RU2379235C2 - Water purification plant - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: installation for purifying naturally flowing water comprises a filter for removing solid and dissolved impurities from incoming water which is linked to a chemical distribution unit, a device for controlling flow of water through the filter until the water comes into contact with the biocide coming from the chemical distribution unit, a settling chamber and a neutralisation unit. The flow control device has a control chamber of given dimensions for outlet of the required amount of water, with at least one outlet opening for water outlet from the outlet opening of the said filter into a chamber and at least one siphon joined to the said control chamber for controlling flow of water from the said chamber.

EFFECT: obtaining high quality drinking water with high output for a long period of time using a simple and cheap to operate installation.

20 cl, 1 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to installations for purification of gravity-fed water, which provide purified drinking water of the highest quality. The water treatment plant provides a high yield of drinking water for a long time, while guaranteeing the removal of harmful impurities,

State of the art

A huge number of people live in those countries where there are strict requirements for the quality of drinking water. People are directly dependent on water sources in the earth, such as wells, ponds and rivers. Often these sources are contaminated with sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural chemicals such as pesticides.

Filters of gravity-fed water for home use are known, such as decanter-shaped filters, in which water enters the filter through a series of small holes in a wide trapezoidal filter cover and passes through the filter into the lower, narrower part through the pores of the absorbent absorbers. Such filters have their inherent limitation of the water flow at the outlet, since water must pass through a large set of absorbent elements, and often after a small amount of water has passed, the water flow weakens. Moreover, such filters ineffectively separate harmful pathogenic particles from water.

Patent WO 9529878 (Recovery Engineering Inc., 1995) describes a water treatment plant having a disinfecting unit consisting of iodized resin and activated carbon. The disadvantage of this filter is the high cost of iodized resin. In addition, the presence of iodine particles in water can be harmful to some people.

Therefore, there is a need to create improved water purification plants that are inexpensive to use and significantly more effective in obtaining useful drinking water of the required amount, while guaranteeing the removal of all harmful impurities, including solid particles and substances dissolved in water, such as harmful aromatic substances, pesticides and other organic substances, as well as harmful microorganisms like spores, bacteria and viruses. Very important is the requirement before drinking water to remove from it all the biocides that are used to kill pathogenic microorganisms. It is also important that the installation gives the required output of purified drinking water for a very long period of time from the gravity chamber, which has a height of several centimeters. In addition, the water treatment plant should not require frequent filter changes, parts replacement or maintenance. Known installations do not meet all these requirements.

Disclosure of invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a gravity-fed water purification installation that produces purified drinking water with a high water yield of about 100-200 ml per minute for a long time, in which the output is substantially independent of the inlet water flow.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a gravity-fed water purification installation that provides purified drinking water free of harmful impurities, including solid particles and substances dissolved in water, such as harmful aromatic substances, pesticides and other organic substances, as well as harmful pathogens, like spores, bacteria, and viruses.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a installation for purification of gravity supplied water, which for operation does not require the supply of external energy, in particular electric energy.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a installation for purification of gravity-fed water, which in operation does not require the replacement of expensive elements and, therefore, has a low cost of operation.

So, the subject of the present invention is a gravity-fed water purification installation, comprising a filter for separating solid and soluble compounds from water, which is connected to a chemical distribution unit, while the flow of water passing through the filter is controlled by a flow control device until until the water comes into contact with the biocide supplied from the chemical distribution unit, after which the water enters the settling chamber for a predetermined period of time until it will exit the water treatment plant through the neutralization unit, which serves to separate the biocide in the water from the water at the outlet of the installation.

The subject of the present invention is an apparatus for purifying gravity-fed water, comprising:

- a filter used to separate solid and soluble impurities from the incoming water, which is associated with

- a chemical distribution unit, wherein the flow of water passing through the filter is controlled until the water comes into contact with the biocide supplied from the chemical distribution unit by

- flow control devices, after which water enters the settling chamber for a predetermined period of time until the moment when the water leaves the water treatment plant through

- a neutralization unit, which serves to isolate the biocide in the water from the water at the outlet of the installation.

It is desirable that the flow control device comprises a predetermined size flow control chamber for discharging a predetermined amount of water and having at least one inlet for supplying water from the outlet of said filter into the chamber and at least one siphon connected to said flow control chamber and serving to control the flow of water from said chamber.

The filter preferably contains a carbon block filter agent. The carbon block filter substance consists of activated carbon powder (PAC) and a binder, which are mixed, placed under pressure in the block and subjected to heat treatment. RAS is obtained from coal, coconut shell, charcoal or oil pitch. It is desirable that the activated carbon powder used have a particle size inhomogeneity coefficient of less than 2, or more preferably this coefficient is less than 1.5 and the amount of carbon tetrachloride exceeds 50%, more preferably 60%.

A suitable carbon block filter agent is described in GB 2390987, more suitable in application 320 / MUM / 2004. The application describes a carbon block filter substance used in gravity filters and consisting of activated carbon powder (PAC) having particles of such a size that 95% of the particles by weight pass through openings in a 50 mesh and not more than 12% pass through openings in 200 a mesh and a binder having a melt flow rate (MFR) of less than 5. Another preferred carbon block filter medium has from 55 to 80% by weight of activated carbon powder particles ranging in size from 100 to 200 mesh in the lower half of the volume of the carbon block.

Using the filter mentioned above, it is possible to provide a gravity flow of 100-300 ml / min with a water head of 75 mm for a long time without the need for preliminary separation of contaminant particles from chemical impurities.

This filter can be used on a par with other known filters, such as sediment filters, preferably washed / replaced sediment filters, used to remove fine particles of contaminants and other microparticles. The sediment filter may be non-woven, preferably from microporous fabric with pores of such a size that allows you to hold particles of 3 microns or more. Most preferably, the water first passes through a sediment filter before it passes through the carbon block filter medium.

A gravity-fed water purification apparatus according to the present invention comprises a flow control device that controls the flow of water at the filter outlet. The regulation of the flow of water in the preferred embodiment is carried out without supplying external energy, for example electric energy, to the input of the installation. The flow control device may include throttles, such as shut-off valves, valves, conical tuyeres or partitions. It is more preferable to use the control device described in application 927 / MUM / 2002 and containing a combination of a direct channel and at least one bend. Particularly convenient monitoring devices for the installation of the present invention are the devices described in patent WO 2004/074182. These control devices comprise a control chamber of predetermined dimensions for discharging the required amount of water, having at least one inlet for supplying the entire water flow from the outlet of said filter to the chamber, and at least one siphon attached to said control chamber to control the flow of water from said chamber.

The magnitude of the water flow, as described in the aforementioned application, can be regulated to a considerable extent by selecting the dimensions of the control chamber and selecting the design of the siphon in the form of a pipe with a given diameter and a given shape, preferably in the form of a reverse “U / V”, which will facilitate control a stream of water. Using this preferred embodiment of the flow control device guarantees excellent control of the water flow regardless of the amount of water flow at the filter outlet.

Water at the outlet of the flow control device comes into contact with the biocide supplied from the chemical distribution unit. In a preferred embodiment, the chemical distribution unit releases the biocide without the use of external energy, such as electrical energy. You can direct the flow of water through a chemical distribution block in order to deliver the biocide to the desired concentration in the water. The biocide in the chemical distribution unit may be in liquid form or may be distributed in water in a controlled amount. It is desirable that the biocide be present in solid form and be released into the water in a controlled amount when the water comes in contact with solid particles. More preferably, the solid particles are in the form of one or more tablets. When there is more than one tablet, then it is desirable that the chemical distribution unit have a tubular shape in which the tablets are stacked, one above the other. A tablet releases a biocide into water in a known manner, to achieve this, any other device can be used. It is desirable that the chemical distribution unit according to the present invention could have a sanitization system described in our pending application 926 / MUM / 2002. Preferably, during the leaching, the tablet slowly dissolves and the next tablet comes in contact with water when the previous tablet dissolves.

The chemical sanitation system described in the aforementioned application includes a sanitization unit that contains chemicals and has a hole at the bottom, means for supplying sanitized water that has a nozzle-shaped cap located at the bottom of the said block next to the one the hole and towards it, and said nozzle-shaped cap has an outer surface in the form of a cone with a predetermined angle, due to which a good constant contact with water is created, while the said active The first reagent is delivered to the contact zone with a stream of water flowing through the aforementioned hole.

The chemical distribution unit in a preferred embodiment has a cylindrical shape with a cross section that allows you to place on the disk with holes or non-woven material a stack of tablets, one above the other. In the center under the biocide holder there is an inlet. Water enters through the inlet, contacts the surface of the tablets, and exits through windows (openings) on the periphery of the holder.

Preferably, the biocide is a chemical compound that delivers active chlorine to water to kill microorganisms. Any free chlorine biocide can be used, including trisodium phosphate chloride, calcium hypochloride, lithium hypochloride, various N-chloride compounds known as free chlorine compounds such as sodium or potassium dichloroisocyanurate, dichlorocyanurate acid, monochloramine, (dichloroamine, ) tetra (monopotassium dichloro)) pentaisocyanurate, 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylidanatone, chloramine T, p-toluene sulfodichloamide, trichloromelamine, N-chloramine, N-chlorosucinimide, N, N-N-dichloroazodicarbonamide, -urea, N, N-dihloroazodikarbonamid, N-chloroacetyl-urea, N, N-dihlorbiuril chloride dicyandiamide.

A distinctive feature of the present invention is that the water purification unit further comprises an indication means showing the total consumption of all available biocide tablets after some time. It is desirable that the means of indication would show the full or almost complete consumption of tablets of the biocide. Any known means of indication may be used. Preferably, the indication means comprises a colored tablet located at the top of the stack of biocide tablets and a viewing window with light illumination at the bottom of the chemical distribution unit, allowing to see the lowest tablet. The color tablet should be neutral, i.e. must have high stability in the environment of biocide and water. When the biocide is a chemical compound with free chlorine, a neutral tablet is made from a material that is inert with respect to the oxidizing properties of chlorine. In another embodiment, the neutral tablet is coated with a material, preferably polymeric, which is highly inert with respect to chlorine.

Another distinguishing feature of the present invention is that the water treatment plant further comprises a water shut-off means which ensures that water does not pass through the flow control device if the biocide is generated. The water shutoff means preferably comprises said neutral tablet. This tablet can be made of magnetic material, preferably iron or nickel, coated with a biocide-neutral material, and the reading magnet can be located at the bottom of the chemical distribution block, due to which, when the entire biocide is generated, both magnets come so close to each other, which are attracted, after which a valve is activated that blocks the flow of water from the control device.

After passing the chemical distribution block, the water containing the biocide is held in the settling chamber of the installation for a predetermined period of time. Without delving into theory, it can be assumed that the upholding of water containing a biocide during this period of time ensures that all pathogenic microorganisms like bacteria or viruses are destroyed. It is desirable that the water settle in the settling chamber for a period of time from 30 to 300 minutes, more preferably from 60 to 180 minutes. In the water treatment plant, any other devices for settling water during this period of time can be used. The best tool is described in patent WO 2004/000732. An alternative means of guaranteeing the sedimentation of water in the settling chamber during this period of time is the presence of inclined pipes supplying water from the base of the chemical distribution unit to the settling chamber, which ensure the laminar nature of the water flow in the settling chamber, divided by partitions into two or more horizontal sections. The distance between the inlet and outlet openings of each section of the settling chamber is maximum due to the fact that the inlet and outlet points are located at the greatest distance from one another. This large distance traveled by the water flow, together with the laminar nature of the water flow in the settling chamber, ensures that the required settling time is obtained.

Before leaving the water treatment plant, water from the settling chamber passes through the neutralization unit. The neutralization unit separates the biocide distributed in the water from the water. The neutralization unit is preferably a bacteriostatic activated carbon.

Although water may flow up or down in the neutralization unit, it is desirable that water flow in the neutralization unit up. Various options may be provided for the configuration of such a stream, some of which are discussed in patent WO 2004/014803.

Another hallmark of the present invention is that the installation of purification of gravity-fed water contains:

- a feed chamber having a coarse filter through which water to be cleaned passes into the feed chamber;

- filtering agent of the carbon block and the corresponding form of sedimentary filter of non-woven material, which can be replaced / washed, used to separate solid and dissolved compounds from the inlet water,

- which communicates in a water stream with a chemical distribution unit containing indicating means, while the flow of water exiting the filter, until the water comes into contact with the biocide supplied from the chemical distribution unit, controls

a flow control means comprising a control vessel and a siphon,

- moreover, the water then settles in the settling chamber for a predetermined period of time before it leaves the water treatment plant through

- a neutralization unit in which the flow moves upward and which serves to isolate the biocide from the water at the outlet of the installation.

Further, the present invention will be considered as an example of its implementation with reference to figure 1, not limiting the essence of the invention.

The implementation of the invention

1 shows an embodiment of a water treatment plant according to the present invention. The installation has a feed chamber (FC), which receives the water to be cleaned from the coarse filter (CF), which is necessary to capture large particles of impurities. The feeding vessel has a small height, maximum 20 cm, and serves to ensure gravity of water during filtration through the filter medium of the carbon block (CBF). A sedimentary filter (SF) made of non-woven material and repeating the shape of the carbon block filter substance (CBF) in shape is installed on this block. The sediment filter removes particles from 3 to 6 microns in size. A carbon block filter separates particles less than 3 microns, dissolved organic matter and pesticides. It also filters persistent chlorine bubbles. Water from the carbon filter flows by gravity down to the flow control device (FCM), which contains a control tank and a siphon to effectively control the flow of water until it comes into contact with the biocide. The flow control device ensures that the change in flow occurs in a very narrow interval and regardless of the flow of water at the inlet of the feed chamber (FC). The biocide is distributed in the water leaving the flow control device, getting there from the chemical distribution unit (CDU). The chemical distribution unit has a stack of biocide (BT) tablets and an indication tool (IM) including a color neutral tablet. At the base of the chemical distribution unit (CDU) there is a viewing window (TM) through which the indicating means (IM) can be observed as soon as the biocide tablets are used up. Water containing the biocide then enters the settling chamber (RC), where it is held for the required time during which all viruses and bacteria die. In the settling chamber (RC) there are partitions (B), which create the required path for the flow of water and, therefore, the required settling time. Then the water goes in the opposite direction and up through the neutralization unit (SM), which releases the biocide from the water. Then the water is collected in a collection chamber (CC). Purified water, free of all impurities, can be taken through the valve (T).

Therefore, using the present invention, it is possible to create a simple and inexpensive to operate gravity water purification unit that provides clean drinking water free of all contaminants, including particles, microorganisms and dissolved substances like pesticide residues, with the required high performance, which is maintained for a long time.

Claims (20)

1. Installation for purification of gravity-fed water, containing a filter used to separate solid and soluble impurities from the incoming water, which is connected to a chemical distribution unit, while controlling the flow of water passing through the filter until the water comes into contact with the biocide supplied from the chemical distribution block is produced using a flow control device, after which the water enters the settling chamber for a predetermined period of time until the water leaves the water treatment plant through a neutralization unit, which serves to separate the biocide in the water from the water at the outlet of the installation, wherein said flow control device comprises a control chamber of a predetermined size for discharging the required amount of water, having at least one inlet for supplying the entire water stream from the outlet openings of said filter into the chamber, and at least one siphon attached to said control chamber for controlling the flow of water from said chamber. 2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter contains a filter substance of the carbon block. 3. The installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the filtering substance of the carbon block consists of activated carbon powder and a binder, which are mixed, placed under pressure in the block and subjected to heat treatment. 4. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow of water with a flow rate of 100-300 ml / min is maintained at a water pressure of about 75 mm. 5. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter further comprises a sedimentary filter. 6. Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that the sediment filter is a non-woven material with pores, the size of which allows you to hold particles of 3 microns or more. 7. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the biocide is presented in the form of one or more tablets. 8. Installation according to 7, characterized in that the tablets are stacked on top of each other. 9. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the biocide is a chemical compound that delivers active chlorine to water. 10. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an indication means that shows the consumption of all available biocide after a certain period of time. 11. Installation according to claim 10, characterized in that the indicating means provides a visual indication. 12. Installation according to claim 11, characterized in that the indicating means comprises a color neutral tablet located at the top of the stack of biocide tablets and a viewing window at the bottom of the chemical distribution unit, which allows visual inspection of the lowest tablet. 13. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a means of shutting off water, which ensures that the water flow does not go through the flow control device, if the biocide is fully used. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the water shutoff means comprises said neutral tablet made of a magnetic material coated with a biocide-neutral material, and a readout magnet located at the bottom of the chemical distribution unit, whereby the entire biocide is generated both magnets come so close to each other that they are attracted, after which a valve is activated that blocks the flow of water from the control device. 15. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the water is held in a settling chamber for an average of 30 to 300 minutes. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the water is held in the settling chamber for an average of 60 to 180 minutes. 17. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the settling chamber is divided into two or more horizontal sections using partitions. 18. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the neutralization unit contains bacteriostatic activated carbon. 19. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow of water through the neutralization unit flows upward. 20. Installation for purification of gravity-fed water, containing:
a feed chamber having a coarse filter through which water to be cleaned passes into the feed chamber;
a filter block of a carbon block and a correspondingly shaped non-woven sediment filter, which can be replaced / washed, used to separate solid and dissolved compounds from the inlet water, which is connected to a chemical distribution block containing an indicator, while the water flowing from the filter to as long as the water does not come into contact with the biocide supplied from the chemical distribution unit, the flow control means containing the control tank and siphon controls the water e that settles in the settling chamber for a predetermined period of time before it leaves the water treatment plant through the neutralizing unit in which the flow moves upwardly and which serves to isolate the biocide from the water at the outlet.

Images