ZA200402536B

ZA200402536B - Chlorinator.

Info

Publication number: ZA200402536B
Application number: ZA200402536A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Helge Jochen Schneider
Original assignee: Helge Jochen Schneider
Priority date: 2002-08-29
Filing date: 2004-03-31
Publication date: 2005-06-02

Description

. . Ty - 1]

CHLORINATOR

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a chlorinator.

Water in swimming pools is chlorinated to prevent the accumulation of algae. In order to maintain the chlorine level in water at biologically effective levels, it is required that chlorine be added at regular intervals.

Swimming pools are often chlorinated with salt chiorinators.

Salt chlorinators are known for their cost saving abilities over conventional chemical methods in that they can automatically add chlorine at regular intervals to the water of a swimming pool.

The chlorine required to maintain biologically effective levels in a swimming pool is, amongst others, a factor of ambient temperature. Typically more chlorine is required in summer time than is the case in winter.

For this reason a salt chlorinator includes a manual adjuster for controlling chlorine output. Due to weather variances it is however not always possible to control the chlorine output of a chlorinator effectively.

Silver ions are known for their ability to act as a bacterial neutralizer. It y would therefore be advantageous to incorporate control of the release of chlorine and silver ions in a single system. it is an object of the present invention to address the above problems.

CONFIRMATION COPY

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a chlerinater comprising a chlorinator cell comprising the steps of measuring the temperature of the water or ambient air and chlorinating the water in accordance with the measured temperature.

The chlorinator may comprise an ionizing system having an ionizing cell for supplying silver ions to the body of water, the control unit being arranged to control the operation of the ionizing cell automatically and in dependence on temperature measurements received from the sensor, thereby to control the supply of silver ions to the water.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an ionizing system comprising an ionizing cell for supplying silver ions to the water, a sensor for measuring the temperature of the water or ambient air and a control unit which is arranged to receive temperature measurements from the sensor and to control the operation of the ionizing cell automatically and in dependence on such temperature measurements, thereby to control the supply of silver ions to the water.

The invention extends to a method of purifying a body of water comprising the steps of measuring the temperature of the water or ambient air and chlorinating the water in accordance with the measured

Other features of the invention are described below and set out in the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which a schematic representation of a chlorinator and an ionizing system according to the invention is shown installed in a water purification system of a swimming pool.

Amended 9 June 2004

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

{

Persons skilled in the art of swimming pool maintenance will be well familiar ! with the operation of salt chlorinators. However for clarity the operation of a salt chlorinator can be summarized as follows. Firstly sodium chloride salt is added to the water in a swimming pool Upon contact with the water, the sodium chloride starts to dissolve thereby creating salt water. The salt water can now be fed to a chlorinator, comprising a chlorinator cell having two electrodes, i.e. an anode and a cathode. When an electrical current is passed through the electrodes an electrolysis process is started which produces chlorine gas. When chlorine gas is dissolved in water, hypochlorite (liquid chlorine) is formed. Hypochlorite is an acid and is a very strong oxidizer for blocking enzymatic activity of the inner proteins of algae. As a consequence the presence of hypochlorite in water will deter the accumulation of algae. :

The drawing shows a chlorinator of the invention 10 installed in a commonly found water purification system for a swimming pool, generally indicated by the reference numeral 12. In the water purification system 12 a pump 14 pumps salt water from a body of water, in this embodiment a swimming pool which is not shown in the drawing, through an inlet pipe 16, and via a pipe system 18 to a filter 20. The filter 20 comprises a container which houses granules such that when water is passed through it, debris is removed from the water.

From the filter 20 the salt water is fed through a pipe 22 to a chlorinator cell 24 having two electrodes, not shown in the drawings. In the chlorinator cell 24 an amount of chlorine is added to the water in order to maintain the water of the swimming pool at biologically effective levels such that the accumulation of algae is deterred. The chlorine is supplied to the water by . way of an electrolysis process which takes place at the electrodes of the chlorinator cell 24 in the manner described above.

To determine the amount of chlorine which is required to be added to the water, a sensor 26 and an electronic control unit 28 is provided. The sensor is located between the filter 20 and the chlorinator cell 24 as shown. ‘

The sensor 26 is used for measuring the ambient temperature of the ' swimming pool or its surroundings. Typically the temperature of either the water of the swimming pool or the temperature of the ambient air is ] measured. It will however be appreciated that both the water temperature and the air temperature could be measured.

In this embodiment of the invention the sensor 26 measures the water temperature which is fed through the pipe 22. The temperature reading is hereafter communicated to the control unit 28.

The control unit 28 is preprogrammed with information on water temperature as well as corresponding amounts of chlorine which is to be supplied to the water in response to specific measured temperatures. The amounts of chlorine specified to the control unit will be the most effective amounts required at different temperatures to deter the accumulation of algae.

Upon receipt of a temperature reading from the sensor 26 the control unit 28 compares the received temperature reading with the preprogrammed information which is stored on the control unit 28 and determines the : amount of chorine which is required to be supplied to the water. Once this amount is calculated, the control unit 28 automatically activates the chlorinator cell 24 and chlorine in the preprogrammed quantity is supplied to the water.

The amount of chlorine supplied to the water will depend on the amount of chlorine gas produced by the electrolysis process. Therefore if the sensor measures a temperature which requires an increase in the chlorine supply, ' the control unit will increase the electricity supply to the electrodes of the chlorinator cell as this will cause the electrolysis process to produce more chlorine gas and as a consequence more hypochlorite. Typically the warmer the temperature measured, the higher the amount of chlorine which ' is required to be supplied to the water. * Hereafter the chlorinated water is returned to the swimming pool through an outlet pipe 30.

Before the water reaches the swimming pool it is supplied with silver ions (Ag 2+) which act as a bacterial neutralizer. The ions are supplied to the water by an ionizing system, generally indicated by the reference numeral 31. The ionizing system comprises an ionizing cell 32 which is located in the outlet pipe 30. Preferably the ionizing cell 32 should be placed at least 1m downstream from the chlorinator cell 24.

The ionizing cell 32 comprises two electrodes, not shown in the drawings, in this embodiment made of silver and titanium respectively. However it is envisaged that the two electrodes could both be made from silver in a highly pure form.

The silver tons are produced at the ionizing cell 32 through an electrolysis process. As is the case with the amount of chlorine which is required in the water of the swimming pool, so also is the amount of silver ions which are required to deter the accumulation of bacteria temperature dependant.

As shown, the silver ionizing cell 32 is in communication with the control unit 26. The control unit 26 is preprogrammed with temperatures and associated amounts of silver ions which are to be supplied to the water feed at specific temperatures. } In operation the sensor 26 measures the temperature of the water feed whereafter the measurement is communicated to the control unit 28. The . control unit 28 compares the temperature reading of the sensor 26 with the preprogrammed information which is stored thereon and determines the amount of silver ions which are to be supplied to the water.

-B-

Once the amount is calculated, the control unit 28 automatically adjusts the electricity supply to the electrodes of the ionizing cell 32 such that the f required amount of silver ions can be produced by the electrolysis process and supplied to the water. In order to increase the amount of silver ions * produced, the electricity supply to the electrodes will be increased. A decrease in the amount of silver ions on the other hand is achieved by decreasing the electricity supply to the electrodes and accordingly slowing the electrolysis process and the production of silver ions. Typically the warmer the temperature measured, the higher the amount of silver ions required.

The ionizing cell 32 of the present embodiment includes a safety transformer which is not shown in the drawing. Further more the ionizing cell 32 operates at a direct current voltage in the range of 10V to 40V, and a direct current having a magnitude in the range of 30mA to 300mA.

Use of the ionizing cell 32 may lead to the accumulation of impurities thereon as a result of the electrolysis process. For this reason it may be required to run the electrolysis process in reverse such that the ionizing element can be cleaned. It is envisaged that the control unit may include means for sensing the presence of impurities on the ionizing cell 32 and for running the electrolysis process in reverse by changing the flow direction of the electrical current in the electrodes such that they can be cleaned.

It will be appreciated that the chlorinator and the ionizing system of the invention need not only be used for swimming pools but could have a wide range of applications, for example in spas or water reservoirs.

Claims

1. A chlorinator comprising a chlorinator cell for chlorinating water, a sensor for measuring the temperature of the water or ambient air and a control unit which is arranged to receive temperature measurements from the sensor and to contro! the operation of the chiorinator cell automatically and in dependence on such temperature measurements, thereby to control the chlorination of the water.

2. A chlorinator according to claim 1 and comprising an ionizing system having an ionizing cell for supplying silver ions to the body of water, the control unit being arranged to control the operation of the ionizing cell automatically and in dependence on temperature measurements received from the sensor, thereby to control the supply of silver ions to the water.

3. A chlorinator according to either one of the preceding claims wherein the chlorinator is included in a water purification system of a swimming pool.

4. An ionizing system comprising an ionizing cell for supplying silver ions to the water, a sensor for measuring the temperature of the water or ambient air and a control unit which is arranged to receive temperature measurements from the sensor and to control the operation of the ionizing cell automatically and in dependence on such temperature measurements, thereby to control the supply of silver ions to the water.

5. An ionizing system according to claim 4 and including a chlorinator having a chlorinator cell for chlorinating water, the control unit being arranged to control the operation of the chlorinator cell automatically and in dependence on the temperature measurements received from the sensor, thereby to control the chlorination of the water. : Amended 9 June 2004

6. A method of purifying water comprising the steps of measuring the temperature of the water or ambient air and chlorinating the water in accordance with the measured temperature.

7. A method according to claim 6 comprising the further step of supplying silver ions to the water in accordance with the measured ambient temperature.

8. A chlorinator substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

8. An ionizing system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing. :

10. A water purification system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing. Amended 9 June 2004