Water purifier and water purification process

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of water purification equipment, and discloses a water purifier and a water purification technology.The water purifier comprises a filter element, a booster pump, strong-acidity cation exchange resin, strong-alkalinity cation exchange resin and a first valve, the filter element is a nanofiltration filter element or a reverse osmosis filter element, and the booster pump is connected to the water inlet end of the filter element; the water inlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin is connected with the purified water outlet end of the filter element; the water inlet end of the strongly basic anion exchange resin is connected with the water outlet end of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin; the first valve is arranged between the water outlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin and the water inlet end of the filter element. The water purifier is good in water purification effect and low in later maintenance cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of water purification equipment, and in particular to a water purifier and a water purification process. Background Art

[0002] Reverse osmosis water purifier (also known as RO water purifier) is a machine that mainly uses the reverse osmosis principle to treat water. It can usually remove about 90% of the total dissolved solids (TDS) in tap water. For areas with good tap water quality, the water output of the reverse osmosis water purifier can already meet the needs of consumers very well. However, for some areas with poor tap water quality, the purity of the purified water treated with the reverse osmosis membrane cannot meet the needs of consumers. Moreover, after long-term use of the reverse osmosis water purifier, the total dissolved solids will crystallize and form scale on the surface of the RO membrane or in the micro-voids of the reverse osmosis water purifier, causing the performance of the reverse osmosis water purifier to gradually deteriorate. Therefore, the RO membrane needs to be replaced regularly or cleaned regularly with citric acid, which increases the cost of use for consumers. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water purifier and a production process for solving the problems of insufficient water purity and high water purification cost.

[0004] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a water purifier, which includes a filter element, a booster pump, a strong acid cation exchange resin, a strong basic cation exchange resin and a first valve, wherein the filter element is a reverse osmosis filter element or a nanofiltration filter element, and the booster pump is connected to the water inlet end of the filter element; the water inlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin is connected to the purified water outlet end of the filter element; the water inlet end of the strong basic anion exchange resin is connected to the water outlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin; and the first valve is arranged between the water outlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin and the water inlet end of the filter element.

[0006] Optionally, the water outlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin is provided with a first water outlet, the clean water outlet end of the filter element is provided with a second water outlet, a second valve is provided between the strong acid cation exchange resin and the clean water outlet end of the filter element, and a third valve is provided between the clean water outlet end of the filter element and the second water outlet.

[0007] Optionally, the purified water outlet of the filter element is connected to the water inlet of the filter element, and a fourth valve is provided between the purified water outlet of the filter element and the water inlet of the filter element.

[0008] Optionally, the water purifier also includes a reflux main pipe, a first reflux branch pipe and a second reflux branch pipe, the inlet end of the first reflux branch pipe is connected between the filter element and the strong acid cation exchange resin, the outlet section of the first reflux branch pipe is connected to the reflux main pipe, the fourth valve is arranged on the first reflux branch pipe, the inlet end of the second reflux branch pipe is connected between the strong acid cation exchange resin and the strong base anion exchange resin, the outlet end of the second reflux branch pipe is connected to the reflux main pipe, the first valve is arranged on the second reflux branch pipe, and the outlet end of the reflux main pipe is connected to the inlet end of the filter element.

[0009] Optionally, the water purifier further includes a pre-filter element, which is arranged at the water inlet end of the filter element.

[0010] Optionally, the pre-filter element is arranged at the water inlet end of the booster pump, and a fifth valve is provided between the pre-filter element and the booster pump.

[0011] Optionally, the water purifier further includes a post-filter element, which is arranged between the filter element and the strongly acidic cation exchange resin.

[0012] Optionally, the water purifier further includes a wastewater ratio solenoid valve, which is arranged at the concentrated water outlet end of the filter element.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a water purification process, which is implemented based on the water purifier having the second valve, the third valve and the fourth valve, wherein the water purifier includes a normal mode, an ultrapure water mode and a cleaning mode.

[0014] In the normal mode, the boost pump and the third valve are opened, and the first valve, the second valve, and the fourth valve are closed;

[0015] In the ultrapure water mode, the booster pump, the fourth valve, and the second valve are opened, and the first valve and the third valve are closed;

[0016] In the cleaning mode, the boost pump, the second valve, and the first valve are opened, and the third valve and the fourth valve are closed.

[0017] Optionally, in the cleaning mode, the boost pump operates intermittently.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0019] The water purifier proposed in this invention purifies tap water using reverse osmosis and ion exchange processes, producing ultrapure water with a low TDS content, meeting consumer water needs. Furthermore, the acidic water generated during the ion exchange process can flow back into the filter element for cleaning, extending the filter's service life without the need for external solvents and at a low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a water purification flow chart of the water purifier in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] In the picture:

[0022] 1. Pre-filter element; 2. Booster pump; 3. Filter element; 4. Post-filter element; 5. Wastewater ratio solenoid valve; 6. Fourth valve; 7. First valve; 8. Strong acid cation exchange resin; 9. Strong base anion exchange resin; 10. Second valve; 11. Third valve; 12. Fifth valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings only illustrate portions relevant to the present invention, not all structures.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention in specific circumstances.

[0025] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Furthermore, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0026] In the description of this embodiment, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used to refer to positions or locations based on those shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are intended solely to facilitate description and simplify operation, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for descriptive purposes and have no special meaning.

[0027] refer to Figure 1 As shown, in the first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a water purifier, comprising a booster pump 2, a filter element 3, a strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and a strongly basic anion exchange resin 9, the filter element 3 being a reverse osmosis filter element or a nanofiltration filter element, the filter element 3 comprising a water inlet end, a clean water outlet end and a concentrated water outlet end, the booster pump 2 being connected to the water inlet end of the filter element 3, for increasing the water pressure at the water inlet end of the filter element 3, so that the filter element 3 can work normally, the clean water outlet end of the filter element 3 is connected to the water inlet end of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8, the water outlet end of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 is connected to the water inlet end of the strongly basic anion exchange resin 9 and the water inlet end of the filter element 3, and a first valve 7 is provided between the water outlet end of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and the water inlet end of the filter element 3, the first valve 7 being used to control the on-off of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and the filter element 3, and the water outlet end of the strongly basic anion exchange resin 9 is provided with a first water outlet.

[0028] The above-mentioned water purifier is provided with a strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and a strongly basic anion exchange resin 9 connected in series downstream of the filter element 3. The purified water filtered by the filter element 3 passes through the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 to remove cationic impurities in the water, and then passes through the strongly basic anion exchange resin 9 to remove anionic impurities, thereby reducing the TDS content of the purified water finally flowing out of the first water outlet, and can meet the needs of areas with poor tap water quality or users who have high water quality requirements. In addition, the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 can selectively connect to the filter element 3, and the acidic water prepared by it can rinse or soak the filter element 3, thereby removing scaling substances on the filter membrane in the filter element 3, extending the service life of the filter element 3, and without the need for external reagents, the subsequent maintenance cost is low.

[0029] In one embodiment, the water purifier further includes a pre-filter element 1, which is disposed at the water inlet end of the filter element 3, specifically in front of the booster pump 2. This element is used to remove larger particulate matter, suspended matter, or some colloids from the water, thereby extending the service life of the filter membrane in the filter element 3 and the booster pump 2, while also reducing the operating pressure of the filter element 3. The water purifier also includes a post-filter element 4, which is disposed between the filter element 3 and the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8. This post-filter element 4 is used to remove odors, organic matter, and other substances from the water, effectively improving the taste of the water. For example, the pre-filter element 1 utilizes a PP cotton filter element, and the post-filter element 4 utilizes an activated carbon filter element.

[0030] In order to prevent the acidic water prepared by the strong acidic cation exchange resin 8 from entering the pre-filter 1, a fifth valve 12 is further provided between the pre-filter 1 and the booster pump 2. The fifth valve 12 is used to control the on-off between the pre-filter 1 and the booster pump 2.

[0031] In one embodiment, in order to improve the applicability of the water purifier and at the same time increase the service life of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and the strongly basic anion exchange resin 9, the purified water outlet of the filter element 3 is further provided with a second outlet, a second valve 10 is provided between the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and the purified water outlet of the filter element 3, and the second valve 10 is used to control the connection and disconnection between the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and the purified water outlet of the filter element 3, and a third valve 11 is provided between the purified water outlet of the filter element 3 and the second outlet, and the third valve 11 is used to control the connection and disconnection between the purified water outlet of the filter element 3 and the second outlet. Specifically, based on the setting of the post-filter element 4, the second valve 10 and the third valve 11 are both located at the outlet end of the post-filter element 4.

[0032] When the user wants to use pure water, the third valve 11 is opened and the second valve 10 is closed, and the clean water filtered by the filter element 3 flows out through the second water outlet for the user to use; when the user wants ultrapure water, the third valve 11 is closed and the second valve 10 is opened, and the clean water filtered by the filter element 3 passes through the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 and the strong basic anion exchange resin 9 again, and finally flows out through the first water outlet for the user to use.

[0033] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned water purifier is mainly used to prepare household water. Taking into account the manufacturing cost, subsequent maintenance cost and occupied space of the water purifier, the booster pump 2 adopts a low-pressure pump. On this basis, the clean water outlet end of the filter element 3 is also connected to the water inlet end of the filter element 3, and a fourth valve 6 is provided between the clean water outlet end of the filter element 3 and the water inlet end of the filter element 3. The fourth valve 6 is used to control the on-off between the clean water outlet end of the filter element 3 and the water inlet end of the filter element 3. Specifically, the water purifier also includes a reflux main pipe, a first reflux branch pipe and a second reflux branch pipe, wherein the inlet end of the first reflux branch pipe is connected between the filter element 3 and the post-filter element 4, the outlet end of the first reflux branch pipe is connected to the reflux main pipe, the fourth valve 6 is arranged on the first reflux branch pipe, the inlet end of the second reflux branch pipe is connected between the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 and the strong base anion exchange resin 9, the outlet end of the second reflux branch pipe is connected to the reflux main pipe, the first valve 7 is arranged on the second reflux branch pipe, and the outlet end of the reflux main pipe is connected between the pre-filter element 1 and the booster pump 2. The setting of the reflux main pipe reduces the length of the pipeline used in the water purifier, and at the same time, the acidic water generated by the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 can be used to clean the reflux main pipe, which helps to extend the service life of the reflux main pipe.

[0034] When the second valve 10 is in the open state, the fourth valve 6 is also in the open state, and part of the clean water filtered by the filter element 3 flows back to the filter element 3 to be filtered again, so as to reduce the TDS value of the clean water entering the strong acid cation exchange resin 8, thereby extending the service life of the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 and the strong basic anion exchange resin 9, and further reducing the later maintenance cost of the water purifier.

[0035] To achieve automatic control, the first valve 7, the second valve 10, the third valve, and the fourth valve 6 are all solenoid valves. The water purifier also includes a wastewater ratio solenoid valve 5, which is located at the concentrate outlet of the filter element 3 and is used to control the concentrate flow rate of the filter element 3.

[0036] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a water purification process, which is implemented based on the water purifier in the above embodiment. The water purifier includes a normal mode, an ultrapure water mode and a cleaning mode.

[0037] In the normal mode, the booster pump 2, the third valve 11 and the fifth valve 12 are open, and the first valve 7, the second valve 10 and the fourth valve 6 are all closed, thereby generating pure water.

[0038] In ultrapure water mode, the booster pump 2, the fourth valve 6, the second valve 10 and the fifth valve 12 are opened, the third valve 11 and the first valve 7 are closed, and the water enters the filter element 3 for filtration. Part of the pure water is filtered again through the filter element 3, and then enters the strongly acidic cation exchange resin 8 and the strongly basic anion exchange resin 9 to generate ultrapure water.

[0039] In the cleaning mode, the booster pump 2, the second valve 10 and the first valve 7 are opened, the third valve 11, the fourth valve 6 and the fifth valve 12 are closed, and the water passing through the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 is acidic, which flows back into the filter element 3 to clean the filter membrane to restore the performance of the reverse osmosis.

[0040] It should be emphasized that during the operation of the cleaning mode, the booster pump 2 is operated intermittently to enable the filter membrane to be immersed in acidic water to better remove scaling substances.

[0041] Example:

[0042] The water purifier in this embodiment includes a pre-filter element 1, a booster pump 2, a filter element 3, a post-filter element 4, a strong acid cation exchange resin 8, and a strong basic anion exchange resin 9 connected in series in sequence, and a first valve 7 is arranged between the outlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 and the inlet end of the booster pump 2, a second valve 10 is arranged between the inlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin 8 and the outlet end of the post-filter element 4, and a third valve 11 connected in parallel with the second valve 10 is also arranged at the outlet end of the post-filter element 4, a fourth valve 6 is arranged between the purified water outlet end of the filter element 3 and the inlet end of the booster pump 2, and a fifth valve 12 is arranged between the pre-filter element 1 and the booster pump 2.

[0043] The water purity of the water purifier in the above embodiment was verified using 500ppm school water (referring to the water source used in schools, mainly from the tap water pipes supplied by the water company. This type of water source must meet national domestic water standards and undergo regular water quality testing). In normal mode, the TDS of the water flowing out of the second water outlet is 34ppm, and the TDS of the water flowing out of the first water outlet is 0.

[0044] Taking filter element 3 as a reverse osmosis filter element as an example, the RO membrane in the filter element 3 in this embodiment is replaced with an old 400GRO membrane. In normal mode, the flow rate of RO pure water is 897ml / min. It is switched to cleaning mode, in which the cleaning process runs for 10S, stands for 3 minutes, and cycles 10 times. After cleaning is completed, it switches to normal mode again to prepare pure water. At this time, the flow rate of pure water becomes 1039ml / min, which increases by 15.8% compared with the initial level. The performance of filter element 3 is significantly improved.

[0045] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. A person skilled in the art would be able to make various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water purifier, comprising: A filter element (3), wherein the filter element (3) is a nanofiltration filter element or a reverse osmosis filter element; A booster pump (2), the booster pump (2) being connected to the water inlet end of the filter element (3); A strongly acidic cation exchange resin (8), wherein the water inlet end of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin (8) is connected to the purified water outlet end of the filter element (3); A strongly basic anion exchange resin (9), wherein the water inlet end of the strongly basic anion exchange resin (9) is connected to the water outlet end of the strongly acidic cation exchange resin (8); The first valve (7) is arranged between the water outlet end of the strong acidic cation exchange resin (8) and the water inlet end of the filter element (3).

2. The water purifier according to claim 1, characterized in that The water outlet end of the strong acidic cation exchange resin (8) is provided with a first water outlet, the clean water outlet end of the filter element (3) is provided with a second water outlet, a second valve (10) is provided between the strong acidic cation exchange resin (8) and the clean water outlet end of the filter element (3), and a third valve (11) is provided between the clean water outlet end of the filter element (3) and the second water outlet.

3. The water purifier according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The purified water outlet end of the filter element (3) is connected to the water inlet end of the filter element (3), and a fourth valve (6) is provided between the purified water outlet end of the filter element (3) and the water inlet end of the filter element (3).

4. The water purifier according to claim 3, characterized in that The water purifier further comprises a reflux main pipe, a first reflux branch pipe and a second reflux branch pipe, wherein the inlet end of the first reflux branch pipe is connected between the filter element (3) and the strong acid cation exchange resin (8), the outlet section of the first reflux branch pipe is connected to the reflux main pipe, the fourth valve (6) is arranged on the first reflux branch pipe, the inlet end of the second reflux branch pipe is connected between the strong acid cation exchange resin (8) and the strong basic anion exchange resin (9), the outlet end of the second reflux branch pipe is connected to the reflux main pipe, the first valve (7) is arranged on the second reflux branch pipe, and the outlet end of the reflux main pipe is connected to the inlet end of the filter element (3).

5. The water purifier according to claim 1, characterized in that The water purifier further comprises a pre-filter element (1), and the pre-filter element (1) is arranged at the water inlet end of the filter element (3).

6. The water purifier according to claim 5, characterized in that The pre-filter element (1) is arranged at the water inlet end of the booster pump (2), and a fifth valve (12) is arranged between the pre-filter element (1) and the booster pump (2).

7. The water purifier according to claim 1, characterized in that The water purifier further comprises a post-filter element (4), wherein the post-filter element (4) is arranged between the filter element (3) and the strongly acidic cation exchange resin (8).

8. The water purifier according to claim 1, characterized in that The water purifier further comprises a wastewater ratio solenoid valve (5), and the wastewater ratio solenoid valve (5) is arranged at the concentrated water outlet end of the filter element (3).

9. A water purification process, characterized in that: Based on the implementation of the water purifier according to claim 3, the water outlet end of the strong acid cation exchange resin (8) is provided with a first water outlet, the purified water outlet end of the filter element (3) is provided with a second water outlet, a second valve (10) is provided between the strong acid cation exchange resin (8) and the purified water outlet end of the filter element (3), and a third valve (11) is provided between the purified water outlet end of the filter element (3) and the second water outlet, and the water purifier includes a normal mode, an ultrapure water mode and a cleaning mode; In the normal mode, the boost pump (2) and the third valve (11) are open, and the first valve (7), the second valve (10) and the fourth valve (6) are closed; In the ultrapure water mode, the booster pump (2), the fourth valve (6) and the second valve (10) are opened, and the first valve (7) and the third valve (11) are closed; In the cleaning mode, the booster pump (2), the second valve (10) and the first valve (7) are opened, and the third valve (11) and the fourth valve (6) are closed.

10. The water purification process according to claim 9, characterized in that: In the cleaning mode, the booster pump (2) operates intermittently.

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