WO2021033918A1

WO2021033918A1 - Filter for water treatment device

Info

Publication number: WO2021033918A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/008849
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이진현; 유기원; 홍형기; 이상덕; 이재근; 조수창
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2019-08-19
Filing date: 2020-07-07
Publication date: 2021-02-25
Also published as: KR20210021836A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a filter for a water treatment device, which adsorbs ions of inflowing water so as to discharge water after removing the ions in the water, the filter comprising: a chamber that forms the external appearance; an electrode unit including an electrode part accommodated inside the chamber; and a power supply means for supplying power to the electrode part of the electrode unit, wherein: the electrode part comprises a current collector, a plurality of activated carbon electrodes including activated carbon formed on the surface of the current collector and having a planar shape, spacers made of an insulating material and inserted between the activated carbon electrodes in order to prevent shorting, and a plurality of electrode means which are connected to one side or the other side of the plurality of stacked activated carbon electrodes and of which at least a part is arranged in parallel with the activated carbon electrodes so as to make surface contact with the activated carbon electrodes; and the power supply means supplies current to the activated carbon electrodes through the electrode means so that neighboring activated carbon electrodes are formed by alternating cathodes and anodes.

Description

Filter for water treatment equipment

The present invention relates to a filter for a water treatment device.

In general, a water treatment device for generating purified water by treating raw water, such as a water purifier, has been disclosed in a variety of modern forms. However, among the methods applied to water treatment devices, deionization methods such as EDI (Electro Deionization), CEDI (Continuous Electro Deionization), and CDI (Capacitive Deionization) have recently been in the spotlight. Among them, the CDI type water treatment system is receiving the most attention recently.

The CDI method refers to a method of removing ions (contaminants) in water using the principle that ions are adsorbed and desorbed from the surface of an electrode by electric force.

When the treated water containing ions is passed between the electrodes (positive and negative electrodes) while voltage is applied to the electrodes, negative ions move to the positive electrode and positive ions move to the negative electrode. That is, adsorption takes place. Ions in the treated water can be removed by such adsorption.

However, such adsorption continues, and the electrode reaches a state in which ions can no longer be adsorbed. When this state is reached, ions adsorbed on the electrode are separated to regenerate the electrode. At this time, the washing water containing ions separated from the electrode is discharged to the outside. Such regeneration can be achieved by applying no voltage to the electrode, or applying a voltage as opposed to when adsorbed.

In order to use such a CDI method commercially, it is common to stack very many electrodes (anode and cathode). However, in the CDI method, the deionization performance is affected by the spacing between electrodes. That is, if the distance between electrodes in the CDI method increases, the deionization performance decreases. The reason for this is that, first, as the distance between the electrodes increases, the capacitance of the capacitor decreases. In general, the capacitance of a capacitor is inversely proportional to the spacing between the electrodes. Second, this is because the treated water quickly passes through the electrodes when the distance between the electrodes increases. When the treated water passes quickly, ions in the treated water are difficult to be adsorbed to the electrode. Therefore, even if a large number of electrodes are stacked, it is very important to keep the distance between the electrodes constant.

In the conventional case, there is a problem that the voltage supplied to each electrode is significantly smaller than the voltage applied from the power source. Therefore, there arises a problem that the ion removal rate is inevitably lowered.

In addition, depending on the distance from the power source, the voltage cannot be evenly applied to each electrode, the voltage difference between the stacked electrodes increases, and there is a problem that the ion removal performance is not uniformly secured.

In Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0009619 (hereinafter, Prior Document 1), a filter for a water treatment device in which a voltage applied to an activated carbon electrode can be uniformly formed is disclosed.

However, when the capacitive desalination technology, such as in Prior Document 1, is applied to an actual home appliance, a high current becomes a problem. In particular, in the capacitive desalination, the higher the area is, the higher the current appears, which causes difficulties in configuring a PCB (PCB).

In detail, when a high current of about 10A or more exceeding the maximum allowable household current flows, the PCB size increases, leading to an increase in cost. Therefore, a technology of forming a current of 10A or less is required to apply it to a real home.

In addition, in the case of Prior Document 1, an elution problem occurs when an electrode made of brass is in contact with water. Various substances are eluted into the water by the brass electrode used to apply the even voltage. The brass electrode material is composed of zinc, copper, tin, and iron, of which zinc and copper are the most eluted.

In addition, in the capacitive desalination technology as in Prior Document 1, the electrode made of carbon has a thin structure of 500 µm per sheet, and the more the reaction is repeatedly performed, the performance decreases due to the formation of scale and deterioration of carbon. Particularly, deterioration reaction due to carbon oxidation occurs in the (+) electrode due to repetitive operation, and scale is formed in the (-) electrode due to the reduction of dissolved oxygen, causing continuous performance degradation.

That is, in the case of the conventional capacitive desalination technology as in Prior Document 1, there was a problem in that zinc, copper, etc., are eluted from an electrode made of brass material exposed to the outside, and a current exceeding the maximum household current is required. PCB), there was a problem of increasing the price, and there was a problem that scale was accumulated on the electrode surface or a deterioration reaction occurred, and the performance was deteriorated when repeatedly used.

An object of the present invention is to provide a filter for a water treatment device capable of preventing metal components from being eluted from electrode means, including a shaft member made of a metal material included in the electrode portion.

In addition, a plurality of electrode units are combined to form one module, but an object thereof is to provide a filter for a water treatment device capable of maintaining a required operating current to a minimum.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a filter for a water treatment apparatus in which the reliability of the electrode is maintained even when used repeatedly, and the performance of the electrode is ensured.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a filter for a water treatment device capable of maintaining the durability of an electrode even when used repeatedly.

A filter for a water treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber forming an outer shape, an electrode unit including an electrode portion accommodated inside the chamber, and a power supply means for supplying power to the electrode portion of the electrode unit.

The electrode unit includes a current collector and activated carbon formed on the surface of the current collector, a plurality of activated carbon electrodes formed in a plate shape, an insulating material spacer inserted between the activated carbon electrodes to prevent a short, and the stacked plurality of It includes a plurality of electrode means connected to one side or the other side of the activated carbon electrode, at least partly arranged in parallel with the activated carbon electrode, and making surface contact with the activated carbon electrode.

The power supply means supplies current to the activated carbon electrode through the electrode means so that adjacent activated carbon electrodes alternately form an anode and a cathode.

The plurality of activated carbon electrodes may be connected in parallel.

A plurality of electrode units may be provided, and the plurality of electrode units may be connected in series.

The electrode means includes a first electrode means and a second electrode means that are spaced apart from each other, and the activated carbon electrode may be connected to an adjacent activated carbon electrode and an electrode means different from each other.

In the activated carbon electrode, a portion connected to the electrode means may protrude outward to form an electrode connection.

The electrode means may include a vertical portion formed parallel to the stacking direction of the activated carbon electrode, and a plurality of horizontal portions formed parallel to the activated carbon electrode and connected to the vertical portion.

The horizontal portion and the activated carbon electrode may have connection holes formed at positions corresponding to each other, and a shaft member made of a conductor may be inserted into the connection hole.

The shaft member may have a coating layer of an insulating material formed on a side exposed to the outside.

The coating layer may be formed by inserting a tube made of an insulating material to the outside of the shaft member and contracting the tube while applying heat to the tube. The tube may be in close contact with the outside of the shaft member.

The coating layer may be formed by coating an epoxy on the outside of the shaft member.

When the N-th treated water is supplied to the electrode unit, the power supply means may supply current in one direction and adsorb ions to the activated carbon electrode to remove ions from water.

When the N+1 th treated water is supplied to the electrode unit, the power supply means may supply current in a direction opposite to the one direction, and adsorb ions to the activated carbon electrode to remove ions in water.

When the washing water is supplied to the electrode unit, the power supply means may supply current in two directions opposite to the one direction, and discharge ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode into water, thereby regenerating the activated carbon electrode.

The activated carbon electrode may be formed by applying a mixture of activated carbon particles, conductive polymer particles, and a binder on the surface of the current collector.

The chamber may include an inlet through which water is introduced, a discharge port through which water is discharged, and an internal space communicating with the inlet and the discharge port.

In the activated carbon electrode, a water outlet communicating with the discharge port may be perforated in parallel with a stacking direction.

The chamber may include a body portion forming the inner space and having one side open, and a cover portion opening and closing the open side of the body portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the metal component from eluting from the electrode means, including a shaft member made of a metal material included in the electrode part.

According to the present invention, a plurality of electrode units are combined to form one module, but the required operating current can be kept to a minimum.

According to the present invention, even during repeated use, reliability of the electrode is maintained, so that the performance of the electrode can be secured.

According to the present invention, even when used repeatedly, durability of the electrode can be maintained.

According to the present invention, water can be softened by lowering the hardness in water.

According to the present invention, the voltage applied to the activated carbon electrode can be uniformly formed.

According to the present invention, a difference between a voltage supplied from a power source and a voltage applied to the activated carbon electrode can be reduced.

According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the desalination efficiency in the electrode without loss of energy.

According to the present invention, the filtering force can be ensured in all regions, regardless of the stacking position of the electrodes.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent partial deterioration of the electrode or partial damage to the electrode due to the application of an even voltage.

According to the present invention, the voltage can be stably and evenly distributed to each electrode.

According to the present invention, ion removal performance can be improved.

According to the present invention, since the stacking is free, the stacking height can be variously set according to the required processing capacity and processing speed.

According to the present invention, ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode can be easily removed to maintain a constant ion removal capability of the electrode portion.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the hardness of the introduced water can be removed more quickly and evenly in the entire region of the electrode unit, so that desalination efficiency can be secured and water of a target concentration (ppm) can be generated and supplied more quickly.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage of being able to respond to immediate drinking demand by processing a high-concentration hardness material in a short time.

1 is a perspective view of a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a conceptual diagram of a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

3 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which water is purified in the filter for the water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the filter for the water treatment device shown in FIG. 2 is regenerated;

5 is a plan view of an electrode part constituting a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

6 is a longitudinal sectional view of area'A' of FIG. 5;

7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a coating layer is formed on a shaft member in FIG. 6.

8 is a conceptual diagram showing a connection state of an electrode unit, which is a main configuration of the present invention.

9 is a graph showing a change in a voltage value supplied to an electrode unit over time.

10 is a table comparing the hardness removal rate of the alternate driving method as in the present invention and the hardness removal rate of the conventional driving method.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented below, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can use the addition, change, deletion, and addition of components to other embodiments included within the scope of the same idea. It will be possible to implement easily, but it will be said that this is also included within the scope of the inventive concept.

The drawings attached to the following examples are examples of the same inventive idea, but in order to be easily understood, within the scope of the inventive idea not being damaged, the representation of fine parts may be differently expressed for each drawing. And, depending on the drawings, a specific part may not be displayed or may be exaggerated according to the drawings.

The water treatment device according to the present invention may correspond to various purification devices such as a water purifier and a water softener. In addition, purification means installed in a washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, or the like may be applicable.

In the water treatment apparatus according to the present invention, various embodiments may occur in a range in which ions and hardness substances contained in raw water introduced from the outside are electro-adsorbed and then discharged.

Hereinafter, a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The filter for a water treatment apparatus according to the present invention may refer to one filter and may refer to several filters.

1 is a perspective view of a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 2, the filter for the water treatment device has an inlet 101 through which water is introduced, and a discharge port 102 through which water is discharged, and communicates with the inlet 101 and the discharge port 102. It includes a chamber 100 having an internal space.

In addition, the electrode part 200 may be accommodated inside the chamber 100.

A water outlet 201 communicating with the discharge port 102 may be perforated in the electrode part 200 in parallel with the stacking direction.

That is, the electrode part 200 is accommodated in the inner space of the chamber 100, and water is introduced into the inner space of the chamber 100 from the outside through the inlet 101. At this time, the introduced water passes through the electrode part 200 and then exits the chamber 100 through the discharge port 102. In this process, ions contained in water may be adsorbed and removed by the electrode part 200 while passing through the electrode part 200.

In this embodiment, the chamber 100 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the inlet 101 and the discharge port 102 may be formed in a direction perpendicular to each other.

When the inlet 101 and the discharge port 102 are formed in the vertical direction as described above, the discharge port 102 is formed parallel to the stacking direction of the electrode part 200. It is formed in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. That is, it is formed to face the side surface of the electrode part 200.

Accordingly, water supplied to the inlet 101 is supplied to the side of the electrode unit 200, and as a result, it can be evenly supplied to the entire thickness of the electrode unit 200.

If water is supplied in a direction adjacent to the uppermost or lowermost end of the electrode unit 200, water is sequentially moved along the stacking direction of the electrode unit 200. Then, ion adsorption proceeds intensively only at the electrode portion located at the top or the bottom where water is first supplied, and thus a difference in the degree of ion adsorption occurs for each layer of the electrode portion 200.

On the other hand, as in the present invention, when water is supplied through the side surface of the electrode part 200, water may be evenly supplied to the entire thickness of the electrode part 200.

In addition, after water is evenly supplied in the lateral direction of the electrode part 200 as described above, water flowing from the lateral direction of the electrode part 200 to the center side and ion exchanged water is a water outlet formed in the center of the electrode part 200 You can escape to the outside through (201).

In this embodiment, the chamber 100 may include a body portion 110 forming an inner space and an open side of the body portion 110, and a cover portion 120 for opening and closing the open side of the body portion 110. have.

The body portion 110 and the cover 120 may be fixed and separated through separate fastening means (not shown) such as bolts.

In this case, a discharge port 102 may be formed in the cover part 120.

When the chamber 100 is separated into the body portion 110 and the cover portion 120 as described above, the inner space of the chamber 100 is exposed to the outside, so that it is easier to stack the electrode portion 200 in the inner space. Can be done.

In addition, when a problem occurs in the chamber 100, the cover unit 120 may be separated to facilitate inspection and maintenance.

In addition, even if the electrode unit 200 is replaced, the chamber 100 can be used semi-permanently.

In addition, when the chamber 100 is separated into the body portion 110 and the cover portion 120, the assembly properties of the product are improved, thereby increasing productivity and securing mass production.

The filter for a water treatment device according to the present invention includes an electrode part 200.

In this case, the electrode unit 200 may be composed of one electrode unit 200a, or may be configured by stacking a plurality of electrode units 200a.

For example, the electrode unit 200a includes a current collector 211, a plurality of activated carbon electrodes 210 made of an activated carbon coating layer 212 formed by coating activated carbon on one or both sides of the current collector 211, and the stacked A plurality of electrode means 220 connected to one end or the other end of the plurality of activated carbon electrodes 210 and a spacer 230 made of an insulating material inserted to prevent a short between the activated carbon electrodes 210, and , Adsorption of the ions of the introduced water to remove the ions in the water and then discharge.

The activated carbon electrode 210 may be formed by applying a mixture of activated carbon particles, conductive polymer particles, and a binder on the surface of the current collector 211.

In addition, the electrode unit 200a supplies current to the activated carbon electrode 210 through the electrode means 220 so that the adjacent activated carbon electrodes 210 alternately form a positive electrode (+ electrode) and a negative electrode (-pole). It is connected to the power supply means 240.

Meanwhile, as described above, the activated carbon electrode 210 includes a current collector 211 and an activated carbon coating layer 212.

For reference, the activated carbon electrode 210 may be provided with activated carbon and various known embodiments may be applied within a range in which an electrode is formed.

The current collector 211 is in the form of a thin film and may be provided as an electric conductor. For example, the current collector 211 may be provided with a graphite foil, and in addition, various types of conductors may be adopted as the current collector 211.

The activated carbon coating layer 212 is formed on one or both surfaces of the current collector 211.

The activated carbon coating layer 212 includes activated carbon. Therefore, when impurities of raw water are adsorbed to the activated carbon coating layer 212 by electrostatic attraction, the adsorbed impurities move through diffusion into the pores called macro pores on the surface of the activated carbon, and then the mesopores ( Meso pores) or micro pores can be finally adsorbed and removed.

The number of stacked activated carbon electrodes 210 as described above may be variously adjusted according to the degree of hardness adjustment required.

In this embodiment, the activated carbon coating layer 212 may be formed only on one surface of the current collector 211. As such, the activated carbon electrode 210 in which the activated carbon coating layer 212 is formed only on one surface of the current collector 211 may be disposed at the top and bottom ends of the electrode unit 200a.

At this time, the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top is disposed so that the activated carbon coating layer 212 faces downward, and the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the lowest end is disposed so that the activated carbon coating layer 212 faces upward.

In addition, the activated carbon coating layer 212 may be formed on both sides of the current collector 211. In this way, the activated carbon electrode 210 having the activated carbon coating layer 212 formed on both sides of the current collector 211 may be disposed in the center of the electrode unit 200a except for the uppermost and lowermost ends.

When the activated carbon coating layer 212 is formed on both sides of the current collector 211 as described above, impurities contained in raw water can be adsorbed on both sides of the current collector 211, thereby improving the adsorption rate and adsorption performance of impurities. have.

In addition, since the activated carbon coating layers 212 are formed on both sides of one current collector 211, the number of current collectors 211 can be reduced. As a result, the thickness of the electrode unit 200a is reduced, and the electrode unit 200a ) Can be reduced in weight, and the manufacturing cost of the electrode unit 200a can be saved. In addition, the amount of stacked activated carbon electrodes 210 may be increased.

The spacer 230 is disposed between the activated carbon electrodes 210. The spacers 230 form a gap between the activated carbon electrodes 210 and prevent a short between the activated carbon electrodes 210. In addition, the raw water may be purified while passing between the activated carbon electrodes 210 through the spacer 230.

Accordingly, the spacer 230 is made of a non-conductor and a water-permeable material, thereby preventing a short between the activated carbon electrodes 210 and providing a flow path through which raw water through which purified water proceeds passes. As an example, the spacer 230 may be formed of a nylon material in which a plurality of passages are formed.

Meanwhile, the electrode means 220 may be provided in a pair, connected to one or the other end portions of the stacked activated carbon electrodes 210, and may be provided as an electric conductor. For example, the electrode means 220 may be formed of a copper (Cu) material.

In addition, the electrode means 220 may be provided in two or more.

According to the present invention, contact between the electrode means 220 and the activated carbon electrode 210 may be made stably. To this end, at least a portion of the electrode means 220 may be arranged side by side with the activated carbon electrode 210 to make surface contact with the activated carbon electrode 210.

That is, the activated carbon electrodes 210 are stacked in parallel with each other, and a part of the electrode means 220 between the activated carbon electrodes 210 is inserted in parallel with the activated carbon electrode 210, and the electrode means 220 and the activated carbon electrode 210 ) Makes an interview.

Accordingly, the contact area between the activated carbon electrode 210 and the electrode means 220 is increased, so that current supply can be made more reliably and stably. In addition, by the electrode means 220 in surface contact with the activated carbon electrode 210, the conductivity between the activated carbon electrodes 210 may also be improved. Accordingly, the voltage supplied from the power source can be applied to the activated carbon electrode 210 without loss. In addition, a voltage supplied from a power source may be uniformly applied to each of the activated carbon electrodes 210.

A detailed description of the connection between the electrode means 220 and the activated carbon electrode 210 will be described together with the power supply means 240 and 250 to be described later.

The power supply means 240 and 250 may include a power supply 240 and an electric wire 250.

In the power supply 240, a voltage may be applied within a range in which water decomposition of raw water is not performed and ion adsorption is possible. For example, the power supply 240 may apply a voltage of 1.5V or less.

On the other hand, depending on the direction of the current flowing through the power supply means (240, 250), the electrode unit 220 has a positive or negative electrode.

In the present embodiment, the electrode means 220 may include a first electrode means 221 and a second electrode means 222 disposed spaced apart from each other.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the first electrode means 221 disposed on the right side of the drawing is a positive electrode (+), the second electrode means 222 disposed on the left side of the drawing may be a negative electrode (-). have.

Conversely, if the first electrode means 221 disposed on the right side of the drawing is a cathode (-), the second electrode means 222 disposed on the left side of the drawing may be a positive electrode (+).

As described above, the first electrode means 221 and the second electrode means 222 disposed on both sides of the activated carbon electrode 210 have an anode and a cathode according to the direction in which the current flows.

Hereinafter, the electrode means 220 on which the anode is formed is referred to as an anode, and the electrode means 220 on which the cathode is formed is referred to as a cathode.

The plurality of stacked activated carbon electrodes 210 should be formed alternately between adjacent activated carbon electrodes 210 and anodes and cathodes. Here, the meaning of neighboring means that the spacer 230 is placed therebetween and is adjacent. That is, the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top of the drawing may be considered to be adjacent to the second activated carbon electrode 210 disposed immediately below the spacer 230 therebetween.

As described above, in order to alternately form the activated carbon electrode 210 adjacent to the activated carbon electrode 210 and an anode and a cathode, an anode and a cathode are formed on the electrode means 220 disposed on both sides of the activated carbon electrode 210, respectively, The plurality of stacked activated carbon electrodes 210 should be alternately connected to adjacent activated carbon electrodes 210 and an anode and a cathode, respectively.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the right side of the drawing is the anode and the left side of the drawing is the cathode, the first activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top of the drawing is connected to the anode at the right side, and the second activated carbon disposed below it The electrode 210 may be connected to the cathode on the left. In addition, the third activated carbon electrode 210 disposed below the second activated carbon electrode 210 may be connected to the positive electrode on the right side, and the fourth activated carbon electrode 210 disposed below the third activated carbon electrode 210 may be connected to the left negative electrode. .

At this time, the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the positive electrode is electrically separated from the negative electrode, and the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the negative electrode is electrically separated from the positive electrode.

In addition, even if the right side of the drawing is the anode and the left side of the drawing is the cathode, the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top of the drawing is connected to the cathode at the left, and the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed below it is It can also be connected to the anode.

As another example, when the right side of the drawing is the cathode and the left side of the drawing is the anode, the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top of the drawing is connected to the anode at the left, and the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed below it is the cathode at the right side. Can be connected with.

In addition, even if the right side of the drawing is the cathode and the left side of the drawing is the anode, the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top of the drawing is connected to the cathode at the right side, and the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed below it is It can also be connected to the anode.

In this case, similarly, the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the positive electrode is electrically separated from the negative electrode, and the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the negative electrode is electrically separated from the positive electrode.

As an example, so that the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the positive electrode 210 can be electrically separated from the negative electrode, the negative electrode is disposed apart from the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the positive electrode, and the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the negative electrode is electrically separated from the positive electrode. Thus, the anode may be spaced apart from the activated carbon electrode 210 connected to the cathode.

3 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which water is purified in the filter for a water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which the filter for a water treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is regenerated.

First, referring to FIG. 3, in a state in which the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed on the left side of the drawing is charged as an anode, and the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed on the right side of the drawing is charged as a negative electrode, raw water between the activated carbon electrodes 210 When passing through, negative ions (-) contained in raw water are adsorbed to the activated carbon electrode 210 on the left side charged with the positive electrode, and positive ions (+) contained in raw water are adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode 210 on the right side charged with the negative electrode. do.

While the anions (-) and cations (+) contained in the raw water are adsorbed and removed by the above process, the raw water can be purified.

On the contrary, when the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed on the right side of the drawing is charged as a positive electrode, and the activated carbon electrode 210 disposed on the left side of the drawing is charged as a negative electrode, when raw water is passed through the activated carbon electrodes 210, the raw water is The included negative ions (-) may be adsorbed to the activated carbon electrode 210 on the right side charged with the positive electrode, and the positive ions (+) contained in the raw water may be adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode 210 on the left side charged with the negative electrode.

In this case, the raw water can easily pass between the activated carbon electrodes 210 through the permeable spacers 230 disposed between the activated carbon electrodes 210 to prevent short circuits and secure a flow path.

However, as the above-described adsorption continues, when the number of ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode 210 is increased, the activated carbon electrode 210 cannot adsorb ions any more, or the ion adsorption power is significantly lowered.

When this state is reached, it is necessary to regenerate the activated carbon electrode 210 by separating ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode 210 as shown in FIG. 4.

As described above, as a method for regenerating the activated carbon electrode 210, there is a method of blocking the supply of current, and a method of flowing an electric current opposite to the case of adsorbing ions.

In the case of the present invention, when the N-th treated water is supplied to the electrode part 200, the power supply means 240 and 250 supply current in one direction and adsorb ions to the activated carbon electrode 210 to absorb ions in water. Remove.

And, the power supply means (240, 250), when the washing water is supplied to the electrode unit 200, supply current in two directions opposite to the one direction, and discharge the ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode into the water, the The activated carbon electrode can also be regenerated.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 3, an anion (-) contained in raw water is adsorbed on the left activated carbon electrode 210 charged with the positive electrode, and the activated carbon electrode on the right in which positive ions (+) contained in the raw water are charged as a negative electrode. In order to regenerate the activated carbon electrode 210 in the state of being adsorbed on 210, the activated carbon electrode 210 on the left side of the drawing is charged to the cathode by changing the flow of current, and the activated carbon electrode 210 on the right side of the drawing is charged to the anode. Let it.

Then, the negative ions (-) adsorbed on the left activated carbon electrode 210 during the water purification process are separated from the left activated carbon electrode 210 charged with the negative electrode, and the positive ions that were adsorbed on the right activated carbon electrode 210 during the water purification process ( +) is separated from the positively charged activated carbon electrode 210 on the right.

As described above, the positive ions (+) and negative ions (-) separated by the activated carbon electrodes 210 on both sides are discharged to the outside together with the washing water.

When the ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode 210 are removed through the cleaning process of the activated carbon electrode 210 as described above, the ion removing ability of the electrode unit 200a is regenerated, so that the ion removing ability can be kept constant. .

The electrode unit 200a configured as described above may constitute the electrode unit 200 as a single body, and may be provided in plural and then stacked in several layers to configure the electrode unit 200.

When the electrode part 200 as described above is used, since ions in water are rapidly removed, the hardness of water is lowered, so that water can be softened.

Further, although not shown, if necessary, an ion exchange membrane may be provided to further increase the ion removal rate of the electrode part 200. When the ion exchange membrane is used as described above, the ion exchange membrane may be disposed between the spacer 230 and the activated carbon electrode 210.

Hereinafter, a structure of an electrode part, which is a part of the present invention, and a connection structure between the electrode part and the activated carbon electrode will be described in more detail.

5 is a plan view of an electrode part constituting a filter for a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a region'A' of FIG. 5.

First, a structure in which the stacked activated carbon electrodes 210 are alternately connected to adjacent activated carbon electrodes 210 and an anode and a cathode will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 6.

The activated carbon electrode 210 may protrude outside a portion connected to the electrode means 220 to form electrode connection portions 213 and 213'.

For example, when electrodes are formed on one side and the other side of the activated carbon electrode 210, respectively, the first activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top has an electrode connection 213 protruding to one side at one end, and The second activated carbon electrode 210 may have an electrode connection part 213 ′ protruding to the other side at the other end. Hereinafter, the odd-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 forms an electrode connection part 213 protruding to one side at one end, and the even-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 has an electrode connection part 213 ′ protruding to the other side at the other end. Can be formed.

In this state, the electrode formed on one side is connected to the electrode connection part 213 of the odd-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 protruding to one side, and the electrode formed on the other side is the electrode connection part of the even-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 protruding to the other side ( 213') can be connected.

Here, one side and the other side may mean opposite directions that face each other, and may mean directions that are perpendicular to each other. In addition, it may mean the front-rear direction.

As another example, when electrodes are formed in front of one side and one rear side of the activated carbon electrode 210, respectively, the first activated carbon electrode 210 disposed at the top of the drawing forms an electrode connection part 213 protruding to one side in front of one side, The second activated carbon electrode 210 disposed below it may form an electrode connection part 213 ′ protruding toward one side at the rear of one side. Hereinafter, the odd-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 forms an electrode connection part 213 protruding to one side in front of one side, and the even-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 has an electrode connection part 213 ′ protruding to one side at the rear of one side. Can be formed.

In this state, the electrode formed in front of one side is connected to all of the electrode connection portions 213 of the odd-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 protruding from one front to one side, and the electrode formed on one rear side is an even-numbered electrode protruding from one rear to one side. It may be connected to all of the electrode connection portions 213 ′ of the activated carbon electrode 210.

In addition, a structure in which the plurality of stacked activated carbon electrodes 210 are alternately connected to adjacent activated carbon electrodes 210 and an anode and a cathode may occur in various embodiments.

As described above, when the activated carbon electrode 210 adjacent to the activated carbon electrode 210 and the anode and the cathode are formed alternately, heavy metals contained in raw water passing between the activated carbon electrodes 210 spaced apart by the spacer 230, etc. The ions of can be adsorbed and removed.

In addition, the electrode means 220 includes a first electrode means 221 and a second electrode means 222 disposed spaced apart from each other, and the activated carbon electrode 210 is different from the neighboring activated carbon electrodes 210 It is connected to the electrode means (221,222).

For example, the electrode connector 213 of the odd-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 protruding from one front side to one side is connected to the first electrode means 221, and the even-numbered activated carbon electrode 210 protruding from one rear side to one side. The electrode connection part 213 ′ may be connected to the second electrode means 222.

Meanwhile, the electrode means 220 includes a vertical portion 223 formed parallel to the stacking direction of the activated carbon electrode 210 and parallel to the activated carbon electrode 210, and connected to the vertical portion 223. It may include a plurality of horizontal portions 224.

Both the vertical portion 223 and the horizontal portion 224 are formed of a conductor.

And, the vertical portion 223 serves to connect each of the horizontal portions 224.

In addition, the horizontal portion 224 is inserted between the activated carbon electrodes 210, and conducts electricity while making surface contact with the activated carbon electrode 210.

For example, the horizontal portion 224 may be inserted between the odd-numbered activated carbon electrodes 210 to make surface contact. As another example, the horizontal portion 224 may be inserted between the even-numbered activated carbon electrodes 210 to make surface contact.

In addition,

connection holes

213a and 224a are formed at positions corresponding to each other in the horizontal part 224 and the electrode connection part 213 of the activated carbon electrode 210, and the

connection holes

213a and 224a are formed of conductors. The shaft member 225 is inserted.

According to this, energization may proceed to each of the horizontal portion 224 and the activated carbon electrode 210 through the shaft member 225 as a conductor.

For example, the shaft member 225 may be provided with a bolt.

In addition, both ends of the shaft member 225 may be fastened with nuts 226. Accordingly, a fastening force between the horizontal portion 224 and the electrode connection portion 213 can be secured.

Referring to FIG. 7, the shaft member 225 may have an insulating material coating layer 260 formed on the side exposed to the outside.

For example, the coating layer 260 may be formed on the entire outer surface of the shaft member 225.

As another example, the coating layer 260 is the outer side of the shaft member 225 except for a portion connected to the shaft member 225 and the horizontal portion 224 and a portion connected to the shaft member 225 and the electrode connection portions 213 and 213'. It can be formed on the surface.

Herein, the shaft member 225 and the horizontal portion 224 are connected to each other and the shaft member 225 and the electrode connection portions 213 and 213' are connected to each other in the horizontal direction. It may mean a portion overlapped in the (left-right direction as referenced in FIG. 7) and a portion in which the shaft member 225 and the electrode connection portions 213 and 213' overlap in the horizontal direction (left-right direction as in FIG. 7).

Meanwhile, the coating layer 260 may be formed on the outside of the shaft member 225 by various known methods.

As an example, a tube made of an insulating material is inserted outside the shaft member 225, and the tube is contracted while applying heat to the tube, and the tube is in close contact with the outer side of the shaft member 225 to form a coating layer ( 260) can be formed.

In this case, the tube forming the coating layer 260 may be made of a material that shrinks when heat is applied.

As another example, the coating layer 260 may be formed by coating an epoxy on the outside of the shaft member 225.

As another example, the coating layer 260 may be formed of a waterproof material.

As described above, when the coating layer 260 is formed on the outside of the shaft member 225 made of a metal material, particularly copper, brass, etc., the elution of the metal component from the shaft member 225, especially the elution of copper and zinc components. Can be prevented.

The coating layer 260 may be formed on at least a portion of the vertical portion 223 and the horizontal portion 224 as well as the shaft member 225.

The coating layer 260 may be formed of a metal material and may be formed on the entire or partial surface of a component that may be in contact with water introduced into the chamber 100.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water flowing into the chamber 100 and water from contacting the vertical portion 223, the horizontal portion 224, and the shaft member 225 made of a metal material as much as possible. It is possible to prevent the metal component from eluting from the vertical portion 223, the horizontal portion 224 and the shaft member 225 of the.

8, the plurality of activated carbon electrodes 210 are connected in parallel to each other.

That is, the activated carbon electrodes 210 constituting one electrode unit 200a are connected in parallel to each other, and the same current may flow through the activated carbon electrode 210 in one electrode unit 200a.

Meanwhile, a plurality of electrode units 200a are provided, and the plurality of electrode units 200a are connected in series with each other.

When the filter of the capacitive desalination method as in the present invention is applied to an actual home appliance, a problem of high current occurs. In particular, in the capacitive desalination method, as the area of the activated carbon electrode 210 increases, a higher current appears, which causes difficulty in configuring a PCB.

However, as in the present invention, a plurality of activated carbon electrodes 210 constituting one electrode unit 200a are connected in parallel to each other, so that a uniform current is applied to each activated carbon electrode 210, and filtering performance in the entire area Can be secured.

On the other hand, since the plurality of electrode units 200a are connected in series with each other, the required current value can be lowered than when the plurality of electrode units 200a are connected in parallel.

For example, when 240 activated carbon electrodes are included in one filter, in the conventional case, 240 activated carbon electrodes have a structure connected to each other in parallel. In the case of such a conventional structure, since the electrode area is large, a driving current of 20A or more is required based on ^{1 m 2 of the activated carbon electrode.} In addition, due to such a high required operating current, the unit cost of the PCB power supply unit SMPS (Swiched-Mode Power Supply) and output control parts such as current sensors, Power FETs (Field Effect Transistors), and relays increases.

In the case of the present invention, 60 activated carbon electrodes are connected in parallel to each other in order to increase voltage and reduce current at the same time to form an electrode unit 200a, and each electrode unit 200a is connected in series.

As described above, when the parallel structure and the series structure are arranged in one module, the required power is maintained as it is, so that the voltage can be increased by 4 times and the current can be reduced to 1/4.

As in the present invention, the voltage increase and current reduction effects obtained due to the mixed structure of the series structure and the parallel structure are shown in Table 1 below.

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that when applying the series structure compared to the parallel structure, the operating current can be reduced and the current can be reduced to 8A or less as the voltage increases, and accordingly, the PCB requirement specification of the household product With less than 8A, it can be confirmed that the required operating current can be maintained.

모듈module	병렬형Parallel	3직렬3 serial	4직렬4 serial	8직렬8 serial
1장당 전극 면적(mm)Electrode area per sheet (mm)	130×130-Ф12130×130-Ф12	130×130-Ф12130×130-Ф12	80×80-Ф1080×80-Ф10	55×55-Ф855×55-Ф8
전극 유효 면적(m ²)Electrode effective area (m ² )	1.031.03	1.261.26	1.261.26	1.191.19
충전 전압Charging voltage	1.5V1.5V	4.5V4.5V	6V6V	12V12V
운전 전류Driving current	20A20A	8A8A	6A6A	4A4A

9 is a graph showing a change in a voltage value supplied to an electrode unit over time. FIG. 9A is a graph showing a change in a voltage value supplied to an electrode unit in the related art, and Fig. 9B is a graph showing a change in a voltage value supplied to an electrode unit according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9A, in the conventional case, a voltage of a constant value was periodically supplied to the electrode unit.

For example, a cycle of applying a voltage of 2.0V, applying a voltage of 0V, applying a voltage of 2.0V again, and applying a voltage of 0V is repeated. At this time, the (+) pole continues to maintain the (+) pole, and the (-) pole continues to maintain the (-) pole.

In general, the activated carbon electrode 210 has a thin structure of 500 μm per sheet, and as the reaction is repeatedly performed, the performance decreases due to the formation of scale and deterioration of carbon.

Therefore, the deterioration reaction due to carbon oxidation occurs more and more severely in the (+) electrode due to repeated operation, and the scale is formed in the (-) electrode due to the reduction of dissolved oxygen, which continuously deteriorates the performance.

And, the power supply means (240, 250), when the N+1 th treated water is supplied to the electrode part 200, supply current in a direction opposite to the one direction, and adsorb ions to the activated carbon electrode 210 So that ions in water can be removed.

That is, in the case of the present invention, as shown in (b) of FIG. 9, an alternating operation in which the (+) pole and the (-) pole are alternately used is performed.

As an example, a cycle of applying a voltage of 2.0V, applying a voltage of 0V, applying a voltage of -2.0V, and applying a voltage of 0V is repeated.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a deterioration reaction that occurs when one pole is repeatedly used, and a phenomenon in which scale formation appears only on one side. In addition, through the alternating operation, electrode regeneration is made faster than the conventional operation method, so that performance degradation can be prevented.

10 is a table comparing the hardness removal rate of the alternating operation and the existing operation as in the present invention.

In detail, after passing the prepared water having a hardness of 300 ppm through a filter in which an alternating operation is performed as shown in (b) of FIG. 9, the hardness removal rate was measured, and the result was expressed as'alternating operation'. In addition, after passing the prepared water having a hardness of 300 ppm through a conventional filter that does not perform alternating operation, the hardness removal rate was measured, and the result was expressed as'existing operation'.

Referring to Figure 10, as in the present invention, in the case of performing'alternating operation' in which the (+) pole and the (-) pole are alternately used, the'(+) pole and the (-) pole' are not changed, and ' It can be seen that the hardness removal rate is improved compared to the case of performing the'existing operation'.

Claims

In the filter for water treatment equipment that adsorbs ions of the introduced water to remove ions in the water and then discharges

An electrode unit including a chamber defining an outer shape and an electrode portion accommodated inside the chamber;

And a power supply means for supplying power to the electrode portion of the electrode unit,

The electrode part:

A plurality of activated carbon electrodes including a current collector and activated carbon formed on the surface of the current collector and having a plate shape;

An insulating material spacer inserted between the activated carbon electrodes to prevent a short circuit;

A plurality of electrode means connected to one side or the other side of the stacked plurality of activated carbon electrodes, at least partially disposed in parallel with the activated carbon electrode, and in surface contact with the activated carbon electrode,

The power supply means is a filter for a water treatment device that supplies current to the activated carbon electrode through the electrode means so that adjacent activated carbon electrodes alternately form an anode and a cathode.
The method of claim 1,

A filter for a water treatment device in which the plurality of activated carbon electrodes are connected in parallel.
The method of claim 1,

The electrode unit is provided with a plurality,

The plurality of electrode units is a filter for a water treatment device connected in series.
The method of claim 1,

The electrode means includes a first electrode means and a second electrode means disposed spaced apart from each other,

The activated carbon electrode is a filter for a water treatment device that is connected to an adjacent activated carbon electrode and to different electrode means.
The method of claim 4,

In the activated carbon electrode, a portion connected to the electrode means protrudes outward to form an electrode connection.
The method of claim 1,

The electrode means,

A vertical portion formed parallel to the stacking direction of the activated carbon electrode;

A filter for a water treatment device comprising a; a plurality of horizontal portions formed parallel to the activated carbon electrode and connected to the vertical portion.
The method of claim 6,

A filter for a water treatment device in which a connection hole is formed at a position corresponding to each other between the horizontal portion and the activated carbon electrode, and a shaft member made of a conductor is inserted into the connection hole.
The method of claim 7,

The shaft member is a filter for a water treatment device in which a coating layer of an insulating material is formed on a side exposed to the outside.
The method of claim 8,

The coating layer is a filter for a water treatment device formed by fitting a tube made of an insulating material to the outside of the shaft member and contracting the tube while applying heat to the tube, and in close contact with the tube to the outside of the shaft member.
The method of claim 8,

The coating layer is a filter for a water treatment device formed by coating an epoxy on the outside of the shaft member.
The method of claim 1,

The power supply means, when the N-th treated water is supplied to the electrode unit, supplies current in one direction and absorbs ions by the activated carbon electrode to remove ions from the water.
The method of claim 11,

The power supply means, when the N+1 th treated water is supplied to the electrode, supply current in a two direction opposite to the one direction, and a filter for a water treatment device for removing ions in water by adsorbing ions to the activated carbon electrode. .
The method of claim 11,

The power supply means, when the washing water is supplied to the electrode unit, supplies current in two directions opposite to the one direction, and discharges ions adsorbed on the activated carbon electrode into water, thereby regenerating the activated carbon electrode. filter.
The method of claim 1,

The activated carbon electrode,

A filter for a water treatment device formed by applying a mixture of activated carbon particles, conductive polymer particles, and a binder to the surface of the current collector.
The method of claim 1,

The chamber is a filter for a water treatment apparatus having an inlet through which water is introduced, an outlet through which water is discharged, and an internal space communicating with the inlet and the discharge port.
The method of claim 1,

The activated carbon electrode is a filter for a water treatment device in which a water outlet communicating with the discharge port is perforated parallel to a stacking direction.
The method of claim 1,

The chamber is:

A body portion forming the inner space and having one side open;

Filter for a water treatment device comprising a; a cover portion for opening and closing the open side of the body portion.