KR20170060788A

KR20170060788A - APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HClO

Info

Publication number: KR20170060788A
Application number: KR1020150165397A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김현호; 민충기
Original assignee: 주식회사 네오닥터
Priority date: 2015-11-25
Filing date: 2015-11-25
Publication date: 2017-06-02
Also published as: KR101798989B1

Abstract

An apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid water according to the present invention comprises: an electrode unit for electrolyzing an aqueous solution containing chlorine ions; And a control unit for changing an electric polarity of the electrode unit while the aqueous solution is being electrolyzed.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HClO [

The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating hypochlorous acid water using electrolysis.

Although many chemical agents with excellent sterilizing power have appeared in the sanitary field, the higher the sterilizing power and the washing power, the more toxic the problem is.

Therefore, various sanitizing and washing processes require a harmless means in place of chemical agents.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-0044790 discloses an apparatus for producing a sterilized hypochlorous acid solution that does not generate chlorine gas.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2003-0044790

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid which can be used for a long time.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, It will be possible.

In the hypochlorous acid water producing apparatus of the present invention, the electric polarity of the electrode portion for electrolyzing the aqueous solution containing chlorine ions may be changed.

The byproducts generated in the electrolysis process are difficult to stay on a specific electrode due to the change of electric polarity. Therefore, the amount of byproducts deposited on a specific electrode due to electrolysis can be reduced, so that each electrode can be used for a long time.

Even if byproducts are deposited on each electrode, it is only washable. Therefore, each electrode can be semi-permanently used theoretically through cleaning.

On the other hand, noise that contributes to shortening the lifetime of the electrode may be generated due to a voltage change that changes abruptly when the electric polarity changes. According to the present invention, the electrode unit may be turned off for a while while the electric polarity is changed, or a capacitor may be disposed at an input terminal of the electrode unit. The electrode can be used for a long period of time because the generation of noise can be suppressed by the operation of turning off the electrode part for a while and the charging / discharging / smoothing function of the capacitor.

In addition, since noises are excluded, highly reproducible electrolysis is possible.

1 is a schematic view showing an apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid water of the present invention.
2 and 3 are schematic views showing the operation of the hypochlorous acid water producing apparatus of the present invention.
4 is a schematic diagram showing control signals generated by the control unit.
5 is a graph showing the voltage applied to the electrode portion.
6 is a schematic diagram showing control signals generated by the control unit for noise removal.
7 is a schematic view showing a voltage finally applied to the electrode portion.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The sizes and shapes of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience. In addition, terms defined in consideration of the configuration and operation of the present invention may be changed according to the intention or custom of the user, the operator. Definitions of these terms should be based on the content of this specification.

1 is a schematic view showing an apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid water of the present invention.

Electrolytic water is an aqueous solution produced by adding electrolytic auxiliary such as sodium chloride or hydrochloric acid to tap water and electrolysis. The electrolytic water can be divided into electrolytic drinking water and electrolytic sterilized water.

Electrolytic drinking water is home alkaline electrolytic water mainly for drinking purposes. Household alkaline electrolytic water is produced by adding calcium glycerate to chlorine-free water such as activated carbon and electrolysis with weak electric current, and it is water for drinking and skin cleansing.

The electrolytic disinfecting water corresponds to the hypochlorous acid water of the present invention and is generated on the positive electrode side of the electrode when electrolysis is performed by adding sodium chloride or hydrochloric acid electrolyte to water.

Electrolysis sterilization water is intended for sterilization, strong acid electrolytic water, acidic electrolytic water and electrolytic sodium hypochlorite.

Strong acid electrolytic water is an acidic aqueous solution containing sodium hypochlorite as an active ingredient obtained by electrolysis of saline (NaCl concentration: 0.2% or less) in which sodium chloride is slightly added to raw water in a membrane type electrolytic cell. The effective components of strong acid electrolytic water are hypochlorous acid (HClO), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and chlorine (Cl ₂ ), and the pH is 2.2 to 2.7. The effective chlorine concentration is 20 ~ 60mg / kg, colorless, chlorine odor and contains non-electrolytic salt.

The acidic electrolytic water is a non-acidic aqueous solution containing hypochlorous acid as a main active component obtained by electrolyzing diluted hydrochloric acid in a non-diaphragm type electrolytic cell to mix and dissolve all the electrolytes other than the hydrogen gas in the raw water. The effective component of the acidic electrolytic water is hypochlorous acid and the pH is 5.0 to 6.5. The effective chlorine concentration is 10-30 mg / kg, colorless, and usually odorless or slightly chlorine odor.

From the principle of producing acidic electrolytic water, chlorine is generated in the anode by electrolysis from diluted hydrochloric acid supplied from the seawater electrolytic cell, and hydrogen is generated in the cathode. The resulting chlorine is dissolved in water, and a high concentration of hypochlorous acid solution is continuously produced from the electrolytic bath. If diluted in the raw water, it becomes acidic electrolytic water with an effective chlorine concentration of 10 to 30 ppm. Hydrochloric acid in strong acid decreases by electrolysis, and hypochlorous acid which is acidic is produced. It becomes acidic with pH of 5.0 to 6.5 due to the buffering effect due to the hardness component in the raw water.

Sodium hypochlorite water refers to water containing sodium hypochlorite as an effective ingredient and includes water obtained by electrolysis of saline solution. It is a pale greenish yellow liquid with chlorine odor. The principle of electrolytic sodium hypochlorite production is as follows: electrolysis of 3% saline in a seawater electrolytic cell produces chlorine in the anode and hydrogen and caustic soda in the cathode. The resulting chlorine is dissolved in water and reacts with caustic soda to produce less than about 1% sodium hypochlorite.

As mentioned above, hypochlorous acid water can be formed by electrolysis. The apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid water according to the present invention for electrolysis may include the electrode unit 110.

The electrode unit 110 can electrolyze an aqueous solution containing chlorine ions. The electrode unit 110 may include a first electrode 111 and a second electrode 112 that are immersed in an aqueous solution.

One of the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 112 may be a positive electrode and the other may be a negative electrode.

The electrode unit 110 may be contaminated or corroded due to various by-products during the electrolysis process. If the electrode unit 110 is contaminated or corroded by a certain level or more, the electrolysis function may be deteriorated or the particles separated from the electrode unit 110 may contaminate the hypochlorous acid water. Therefore, the electrode unit 110 is preferably replaced after a predetermined period of time elapses.

As an example, sodium chloride (NaCl) may be added to the aqueous solution for the supply of the chloride ion. According to this, the electrolysis target can be a sodium chloride 0.9% aqueous solution or the like.

The sodium chloride electrolyzed by the electrode unit 110 can be separated into Na ⁺ ions and Cl ^- ions.

Cl ^- ions are generated on the electrode side with an anode and can be a major component of hypochlorous acid water. Na ⁺ ions are generated on the electrode side having a cathode, and can be deposited on the cathode electrode. Na < ^{+ &} gt ^; ions deposited on the surface may eventually coat the surface of the cathode electrode and may interfere with the normal operation of the cathode electrode. Therefore, the electrode unit 110 including the cathode electrode needs to be replaced after being used for a certain period of time. In other words, the lifetime of the electrode unit 110 can be shortened due to by-products generated in the electrolysis process.

In order to extend the service life of the electrode unit 110, the hypochlorous acid water producing apparatus of the present invention may include a controller 130.

The controller 130 may extend the lifetime of the electrode unit 110 using an electric signal applied to the electrode unit 110.

For example, the control unit 130 can change the polarity of the electrode unit 110 during the electrolysis of the aqueous solution by the electrode unit 110.

2 and 3 are schematic views showing the operation of the hypochlorous acid water producing apparatus of the present invention.

The first electrode 111 may be a positive electrode and the second electrode 112 may be a negative electrode at a first time point at which electrolysis is performed.

The Na ⁺ ions generated by the electrolysis will be attracted to the second electrode 112 which becomes the negative electrode (-) according to the nature of the polarity and will be deposited on the surface of the second electrode 112.

3, the first electrode 111 may be a negative (-) and the second electrode 112 may be a positive (+). At this time, the Na ⁺ ions poured on the second electrode 112 are attracted to the first electrode 111 which becomes the negative electrode (-) according to the nature of the polarity.

At a third point in time after the second point in time, the controller 130 may make the first electrode 111 positive (+) and the second electrode 112 negative (-), as shown in FIG. Therefore, at the second time point, the Na ⁺ ions implanted into the first electrode 111 are moved to the second electrode 112 again.

As described above, the Na ⁺ ions do not remain in the first electrode 111 or the second electrode 112, and the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 112 move. Therefore, no by-products such as Na ⁺ ions can be deposited on the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 112. Likewise, even if the byproducts generated by electrolysis can corrode the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 112, the by-product does not stay on each electrode to corrode each electrode. Therefore, according to the control unit 130 of the present invention, the life of the electrode unit 110 can be extended.

The controller 130 may be formed in various ways.

For example, the controller 130 may include a first switch 131 and a second switch 132 disposed between the power source unit 150 and the electrode unit 110 for supplying electricity to the electrode unit 110 have.

The first switch 131 may be disposed between the power supply unit 150 and the first electrode 111. The controller 130 may connect the first electrode 111 to the positive electrode of the power unit 150 or the negative electrode of the power unit 150 through the first switch 131. [

The second switch 132 may be disposed between the power supply unit 150 and the second electrode 112. The control unit 130 may connect the second electrode 112 to the negative electrode of the power unit 150 through the second switch 132 or may connect the negative electrode to the positive electrode.

The control unit 130 may control the first switch 131 and the second switch 132 such that the second electrode 112 becomes the negative electrode when the first electrode 111 is the positive electrode. The control unit 130 may control the first switch 131 and the second switch 132 so that the second electrode 112 becomes the anode when the first electrode 111 is a cathode.

The controller 130 may disconnect both the first switch 131 and the second switch 132 when the electrode unit 110 is turned off. The first switch 131 and the second switch 132 may be provided with a terminal connected to the positive electrode of the power supply unit 150 and a terminal connected to the negative electrode of the power supply unit 150. At this time, the controller 130 can control each switch such that each electrode is open to both of the two terminals.

The control unit 130 may generate a control signal for controlling the first switch 131 and the second switch 132. [

4 is a schematic diagram showing control signals generated by the controller 130. As shown in FIG.

Since the electricity supplied from the power supply unit 150 to the electrode unit 110 is controlled by the controller 130, it can have a waveform following the control signal.

The electrode unit 110 can electrolyze the aqueous solution during the first time t1. At this time, the controller 130 may change the polarity of the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 112 at a second time t2 that is smaller than the first time t1.

In order to change the polarity of the polarity of the electrode unit 110, the controller 130 may generate a square wave control signal as shown in FIG.

For example, when the control signal is greater than 0, the electrode unit 110 may have a first polarity such that the first electrode 111 becomes the anode and the second electrode 112 becomes the cathode. Specifically, when the control signal is greater than 0, the first switch 131 may be connected to the anode of the power source unit 150, and the second switch 132 may be connected to the cathode of the power source unit 150.

On the other hand, if the control signal is smaller than 0, the electrode unit 110 may be the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 112 may be the anode. Specifically, when the control signal is smaller than 0, the first switch 131 may be connected to the cathode of the power source unit 150, and the second switch 132 may be connected to the anode of the power source unit 150.

However, when the control signal is a continuous rectangular wave as shown in FIG. 4, the voltage change of the electrode unit 110 may appear as shown in FIG.

5 is a graph showing voltage applied to the electrode unit 110. FIG.

In other words, irregular and high voltage is instantaneously applied to the electrode unit 110 at the moment when the polarity reverses. For example, if the first electrode 111 is 5V in the first section and becomes 0V in the second section, the voltage may swing due to an instantaneous voltage change of 5V. When the irregular and high voltage is referred to as over-potential or noise, the first electrode 111 or the second electrode 112 may be damaged and the lifetime may be shortened due to the noise. In addition, normal electrolysis may be disturbed due to noise levels outside of the initial design.

The noise generated during the initial operation is inevitable, but according to the present invention, since the polarity change occurs several times during the electrolysis, a large number of noise peaks can be generated even during the electrolysis.

It is preferable that the life span of the electrode unit 110 is prevented from being shortened and the noise spike is removed so that the electrolysis is initially designed.

6 is a schematic diagram showing control signals generated by the control unit 130 for noise removal.

The controller 130 may temporarily turn off the electrode unit 110 every time the polarity of the electrode unit 110 is changed to remove the noise. Specifically, the first switch 131 or the second switch 132 may be spaced apart from the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the power supply unit 150 in order to turn off the electrode unit 110. The electrical connection between the first electrode 111 and the power source unit 150 and the electrical connection between the second electrode 112 and the power source unit 150 can be released due to the separation of the switches.

The fourth time t4 at which the electrode unit 110 is turned off may be shorter than the third time t3 when the specific polarity of the electrode unit 110 is maintained for the third time t3. This is because the t4 section is for removing noise, and if it is too long, the total time of electrolysis may become longer. The sum of t3 and t4 may be the same as the cycle t2 in which the polarity is changed. The control signal may also be a waveform having t2, t3, and t4 to apply different electric charges to the electrode unit 110 by t2, t3, and t4. For example, if the frequency of the control signal is 1 Hz, t2 may be 0.5 seconds. When t2 is 0.5 second, t3 may be 0.45 second and t4 may be 0.05 second.

The electrode unit 110 may be turned off during the fourth time period t4 after the specific electric polarity is maintained for the third time period t3. When the fourth time period t4 elapses, another electrode polarity may be applied to the electrode unit 110. Here, the specific electric polarity may be a state in which the first electrode 111 is an anode and the second electrode 112 is a cathode. Here, the other polarity may be a state in which the first electrode 111 is a cathode and the second electrode 112 is an anode. Of course, it is also possible that a specific electric polarity and a different electric polarity are exchanged with each other.

the polarity change of the electrode unit 110 with respect to the second electrode 112 in the state where t4 is excluded may be such that the first electrode 111 is changed from + 5V to -5V at a time point. According to this, the voltage change of the first electrode 111 made at one time becomes 10V in total. Therefore, the noise generated by the first electrode 111 may be caused by a potential difference of 10V.

If the fourth time t4 during which the electrode unit 110 is turned off is added between the polarities, the first electrode 111 is changed from + 5V to 0V and the second electrode 112 is changed from 0V to -5V And the voltage change of the first electrode 111 changed at each time point becomes 5 V, respectively. Therefore, the noise generated by the first electrode 111 is caused by the potential difference of 5 V, which is small compared with the noise caused by the 10 V potential difference. Therefore, when the control signal given at the fourth time t4 is generated in the control unit 130 of the present invention, noise generated in each electrode can be reduced, and shortening of life of each electrode can be suppressed.

Further, if the first electrode 111 or the second electrode 112 is abruptly changed by 10 V from + 5V to -5 without a fourth time t4, each electrode may be overloaded. However, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since only the load due to 5V corresponding to half of 10 V is applied to each electrode due to the fourth time t4, various problems such as shortening the life due to overload can be prevented have.

A capacitor 140 may be installed in series or in parallel between the power supply unit 150 and the electrode unit 110 to more reliably remove the noise.

7 is a schematic view showing a voltage finally applied to the electrode unit 110. Fig. FIG. 7 is a graph showing a change in the voltage applied to the first electrode 111. FIG.

According to the control signal, the electric power of the power supply unit 150 may be applied to the first electrode 111 during t3. Since the electric power provided from the power supply unit 150 is charged / discharged or smoothed by the capacitor 140, it can be a trapezoidal shape in which the slope of the rising edge and the falling edge is not gentle but rectangular. If the slopes of both edges are gentle, unstable noise can be further reduced.

The power supply unit 150 may provide 3.3 to 9 V, 300 to 650 mA of electricity to the electrode unit 110 for electrolysis. Since the noise applied to the electrode unit 110 is reduced by the controller 130 and the capacitor 140, the life of the electrode unit 110 can be prevented from being shortened.

The apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid water according to the present invention may include an input unit 190 receiving the operation time of the electrode unit 110. The input unit 190 may reserve the operating time of the electrode unit 110. At this time, the controller 130 may drive the electrode unit 110 if the current time satisfies the operation time input from the input unit 190. [

Also, the input unit 190 may select a voltage or an electric current to be applied to the electrode unit 110.

In order to operate the input unit 190, the user must stay near the hypochlorous acid water producing device. The hypochlorous acid water producing apparatus of the present invention for operating the control unit 130 or the driving unit at a long distance may include the communication unit 170.

The communication unit 170 can wirelessly communicate with the portable terminal 10 carried by the user. The communication unit 170 may transmit the input signal of the portable terminal 10 to the controller 130 and the controller 130 may control the electrode unit 110 according to the input signal of the portable terminal 10.

According to the portable terminal 10, it is possible to operate the hypochlorous acid water producing device at a remote place, but it is difficult to monitor the device. Since the nature of electrolysis may cause accidents due to various unexpected situations, monitoring of the hypochlorous acid water generator should always be performed.

The apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid water of the present invention may include a transparent material receiving portion 180 for receiving an aqueous solution and a photographing portion 160 for photographing the receiving portion 180 from the outside of the receiving portion 180.

Since the receiving part 180 is formed of a transparent material, the photographing part 160 can photograph the aqueous solution contained in the receiving part 180 and the receiving part 180. [

The communication unit 170 may transmit the image data photographed by the photographing unit 160 to the portable terminal 10. [ Accordingly, the remote user can visually check the accommodating unit 180 displayed on the portable terminal 10, and can monitor the abnormality of the accommodating unit 180 and the abnormality of the aqueous solution.

In the hypochlorous acid water producing apparatus of the present invention, a case accommodating the electrode unit 110 and the control unit 130 may be provided. At this time, the accommodating portion 180 can be attached to or detached from the case to easily store or discharge the aqueous solution.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

10 ... portable terminal 110 ... electrode portion
111 ... first electrode 112 ... second electrode
130 ... controller 131 ... first switch
132 ... second switch 140 ... capacitor
150 ... power source unit 160 ... photographing unit
170 ... communication unit 180 ... accommodating unit
190 ... input unit

Claims

An electrode unit for electrolyzing an aqueous solution containing chlorine ions; And
A control unit for changing an electric polarity of the electrode unit during the electrolysis of the aqueous solution;
Wherein the hypochlorous acid water producing device comprises:

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the electrode portion includes a first electrode and a second electrode that are immersed in the aqueous solution,
Wherein the electrode portion electrolyzes the aqueous solution for a first time,
Wherein the controller changes an electric polarity of the first electrode and the second electrode at a second time shorter than the first time.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit turns off the electrode unit whenever the polarity of the electrode unit is changed,
When a specific electric polarity is maintained for a third time, a fourth time when the electrode is turned off is shorter than the third time,
And when the fourth time elapses, different polarity is applied to the electrode unit.

The method according to claim 1,
And a power supply unit for supplying electricity to the electrode unit,
And a capacitor is provided between the power supply unit and the electrode unit.

The method according to claim 1,
And a communication unit for wirelessly communicating with the portable terminal,
Wherein the communication unit transmits an input signal of the portable terminal to the control unit,
Wherein the controller controls the electrode unit according to the input signal.

The method according to claim 1,
A receiving portion of a transparent material for receiving the aqueous solution;
A photographing section photographing the accommodating section;
And a communication unit for wirelessly communicating with the portable terminal,
And the communication unit transmits the image data photographed by the photographing unit to the portable terminal.

The method according to claim 1,
And an input unit for receiving the operation time of the electrode unit,
Wherein the control unit drives the penis electrode unit at the operation time.