode, the raw water that has flowed into the inlet portion 400 by the timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300 flows into the regenerator 200 to generate regenerated water, which is supplied to the ionic resin tank 100 So that the ionic resin is filled with sodium ions and then discharged to the outside.

Here, by the timer of the timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300, the regeneration mode operates for only about 15 minutes. Further, the first mode and the second mode are selectively operated. This will be described later in the reproduction number generation method.

On the other hand, a detachable residual drain pipe (not shown) is located in the regenerator 200. The drain valve 293 is connected to the drain valve 293 of the regeneration tank 200. When the residual drainage tank (not shown) is in communication with the drain valve 293 of the regeneration tank 200 So that residual water in the regeneration tank 200 can be cleanly discharged into a residual water drain (not shown), which can be separated from the water softener and separated from the water softener. The contamination problem caused by remaining drainage in the regeneration tank 200 due to the drain valve 293 and the residual drain pipe (not shown) can be solved.

Regenerator  Explanation

Hereinafter, the regenerator 200 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig.

When the regenerator 200 is viewed from the outside, the regenerant inlet valve 210 is located at the upper portion and the raw water inflow line 291, the check valve 292, and the drain valve 293 are located at the lower portion.

The regenerant feed valve 210 is opened to feed the regenerant into the regenerator 200, and is closed after the completion of the feed. The inner space of the regenerator 200 is closed so that the vacuum state can be maintained.

Here, the regenerant is preferably a tablet type. As described above, in the case of the block type, there is no problem that the part is melted and the part is not melted. In the case of the tablet type, there is no problem of melting only partly. It is possible. As will be described later, the regenerator 200 according to the present invention employs a semi-automatic hydraulic pressure regulator.

The constant flow inflow line 291 is a line connecting the inlet unit 400 and the raw water inflow base 220 to supply a predetermined amount of raw water to the regenerator 200 for generating regenerated water.

The check valve 292 is provided in a line connecting the regenerator 200 and the ionic resin tank 100. Concretely, a space for storing the regenerated water is provided in a line connecting the buffer 252 and the ion resin tank 100, which will be described later. In the absence of the check valve 292, conversely, soft water can flow from the ionic resin tank 100 to the regenerator 200, which makes it difficult to control the salinity of the regenerated water.

The drain valve 293 allows remaining water in the regeneration tank 200 to flow into a residual water drain (not shown) when the user opens the drain valve 293.

When the regenerator 200 is viewed from the inside, a large number of through holes are positioned inside the regenerator 200 so as to allow fluid communication between the upper and lower portions. The inside of the regenerator 200 is connected to the upper regenerant reservoir 251 and the lower The buffer member 252 of FIG.

The passage member 230 may be in the form of being mounted on the step 231 in the regenerator 200.

The size of the through-hole of the through-hole member 230 is smaller than that of the tablet-like regenerant. In this way, the tablet type regenerant remains only in the regenerant storage unit 251, which is the upper space of the passage member 230, and the regenerated water generated by the mixing of the regenerant flows through the passing member 230, (252).

The raw water inflow line 220 is connected to the raw water inflow line 291 at the lower end to flow raw water and the upper end to the raw water inflow port 220 ).

The raw water inflow base 220 is protruded by a predetermined length from the passing member 230. When the regenerant feed valve 210 is closed as described above, the inner space of the regenerator 200 is maintained in a vacuum state. The raw water introduced through the raw water inlet 220 is supplied to a predetermined water pressure The regenerated water in the buffer 252 is automatically discharged to the ionic resin tank 100 by the force of the raw water flowing into the ionic resin tank 100.

At the same time, the raw water introduced into the regenerant storage unit 251 through the raw water inflow base 220 at a preset water pressure causes the regenerant to melt smoothly.

Here, the predetermined water pressure may be 0.7 to 3.0 kgf / cm < 2 >, and this water pressure may be maintained through the fitting portion provided in the constant flow inflow line 291. [

Play  Explanation of how to create

First, the reproduction number generating method according to the present invention can be divided into a first mode and a second mode.

The first mode is a mode in which residual water remaining in the buffer 252 of the regeneration tank 200 is utilized as regeneration water. It is not necessary to drain residual water remaining in the buffer 252 of the regenerator 200. The residual water remaining in the buffer 252 (i.e., the regenerated water) starts to flow into the ionic resin tank 100 as the raw water is introduced into the regeneration tank 200 at a predetermined water pressure as described above, The reproduction number is mixed with the remaining number of remainders.

The second mode is a case where it is determined that it is necessary to discard the remaining number. In this case, after the drain valve 293 is opened to flow the residual water through the residual drain pipe (not shown), the user can remove the remaining water by separating the residual drain pipe (not shown) from the water softener.

It is preferable that the first mode and the second mode are determined by using the cumulative flow rate flowing into the regenerator 200.

In one embodiment of the present invention, raw water is introduced at a rate of 140 to 200 ml / min in one-time regeneration, and the volume of the regenerator 200 is regenerated It is designed to contain the agent.

Accordingly, by accumulating the flow rate of the raw water flowing into the regeneration tank 200 by a separate totalizer (not shown), it is determined whether or not the raw water of 16,800 to 24,000 ml has flown into the regeneration tank 200, more preferably, It is checked whether the raw water has flowed into the regenerator 200. If it is less than the predetermined value, the first mode is operated, and if it is abnormal, the second mode is operated.

Here, the reference flow rate, which is exemplarily shown as 20,000 ml, may be varied depending on the volume of the regenerator 200, the regeneration time, the raw water inflow rate, and the like.

It is necessary to manually or automatically open the drain valve 293 in the second mode and separate and discharge the residual water drain (not shown) to the user, while the second mode requires no other operation At the same time, it is possible to generate a regenerant injection request signal indicating that the regenerant is required to be newly injected. If a regenerant input request signal is generated, a separate notification light will be turned on to the user.

(Finally, the regenerator according to the present invention is a semi-automatic hydraulic regenerator.)

Hereinafter, a method of generating a regenerated water of a water softener according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(S100, Fig. 4A) into the regenerator 200 which is cleanly emptied. Passes through the passage member (230), and thus is stored only in the regenerant storage unit (251). The vacuum state is maintained after the regenerant is charged.

When the regeneration mode is selected, the timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300 communicate the water inlet 400 and the regeneration tank 200 to the raw water flow inflow line 291 and the time measurement is started.

The raw water flows into the regenerant storage unit 251 filled with the regenerant through the water inlet unit 400, the constant water flow rate inflow line 291 and the raw water inflow zone 220 from the water inlet at predetermined water pressure. And the regenerant is melted in a wide range smoothly as it flows into the predetermined water pressure (S300).

As soon as the raw water is introduced, the regenerant in the regenerant storage unit 251 is melted in the raw water to generate regenerated water, and the regenerated water is collected by the buffer 252 through the passing member 230 by its own weight (S400, 4b).

During the introduction of the raw water for about 15 minutes, the regenerated water continues to be generated and descended and collected in the buffer 252. The regenerator 200 is still in a vacuum state. Therefore, the regenerated water collected in the buffer 252 flows to the ion resin tank 100 by the force of the raw water flowing into the predetermined water pressure (S500, FIG. 4C).

After about 15 minutes, one playback mode is completed. Specifically, the first mode is completed.

After the completion of the first mode, the tablet type regenerant in the regenerant storage unit 251 is partially melted and its height is lowered, and the buffer 252 is also left with a residue (FIG. 4D).

When the ion resin tank 100 is filled with sodium ion by performing the one-time regeneration mode, the user can use the water softener again for a certain period of time. Thereafter, when it is determined that the ion resin tank 100 needs to be filled again, the regeneration mode is performed again.

When the raw water starts to flow into the regeneration tank 200 (S600), it is determined whether the cumulative flow amount flowing into the regeneration tank 200 measured by the totalizer is a preset flow rate (S700) .

If the cumulative flow rate flowing into the regeneration tank 200 is less than the preset flow rate, the first mode is performed again. That is, raw water is introduced into the regenerator 200 through the raw water constant flow inflow line 291 by the timer and the ceramic disk switching valve 300, the time measurement is started, and the raw water is fed through the raw water inflow band 220 The regenerated water is introduced into the regenerant storage unit 251 at a prescribed water pressure, and regenerated water is generated. The regenerated water is collected in the buffer 252 through the passage member 230. In this case, the generated reproduction number is generated in the previous reproduction mode (first mode) and mixed with remaining wastes in the buffer 252 (FIG. 4E).

The regenerated water mixed with the residual water flows to the ionic resin tank 100 by a predetermined water pressure at which the raw water flows (Fig. 4F).

After about 15 minutes, when one reproduction mode is completed, the remaining number is also left (Fig. 4G).

And the second mode is performed when the cumulative flow rate flowing into the regenerator 200 reaches a preset flow rate. The drain valve 292 is opened manually or automatically to discharge the remaining amount to the residual drainage tank (not shown), thereby informing the user that it is necessary to separate and drain the residual drainage tank (not shown) (S800, Fig. 4H), which indicates that a new input is required.

That is, when the second mode is completed, as shown in FIG. 4A, the regenerator 200 can not be regenerated and can not be used again.

Other Example  Explanation

7A and 7B, another embodiment of the water softener according to the present invention will be described.

In the present embodiment, the through member 200 can move up and down.

The user can manually or automatically adjust the sizes and ratios of the regenerant storage unit 251 and the buffer 252 within the limited size of the regenerator 200 as the through member 200 ascends and descends.

Adjusting the size and the ratio of the reproducing agent storage unit 251 and the buffer 252 by the user has the following two advantages.

First, by allowing the passage member 230 to rise manually or automatically according to the level of the residual water, it is possible to prevent the residue in the buffer 252 from overflowing beyond the passage member 230 and discarding unused regenerant 7b).

For example, the specific gravity of the passage member 200 may naturally rise by using a material lower than the specific gravity of the regenerated water (i.e., brine). This is because if the residual water overflows to the passing member 200, it means that the regenerant remaining in the regenerant storage unit 251 is small.

In another example, a separate actuator (not shown) may move the pass element 200 up and down to more aggressively control this.

Second, customized water softener can be provided.

For example, a user who has a large number of users or uses a lot of soft water for a single use frequently needs to fill the ionizer paper frequently, the size of the regenerant storage unit 251 can be relatively increased. As a result, it is convenient to open the regeneration inlet valve 210 once and to introduce the regenerant as much as possible, so that the period for injecting the regenerant can be long.

Conversely, when the use of the soft water is less than the average, the size of the buffer 252 can be relatively increased. The residual water in the buffer 252 overflows the passing member 230 and the possibility of discarding unused regenerant can be minimized.

In order to constitute the ascending / descending structure of the passage member 200, a moving hole passing through the raw water inflow rod 220 is positioned at the center of the passage member 230, and at the same time, The passage member engagement jaw is located. Here, the outer diameter of the passage member engagement jaw is made larger than the inner diameter of the moving hole, thereby restricting the upward movement, thereby preventing the passage member 230 from slipping off the raw water inflow base 220.

The downward movement of the through member 230 is limited by the step 231 described above.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. It will be appreciated that embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the claims.

100: ion resin tank
200: Regenerator
210: regenerant feed valve
220: raw water inlet
230: passage member
231:
251:
252: buffer
291: Raw water inflow line
292: Check valve
293: drain valve
300: Timer and Ceramic Disc Switching Valves
400:
500:

Claims (7)

As a regenerator 200 of a water softener capable of injecting a tablet-type regenerant and generating regenerated water,
In the regenerator 200,
And a passage member 230 partitioning the inside of the regenerator 200 into an upper regenerant reservoir 251 and a lower buffer 252. The regenerant reservoir 251 is connected to the regenerant reservoir 251 and the lower reservoir 252. And
And a raw water inflow section 220 having an upper end at which the raw water is discharged is located in the regenerant storage section 251,
The regenerated water located in the regenerant storage unit 251 passes through the passage member 230 due to its own weight and flows to the buffer 252,
The passage member 230 is movable up and down,
Playback barrel.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the regenerator (200) is provided with an actuator for moving the passage member (230) up and down,
Playback barrel.
The method according to claim 1,
The specific gravity of the passage member 230 is lower than the regenerated water,
Playback barrel.
The method according to claim 1,
And a moving hole passing through the raw water inflow base 220 is positioned at the center of the passing member 230. [
Playback barrel.
5. The method of claim 4,
At the upper end of the raw water inflow base 220, a passage member jaw is located,
Wherein an outer diameter of the through-hole engaging jaw is larger than an inner diameter of the moving hole,
Playback barrel.
6. The method of claim 5,
An end of the lower end of the passage member 230 is connected to the inner side of the regenerator 200,
The upper movement of the passage member 230 is restricted by the passage member engagement jaws and the lower movement is restricted by the step 231,
Playback barrel.
A water softener comprising a regenerator (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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