RU2515317C1 - Liquid mineralisation method and system for realising said method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: liquid mineralisation method involves saturating drinking water, which is purified by reverse osmosis, with mineral substances and washing the retention means of the working medium of the mineralisation unit. In the disclosed system, the mineralisation unit 3 is connected to a storage tank 4 by one working line with the possibility of returning the mineralised liquid in the reverse direction on that working line through the mineralisation unit 3 into a clean water 2 tap.

EFFECT: designing a method and a system which enable uniform mineralisation of a liquid over the entire operational life of the liquid mineralisation system, highly reliable and simple design, longer working life of the mineralisation system, the system for carrying out the liquid mineralisation method has a reliable and simple design, which enables its wide use in purifying drinking water.

14 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The group of inventions relates to the technology of mineralization of liquids, mainly drinking water, and can be included in water purification systems that use reverse osmosis membranes.

In the prior art, devices and methods for mineralizing a liquid are known, which may not always be compatible with the new liquid purification devices of the invention.

In the prior art, a device for producing water enriched in magnesium and calcium, an application for invention in the United States [US 2011/0100890 A1, IPC B01D 61/10, publ. 05/05/2011]. In accordance with the invention, tap water is subjected to preliminary filtration by passing it through activated carbon located in the prefilter. At the next stage, with the help of a fluid transfer means, water is supplied to the reverse osmosis unit for the purpose of deep cleaning of impurities harmful to the human body, then demineralized water is passed through a mineralizing composition located in the mineralization unit, followed by collection of mineralized water in a storage tank. Before supplying water from the storage tank to the consumer, it is additionally filtered to remove unpleasant odors by passing through activated carbon located in the post filter, located along the flow of water behind the storage tank in front of the clean water tap. The process is linear and all equipment is connected in series. The main objective of the invention is the saturation of purified drinking water with magnesium, where a calcium-containing component is used to control and adjust the pH of the water.

The means of holding the working medium of the mineralization block located in the mineralization block at the water inlet and outlet, and also between the magnesium and calcium components, as this device is used, accumulate particles of the mineralizing component on its surface or inside it, thereby increasing the resistance of the liquid entering storage capacity, leading to a deterioration in the throughput of the mineralization unit.

The disadvantage of the claimed invention [US 2011/0100890 A1] is the presence of an additional unit that performs the function of a post-filter, filled with filter material, located in front of the clean water tap. This increases the dimensions of the installation system for water treatment.

The prior art method of mineralization of liquids [US 7,507,334, IPC B01D 33/00, publ. March 24, 2009], which is close in technical essence to the claimed invention and selected by us as a prototype. According to the invention, tap water is pre-purified and filtered by passing it through a sediment filter and a pre-filter filled with activated carbon. Next, the water is fed into the reverse osmosis unit, after which the water has a pH of 6.5. In the next step, demineralized water is supplied to a mineralization unit having means for retaining the mineralizing and filtering compositions. Then, already mineralized water with a pH of 7.0 is sent from the mineralization unit by means of a fluid transfer means to a storage tank such as a water-air tank. In this case, the means for moving the liquid from the mineralization unit to the storage tank, according to the patent US 7,507,334, contains two check valves, which are designed to orient the direction of fluid flow from the mineralization unit to the storage tank when the outlet channel is closed. At the moment of opening the tap of pure water by the consumer, the mineralized water from the storage tank through the means of moving the liquid with the help of check valves is sent to the mineralization unit for additional processing. Moreover, the direction of the water flow through the mineralization unit is set to the same as at the stage of processing demineralized water. Mineralized water with a pH of 7.0 from the storage tank passes through the contents of the mineralization block again, which helps to increase the pH of the water to 8.0, and leaves the system through a clean water tap.

A disadvantage of the present invention is the inability to flush the contents of the mineralization unit. The creation of a liquid recirculation line by incorporating check valves between the mineralization unit and the storage tank in the design does not solve the problem of backwashing the means of holding the working medium of the mineralization unit. As the filter composition according to the invention [US 7,507,334], activated carbon is used, the particles of which can get into the means of holding the working medium of the mineralization block, which negatively affects the throughput of the mineralization block and leads to uneven outflow of liquid from the tap of pure water. This affects the consumer properties of the water treatment system.

The prior art device is known [US 7,303,666 B1, IPC B01D 29/62, 29/50, 63/00, 61/00, publ. December 4, 2007], which is close in technical essence to the claimed invention and selected by us as a prototype system for the implementation of mineralization of liquids. The device according to US 7,303,666 contains a water input means connected to the source, an automatic control valve located in front of the reverse osmosis unit, which stops the water supply from the source to the reverse osmosis unit when the storage tank is filled with purified water and starts supplying water to the reverse osmosis unit if it is consumed. In the fluid moving means behind the reverse osmosis unit, a check valve 3 is installed with the possibility of blocking the flow of water into the reverse osmosis unit at the time of water intake by the consumer through the water drainage means. Then, a block filter filled with filtering material for filtering water is connected to the non-return valve in the direction of the water flow. The filter block is connected to a storage tank, such as a water tank, by means of a fluid transfer means. At the same time, this fluid transfer means connecting the filter block and the storage tank is equipped with two check valves 1 and 2, which are designed to orient the direction of the water flow when the water drainage means is open or closed. The check valve 2 blocks the flow of purified water from the reverse osmosis unit into the storage tank, thereby orienting the direction of the flow of water into the filter block, followed by the collection of filtered water in the storage tank. The check valve 1 is designed to block the flow of water coming from the storage tank into the clean water tap, thereby orienting the direction of the flow of water through the check valve 2 into the filter block.

Thus, water passes double filtration through one filter block. The device according to US patent 7,303,666 due to check valves located in the fluid moving means from the block filter to the storage tank, provides double water filtration using one block filter and the possibility of liquid passing in one direction through this block filter.

The disadvantage of this device is its complex design. Additional compounds increase the risk of water leakage and are a potential zone of accumulation of bacteria that eventually penetrate the clean water line and impair its quality.

The general objective of the group of inventions with the required technical result achieved using the group of inventions is the development of a new effective method and system that allows for uniform mineralization of the liquid throughout the life of the liquid mineralization system, increasing reliability and simplifying the design, increasing the life of the mineralization system.

The task and the required technical result when using the group of inventions are achieved by the fact that by the method of mineralization of the liquid purified by the reverse osmosis method, including passing the initial liquid through the inlet channel into at least one mineralization unit filled with a working medium with at least one means of holding the working medium, followed by the passage of the mineralized liquid from the mineralization unit through the means of moving the liquid into the storage tank and from the storage tank cutting the mineralization block into the outlet channel, according to the invention, the liquid exits the mineralization block into the storage tank and enters the mineralization block from the storage tank along one working line, and at least one agent is flushed when the liquid flows in the opposite direction from the storage tank through the mineralization block retention of the working medium, which performs the function of a post filter, located inside the mineralization block in front of the outlet for the liquid entering the outlet channel.

The task and the required technical result when using the group of inventions are achieved by the fact that in the system of mineralization of the liquid purified by reverse osmosis, containing an inlet channel with a check valve designed to prevent leakage of liquid from the system, at least one block of mineralization filled with a working medium with at least one means of holding the working medium, connected by means of moving the liquid to the storage tank located behind the mineralization unit, and the output the channel with the clear water tap, according to the invention, the mineralization unit is connected to the storage tank by one working line with the possibility of returning the mineralized liquid in the opposite direction along this working line through the mineralization unit at the request of the consumer, and when the outlet channel with the clear water tap is open, at least , one means of retaining the working medium of the mineralization unit, located inside the mineralization unit in front of the outlet for the liquid flowing under pressure from the storage tank consumer, performs post-filter function, rinse the inside of the mineralization in the block. In this case, the mineralization unit is equipped with at least one means of retaining the working medium of the mineralization unit, which performs the function of a post-filter, made with the possibility of replacing the working medium, where at least one means of holding the working medium of the mineralization unit is made in the form of a polymeric material, a hollow fiber membrane or a porous block, and as the working medium of the mineralization block, a bulk type filler is used, and a mixture of mineralizing and filtering materials is used as a bulk type filler erialov or mineralizing and filtering material is arranged in layers. As the mineralizing material, materials based on magnesium and / or calcium compounds are used, for example, dolomite, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium silicate, magnesium chloride, magnesium oxide, and as a filter material, ion-exchange and / or sorption material, where as ion-exchange material use ion-exchange fibers, and activated carbon or silver-containing activated carbon are used as sorption material, where mineralizing and at least one filter materials in the form of a porous block, the porous block which is used with a pore size less than the particle size of mineralizing bulk type material, thus mineralization unit is adapted to replace it.

In contrast to the prototype, in the proposed method of mineralization of the liquid, the supply of mineralized liquid from the storage tank to the consumer is carried out by creating the reverse direction of the fluid flow through the mineralization unit, while at least one means of holding the working medium of the mineralization unit located inside the mineralization unit in front of the outlet is flushed for liquid entering the outlet channel in a direction conducive to increased dissolution of at least part of the check the working medium mineralization unit, with particle separation, including fines or dust particles of the working medium from the inner surface of the retaining means operating medium mineralization unit that performs the function of the postfilter.

The proposed method of mineralization of the liquid is absent in the prior art. Its implementation in the proposed liquid mineralization system allows the use of finely divided mineralizing and filtering materials (1-3 mm fraction) as a working medium, which significantly contributes to improving the quality of drinking water obtained through deeper filtration. In the known method of liquid mineralization (prototype), the use of small fractions of the mineralizing and filtering composition is unacceptable, as this can cause clogging of the means of holding the working medium, which will lead to a pressure differential in the water treatment system and uneven flow of liquid from the clean water tap.

However, if the fluid flow is directed in one direction, as in the prototype, then over time particles of the mineralizing material or at least filter material, for example, activated carbon, penetrate into the medium holding medium and stick to them on the surface of the medium holding medium for the mineralization block, which leads to a decrease in throughput and, as a consequence, a drop in pressure in the system. The use of finely divided mineralizing and filtering materials as a working medium significantly contributes to uniform mineralization of the liquid due to the uniform dissolution of particles of the mineralizing material.

Unlike the prototype in the proposed liquid mineralization system, the mineralization unit is connected to the storage tank by one working line with the possibility of returning the mineralized liquid in the opposite direction through the mineralization unit at the request of the consumer, and when the outlet channel with the clear water tap is open, at least one means of holding the working mineralization block medium located inside the mineralization block in front of the outlet for liquid flowing under pressure from the storage tank to the fuse, performs the function of a post-filter, washed from the inside in the mineralization unit.

According to the invention, in order to ensure the best possible passage of fluid through the mineralization unit, the direction of fluid flow is defined by a linear section between the mineralization unit and the storage tank, providing reversible longitudinal movement of the liquid.

In addition, during the operation of any liquid mineralization system, an amount of air bubbles may form and accumulate on the inner surface of the medium holding medium located inside the mineralization block in front of the liquid outlet to the outlet channel, which will at least adversely affect the process of dissolution of the mineralizing component, since the contact area is reduced, and the throughput of the entire mineralization unit is also deteriorated. Through the use of the proposed method, this problem is solved. Since the direction of fluid movement through the mineralization unit to the storage tank and in the opposite direction from the storage tank through the mineralization unit to the consumer reduces the formation of bubbles, which contributes to the normal passage of liquid through the working medium of the mineralization unit.

Therefore, the proposed design of a liquid mineralization system allows to increase resistance to cyclic loads by improving the throughput of the mineralization unit during operation of this system. This, in turn, increases the life of this system, provides an increase in the reliability of its use and obtaining a higher quality liquid, mainly drinking, throughout the life of the liquid mineralization system.

According to the invention, the mineralization unit can be made non-separable, where the body and cover are welded by friction welding, for example, from Moplen HP500N polypropylene (LyondellBasell), or prefabricated, where the body and cover are made with a threaded connection. The use of a mineralization unit of an integral structure allows the entire mineralization block to be replaced, while the use of a prefabricated structure allows the mineralization of a mineralization block to be replaced. In this case, a bulk type filler is used as the working medium, where mineralizing and filtering materials are used as the bulk type filler, where materials based on magnesium and / or calcium compounds, for example dolomite, are used as the mineralizing material (Hebei Chida Manufacture and Trade Co., China) and / or magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium silicate, magnesium chloride, magnesium oxide, and activated carbon, for example, PJA2050W-60 (Philippines-Japan Active Carbon Corporation), is used as a filter material. At least one means of retaining the working medium of the mineralization unit, located inside the mineralization unit in front of the outlet for liquid under pressure from the storage tank to the consumer, is made, for example, in the form of polymer material Packline 3500 (Polymer Group Inc., France) and OKILON 2516 (OHKI Co., Japan). In accordance with the present invention, a storage tank 5 can be used as a storage tank 5, which serves not only as a storage of mineralized liquid, but also serves as a displacement device. The storage tank is made, for example, of glass-filled polypropylene of the brand Borealis GB205U, with an elastic chamber located inside it, made of thermoplastic elastomer of the brand Dryflex 600601 SEBS ELASTO, for mineralized water.

The disclosure of the essence of the group of inventions is illustrated by the following drawings:

figure 1 shows a General diagram of a system of mineralization of a liquid;

figure 2 shows the block of mineralization, filled with mineralizing and filtering compositions with at least one means of holding the working medium.

The liquid mineralization system (Fig. 1) contains a check valve 1 sequentially located at a point between the inlet channel of the source liquid and the clean water valve 2, designed to prevent the outflow of liquid from the entire system through the inlet channel of the system at the time of intake of the mineralized liquid by the consumer, a mineralization unit 3, connected by one working line 4 with a storage tank 5, for example, of the type of water-water tank, which at the same time performs the function of a displacement device.

The design of the mineralization system provides for the supply of fluid according to the "round-trip" principle, therefore, the inlet of the mineralization unit located at the inlet of the initial liquid performs the function of the inlet when the liquid enters through the mineralization unit into the storage tank, and at the time of liquid intake by the consumer, it is discharge . The outlet of the mineralization unit 3 by means of a fluid transfer means, which is one working line 4, is connected to the inlet of the storage tank 5 in order to collect and store the mineralized liquid.

The storage tank 5 can be equipped with a discharge device, which can be implemented on various operating principles used to supply liquid by pressure displacement, for example, a water-water tank or a water-air tank or a hydraulic accumulator (not shown in Fig.).

The flow rate of the liquid entering the mineralization must be sufficient for mineralization, therefore, in the particular case, the system can be supplemented with a control throttle (not shown in Fig.).

The method of mineralization of the liquid is as follows. The initial liquid that has been purified by the reverse osmosis method is fed into the mineralization unit 3, for example, filled with a mineralizing and filtering composition (Fig. 2), through the medium holding medium 6, located inside the mineralization unit 3 in the direction of the fluid flow through the mineralization unit 3 at a speed a liquid flow of 100-150 ml / min into the storage tank 5. The flow in this case has an ordered smooth flow of liquid, characterized as laminar and, as a rule, having a pH below 7. The liquid slowly spread is distributed over the entire volume of mineralization block 3, in contact, for example, first with mineralizing composition 7, and then with filtering 8 (Fig. 2) or, for example, with mineralizing and filtering compositions at the same time, if a mixture of mineralizing and filtering components is used (in Fig. not shown).

From the mineralization unit 3 through the outlet, the liquid along one working line 4 enters the storage tank 5, where it is collected until the volume is completely filled or requested by the consumer (Fig. 1).

When the tap of pure water 2 (Fig. 1) is opened by the consumer, tap water located in the discharge zone of the storage tank 5 begins to exert pressure on the walls of the elastic chamber and squeeze the mineralized water accumulated in the elastic chamber into the clean water main, namely, into the pure water tap 2. Under these conditions, tap water in the storage tank 5 occupies a minimum volume, and the pressure in the system reaches a maximum value. The flow of fluid from the storage tank 5 through the working line 4 through the mineralization unit 3 to the consumer is terminated either at the moment the clean water valve 2 is closed or at the moment the storage tank 5 is completely empty. The less liquid in the storage tank 5, the lower the pressure in the system. The flow rate of the mineralized liquid supplied from the storage tank 5 along the working line 4 through the mineralization unit 3 to the consumer is 1000-3000 ml / min. At the same time, the fluid flow under full inlet pressure flushes compacted particles of the mineralizing composition 7 from the inner surface of the holding medium 6, which acts as a post-filter, thereby increasing the throughput of the mineralization unit 3 in both directions of the fluid flow (FIG. 2). Having passed through the mineralization unit 3 again, the mineralized liquid rushes in the direction of the check valve 1 and, acting on its shut-off element, closes its passage channel and goes to the clean water valve 2. When the clean water valve 2 is closed, the shut-off element of the check valve 1 opens again with the original flow the liquid entering the mineralization, and the mineralization process is resumed with the subsequent collection of the mineralized liquid in the storage tank 5 (figure 1).

Thus, due to the implementation of the mineralization system in the form of the above method, an effective method for mineralizing the liquid with the possibility of washing the means of holding the working medium of the mineralization unit has been created. In addition, the proposed system (Fig. 1) is reliable in operation, where the mineralization unit 3 is connected to the storage tank 5 by one working line 4 with the possibility of returning the mineralized liquid in the opposite direction along this working line through the mineralization unit 3 to a clean water tap 2, connected at a point between the mineralization unit 3 and the check valve 1.

The liquid mineralization system can have various modifications, for example, include additional blocks (both after and before the mineralization block), such as photocatalytic, ion-exchange, as well as modules and cartridges filled with special resins (for example, antibacterial), ultraviolet sources and blocks electrooxidation (not shown in FIG.).

Claims (14)

1. A method of mineralizing a liquid purified by reverse osmosis by passing it through an inlet channel to at least one mineralization unit filled with a working medium with at least one means of holding the working medium, followed by the passage of the mineralized liquid from the mineralization unit through the liquid moving means to the storage tank and from the storage tank through the mineralization unit to the outlet channel, characterized in that the liquid exits the mineralization unit to the storage tank and from the storage tank at the same time, the liquid tank enters the mineralization unit along one working line, and when liquid flows in the opposite direction from the storage tank through the mineralization unit, at least one means of holding the working medium, which functions as a post-filter, is located inside the mineralization unit in front of the liquid outlet to the output channel. 2. A mineralization system for a liquid purified by reverse osmosis, comprising an inlet channel with a check valve designed to prevent fluid from escaping from the system, at least one mineralization unit filled with a working medium with at least one medium holding medium connected by a liquid moving means with a storage tank located behind the mineralization unit, and an outlet channel with a clear water tap, characterized in that the mineralization unit is connected to a storage tank of one p a baseline with the possibility of returning the mineralized liquid in the opposite direction along this working line through the mineralization unit at the request of the consumer, and when the outlet channel with a clean water tap is open, at least one means of holding the working medium of the mineralization block located inside the mineralization block in front of the outlet for the liquid flowing under pressure from the storage tank to the consumer, it functions as a post-filter, washed from the inside in the mineralization unit. 3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the mineralization unit is configured to replace a working medium. 4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one means of holding the working medium of the mineralization block is made in the form of a polymeric material, a hollow fiber membrane or a porous block. 5. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that a bulk type filler is used as the working medium of the mineralization unit. 6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that a mixture of mineralizing and filtering materials is used as a bulk filler. 7. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that mineralizing and filtering materials located in layers are used as a bulk filler. 8. The system according to any one of claims 6, 7, characterized in that materials based on magnesium and / or calcium compounds, for example, dolomite, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium silicate, magnesium chloride, magnesium oxide, are used as the mineralizing material. 9. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the ion-exchange and / or sorption material is used as a filter material. 10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that ion-exchange fibers are used as the ion-exchange material. 11. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that activated carbon or silver-containing activated carbon is used as the sorption material. 12. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that mineralizing and at least one filtering material in the form of a porous block is used as the working medium. 13. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that a porous block with a pore size smaller than the particle size of the bulk type mineralizing material is used. 14. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the mineralization unit is configured to be replaced.

Images