Water treatment apparatus

Abstract

To provide water treatment apparatus with a filtration apparatus capable of maintaining its high filtration capacity without frequent replacement of filter elements.SOLUTION: The water treatment apparatus includes a filtration apparatus 2 with a filter element 14 that filters and treats raw water and a vibrator 15 that imparts vibration to the filter element 14. This allows the water filter element 14 to maintain its high filtration capacity without frequent replacement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water treatment device that treats raw water using a filtration device. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, in automobile production plants, raw water containing foreign matter such as sludge is stored in a storage tank or the like, and the raw water is treated by a water treatment device to remove the foreign matter such as sludge and reused. The raw water is cleaning water for washing parts, etc. A conventional water treatment device includes a filtration device that filters and treats the raw water, and a pressure pump that pressure-feeds the raw water in the storage tank to the filtration device. The filtration device is configured with a cylindrical filter element inside a housing. When the raw water in the storage tank is pressure-feeded into the housing of the filtration device by the pressure pump, the raw water is filtered (foreign matter is removed) by flowing from the outside to the inside of the filter element, and the treated water is discharged from the inside of the filter element to the outside via an outlet of the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-175351 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the water treatment device described in Patent Document 1, a controller controls the discharge volume of the pressure pump using an inverter in accordance with the clogging state of the filter element, optimizing the life span of the filter element, filtration accuracy, etc. Furthermore, the water treatment device described in Patent Document 1 is ultimately configured to issue a warning that it is time to replace the filter element if the measurement result of the flow meter does not change even when the discharge volume of the pressure pump is set to its maximum based on the measurement result of the flow meter.

[0005] However, in the water treatment device described in Patent Document 1, as the cumulative filtration flow rate of raw water passing through the filter element increases, foreign matter such as sludge accumulates on the filter element, causing clogging and reducing the filtering capacity. In other words, the greater the cumulative flow rate that passes through the filter element, the lower the filtering capacity of the filter element. To increase the filtering capacity thereafter, the filter element must be replaced, and to increase and maintain the filtering capacity, the filter element must be replaced frequently (at very short intervals), which is a disadvantage, especially in terms of equipment costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has an object to provide a water treatment device having a filtration device that can maintain its filtering capacity at a high level without requiring frequent replacement of the filter element. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a means for solving the above problem, the invention recited in claim 1 is a water treatment device having a filtration device that filters raw water, characterized in that the filtration device comprises a filter element that filters the raw water, and a vibrator that imparts vibrations to the filter element. In the invention of claim 1, the vibrator vibrates the filter element, so that foreign matter such as sludge adhering to the filter element can be shaken off and clogging of the filter element can be eliminated. This makes it possible to maintain high filtering capacity without having to frequently replace the filter element.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, characterized in that the filter element is formed into a truncated cone shape whose outer periphery is formed by multiple pleats and has an internal space penetrating from top to bottom. In the invention of claim 2, in the pleated portion of the outer periphery of the filter element, the spaces between adjacent folds gradually widen as one moves from the top to the bottom, so that foreign matter such as sludge adhering to the filter element can be easily shaken off by the vibration of the vibrator.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, it further comprises a flow meter that measures the flow rate of raw water or treated water passing through the filter element of the filtration device, and a controller that controls the vibration strength, vibration time and rest time of the vibrator based on the measurement result from the flow meter. In the invention of claim 3, the correlation between the measurement results from the flow meter (flow rate of raw water or treated water) and the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator is inputted into the controller in advance, and the controller operates the vibrator based on that correlation, so that the filtering capacity of the filter element can be maintained high at all times. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the water treatment device of the present invention, it is possible to provide a filtration device capable of maintaining its filtering capacity at a high level without requiring frequent replacement of the filter element. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a water treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the filtration device employed in this water treatment device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a filter element including a support plate employed in the present water treatment device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a filtering device employed in a water treatment device according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. A water treatment device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention obtains treated water by treating raw water in a storage tank 10 with a filtration device 2 to remove foreign matter such as sludge. In detail, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the water treatment device 1 according to this embodiment includes a filtration device 2 having a filter element 14 for filtering the raw water and a vibrator 15 for applying vibration to the filter element 14, an upstream pipe 3 extending from the storage tank 10 and through which the raw water flows, a pressure pump 4 for pressure-feeding the raw water in the storage tank 10 into the filtration device 2 (housing 13) through the upstream pipe 3, a downstream pipe 5 extending from the filtration device 2 and through which the treated water flows, a flowmeter 6 for measuring the flow rate of the raw water flowing in the upstream pipe 3, and a controller 7 for controlling the vibration strength, vibration time, and pause time of the vibrator 15 of the filtration device 2 based on the measurement result from the flowmeter 6.

[0013] For example, in automobile manufacturing plants, the present water treatment device 1 is used to remove foreign matter such as sludge from raw water containing such foreign matter, and the raw water is reused as treated water. The raw water is cleaning water for washing parts, etc. The present water treatment device 1 will be described in detail below. With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, raw water is stored in a storage tank 10. The storage tank 10 and an inlet 18 of a filtration device 2 (housing 13) are connected by an upstream piping 3. A pressure pump 4 is provided in the upstream piping 3. The pressure pump 4 is driven by an electric motor to pressure-feed raw water from the storage tank 10 through the upstream piping 3 into the filtration device 2 (housing 13). As will be described later, a flowmeter 6 is provided in the upstream piping 3 to measure the flow rate of raw water flowing therethrough. An outlet 19 of the filtration device 2 (housing 13) and the storage tank 10 are connected by a downstream piping 5.

[0014] 2 to 4, the filtering device 2 is an external pressure filtering device. The filtering device 2 includes a housing 13 having an inlet 18 and an outlet 19, a truncated cone-shaped filter element 14 disposed in the housing 13, and a vibrator 15 disposed in the housing 13 for applying vibrations to the filter element 14 in the vertical direction. The upstream pipe 3 communicates with the inlet 18 of the housing 13. The downstream pipe 5 communicates with the outlet 19 of the housing 13. At the very bottom of the housing 13, an outlet 20 is formed for discharging foreign matter such as sludge shaken off from the filter element 14. The outlet 20 can be opened and closed by a valve 21. The inlet 18 of the housing 13 communicates with the outside of the filter element 14 in the housing 13. The outlet 19 communicates with the inside of the filter element 14. More specifically, the outlet 19 communicates with an outlet pipe 24 disposed in the housing 13. As described below, the outflow pipe 24 communicates with a through hole (not shown) of a lower pressing member 42 located below the filter element 14. This through hole (not shown) of the lower pressing member 42 communicates with the inside of the filter element 14, i.e., with a through hole of a blocking member 23 described below.

[0015] 2 and 4, the filter element 14 is formed in a truncated cone shape with an inner space that is formed by a large number of pleats at the outer periphery and penetrates vertically. That is, the outer diameter and inner diameter of the filter element 14 gradually increase from the upper end to the lower end. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the upper end of the filter element 14 is about 250 mm, and the outer diameter is about 350 mm. On the other hand, the inner diameter of the lower end of the filter element 14 is about 300 mm, and the outer diameter is 400 mm. Since the filter element 14 is formed in a truncated cone shape, the gap between adjacent mountain folds in the pleats of the outer periphery gradually increases from the upper part to the lower part. A member equivalent to a support plate 27 that closes the upper end opening, which will be described later, is not provided on the lower end surface of the pleats of the outer periphery of the filter element 14, and the lower end opening of the pleats of the outer periphery of the filter element 14 is closed by bonding the filter material facing the mountain folds. A support band 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end of the filter element 14 to support the pleated portion from the outer periphery in order to maintain the gap between adjacent mountain folds.

[0016] A core metal 22 formed by rolling a plate material into a truncated cone shape is provided so as to abut against the inner peripheral surface of the filter element 14. The core metal 22 is for maintaining the shape of the filter element 14. The core metal 22 is provided with a number of through holes (not shown) through which the treated water flows. The lower end opening of the core metal 22, i.e., the lower end opening inside the filter element 14, is closed by a disk-shaped closing member 23. A fastening shaft 44, which will be described later, is inserted through the radial center of the closing member 23, and a through hole (not shown) through which the treated water can flow is provided. Then, the raw water that flows into the housing 13 from the upstream piping 3 (see Figure 1) via the inlet 18 is filtered by passing through the filter element 14 and the core wire 22 from the outside to the inside, and returns as treated water to the storage tank 10 via the inner opening at the lower end of the filter element 14, the circulation hole of the blocking member 23, the circulation hole of the lower pressure plate 42 described below, the outflow pipe 24, the outflow outlet 19 of the housing 13, and the downstream piping 5 (see Figure 1).

[0017] 2 and 3, a support plate 27 having a circular shape in plan view is abutted against the upper end surface of the filter element 14 including the core metal 22. The support plate 27 closes the upper end opening in the filter element 14. The support plate 27 also closes the upper end opening of the pleated portion of the outer periphery of the filter element 14, i.e., the gap (upper end opening) between the opposing filter media of the mountain fold portion. An insertion hole 27A (see FIG. 4) through which a fastening shaft 44 described later is inserted is formed in the radial center of the support plate 27. The outer diameter of the support plate 27 and the outer diameter of the upper end of the filter element 14 are approximately the same. An annular upper elastic member 29 abuts against the upper end surface of the support plate 27. The upper elastic member 29 is made of rubber. An upper pressing plate 31 having a circular shape in plan view abuts against the upper surface of the upper elastic member 29. The upper elastic member 29 seals the gap between the support plate 27 and the upper pressing plate 31. This makes it possible to prevent raw water within the housing 13 from flowing into the filter element 14 through the insertion hole 27A of the support hole 27 from between the support plate 27 and the upper pressing plate 31.

[0018] The lower end of the vibration transmission part 33B of the vibration transmission member 33 is connected to the outer periphery of the upper surface of the support plate 27 by a plurality of connection bolts 35. The vibration transmission member 33 is configured to have a top end frame 33A that is circular in plan view connected to the upper end and a cylindrical vibration transmission part 33B that is open at the lower end. The vibration terminal 36 of the vibrator 15 is connected to the radial center of the top end frame 33A of the vibration transmission member 33. The vibrator 15 is disposed in the housing 13 and above the vibration transmission member 33. The vibration terminal 36 extends downward from the main body of the vibrator 15. In this embodiment, a pneumatic vibrator is used as the vibrator 15. The vibrator 15 applies vibration along the vertical direction to the vibration transmission member 33 via the vibration terminal 36. In this way, since the vibrator 15 is disposed in the housing 13 and the length of the vibration terminal 36 can be set to be as short as possible, it becomes possible to reliably transmit the vibration from the vibration terminal 36 to the vibration transmitting member 33 without loss. Referring to FIG. 1, the control unit of the vibrator 15 is electrically connected to the controller 7.

[0019] 2, a ring-shaped lower elastic member 40 is in contact with the lower end surfaces of the filter element 14 and the blocking member 23. The lower elastic member 40 is made of rubber. A lower pressing plate 42, which is circular in plan view, is in contact with the lower surface of the lower elastic member 40. The lower pressing plate 42 is formed with a flow hole (not shown) through which treated water flows from the inside of the filter element 14, i.e., the flow hole of the blocking member 23. This flow hole communicates with the outflow pipe 24. The lower elastic member 40 seals the gap between the blocking member 23 and the lower pressing plate 42. This makes it possible to prevent treated water from the flow hole of the blocking member 23 from flowing to any place other than the flow hole of the lower pressing plate 42. The outer diameter of the lower pressing plate 42 is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower end of the filter element 14, and is preferably as small as possible. This is because, when the vibrator 15 is operating, foreign matter such as sludge that has adhered to the surface of the pleated portion of the outer periphery of the filter element 14 does not fall onto the lower pressure plate 42, but falls to the lower end inside the housing 13.

[0020] 2 and 3, the upper pressing plate 31 and the lower pressing plate 42 are connected by a fastening shaft 44 to sandwich the filter element 14 (including the core metal 22 and the blocking member 23) including the support plate 27, the upper elastic member 29, and the lower elastic member 40 from above and below, and are integrated. Note that the fastening shaft 44 is not shown in FIG. 2. When the vibration terminal 36 of the vibrator 15 is vibrated, the support plate 27 and the filter element 14 (including the core metal 22 and the blocking member 23) vibrate in sync via the vibration transmission member 33. At this time, the vibration of the support plate 27 and the filter element 14 is absorbed by the upper elastic member 29 and the lower elastic member 40, and the vibration is not transmitted to the upper pressing plate 31 and the lower pressing plate 42.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 1, the flowmeter 6 measures the flow rate of raw water flowing in the upstream pipe 3. In this embodiment, the flowmeter 6 measures the flow rate of raw water flowing in the upstream pipe 3, but the flowmeter 6 may be disposed in the downstream pipe 5 to measure the flow rate of treated water flowing in the downstream pipe 5. When the filter element 14 starts to clog, the flow rate of raw water in the upstream pipe 3 gradually decreases. The flowmeter 6 is electrically connected to the controller 7. The measurement result of the flowmeter 6 is constantly transmitted to the controller 7. As described above, the controller 7 is electrically connected to the control unit of the vibrator 15.

[0022] The controller 7 has previously input thereto the correlation between the flow rate measured by the flowmeter 6 and the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15. The vibration strength is defined as a measure of the strength (magnitude) of the vibration, and is expressed as the displacement (amplitude) and frequency of the vibration. The controller 7 controls the three items of the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15 based on the measurement results from the flowmeter 6. In other words, the controller 7 controls the three items of the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15 according to the degree of clogging of the filter element 14.

[0023] In the water treatment device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the raw water in the storage tank 10 is pumped by the pressure pump 4 through the upstream piping 3 into the housing 13 of the filtration device 2, where it is filtered by passing through the filter element 14, and the treated water returns from the filtration device 2 into the storage tank 15 through the downstream piping 5. At this time, the measurement results from the flowmeter 6 are constantly input to the controller 7. Based on the measurement results, the controller 7 appropriately selects three items of the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15, and outputs the signals to the control unit of the vibrator 15. Based on the signals, the vibrator 15 operates its vibration terminal 36 at a predetermined vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time.

[0024] Then, the filter element 14 (including the core metal 22, the blocking member 23, and the support plate 27) vibrates in synchronization with each other via the vibration transmission member 33, so that foreign matter such as sludge attached to the pleated portion of the outer periphery of the filter element 14 is shaken off downward and discharged to the outside through the discharge port 20 of the housing 13. After that, when the filter element 14 is cleared of clogging and the measurement result of the flowmeter 6 returns to the initial value, the operation of the vibrator 15 is stopped by a signal from the controller 7. Note that, even if the filter element 14 vibrates with a predetermined vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time, if the measurement result of the flowmeter 6 does not return to the initial value and continues at a constant flow rate, the three items of the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15 are selected again based on the measurement result, and the signal is output to the control unit of the vibrator 15 to vibrate the filter element 14. This action is repeated. As a result, the filter element 14 is constantly cleared of clogging, so that the filtering ability can be constantly maintained at a high level.

[0025] As described above, the water treatment device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with the filtering device 2 having the vibrator 15 that applies vibrations in the up-down direction to the filter element 14. The vibrator 15 vibrates the filter element 14 that is clogged with foreign matter such as sludge, so that the foreign matter adhering to the filter element 14 can be shaken off, and as a result, the clogging of the filter element 14 is eliminated, and the filtering capacity of the filter element 14 can be maintained high without frequent replacement of the filter element 14.

[0026] In addition, in the water treatment device 1 according to this embodiment, the filter element 14 of the filtration device 2 has an outer periphery formed by numerous pleats and is formed into a truncated cone shape having an internal space penetrating from top to bottom. As a result, in the pleated parts of the outer periphery of the filter element 14, the spaces between adjacent pleats gradually widen from top to bottom, so that foreign matter such as sludge adhering to the filter element 14 can be easily shaken off downward from the filter element 14 by the vibration of the vibrator 15 without getting caught on the way.

[0027] Furthermore, the water treatment device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a flowmeter 6 that measures the flow rate of raw water or treated water passing through the filter element 14 of the filtration device 2, and a controller 7 that controls the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15 based on the measurement results from the flowmeter 6. The controller 7 operates the vibrator 15 based on the correlation between the measurement results from the flowmeter 6 and the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator 15 that has been input in advance, so that the filtering ability of the filter element 14 can be constantly maintained high.

[0028] Next, a water treatment device 1 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Note that when describing the water treatment device 1 according to the other embodiment, only differences from the water treatment device 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 will be described. In the water treatment device 1 shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the vibrator 15 is disposed outside and above the housing 13 in the filtration device 2. The vibration terminal 36 of the vibrator 15 is inserted into an insertion hole 45 provided in the housing 13. The vibration terminal 36 is connected to the top frame 33A of the vibration transmission member 33. An annular recess 46 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 45. A seal member 48 is disposed in the annular recess 46. The seal member 48 seals between the outer peripheral surface of the vibration terminal 36 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 45. Note that the fastening shaft 44 is not shown in Fig. 5. In the filtering device 2 of the water treatment device 1 shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the vibrator 15 is disposed outside the housing 13, which is advantageous from the viewpoint of maintainability.

[0029] In this embodiment, the treated water is returned to the storage tank 10 in which the raw water is stored, but it may be returned to another tank for treated water. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 water treatment device, 2 filtration device, 6 flow meter, 7 controller, 14 filter element, 15 vibrator

Claims

1. A water treatment device having a filtration device for filtering raw water, The filtration device comprises: A filter element for filtering the raw water; a vibrator that applies vibration to the filter element; A water treatment device comprising:

2. 2. The water treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the filter element is formed in a truncated cone shape having an outer periphery formed by a number of pleats and an internal space penetrating vertically.

3. a flow meter for measuring a flow rate of raw water or treated water passing through the filter element of the filtration device; a controller for controlling the vibration strength, vibration time, and rest time of the vibrator based on the measurement results from the flow meter; The water treatment device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

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