Water purifier

Abstract

To provide a water purifier capable of efficiently purifying treatment water at a low cost and with high efficiency without requiring a large amount of thermal energy.SOLUTION: A water purifier comprises a treatment water container 1 that accommodates treatment water A, heating means 41 that promotes evaporation of the treatment water A by heating the treatment water A in the treatment water container 1, a liquefaction promotion unit 2 having cooling means 42 that introduces water vapor B generated in the treatment water container 1 and condenses the water vapor B by cooling, a purified water container 3 that introduces purified water C condensed and liquefied by the liquefaction promotion unit 2, and air blowing means 5 that suctions air above the purified water C in the purified water container 3 and sends out the air to the treatment water container 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water purification device that purifies water to be treated, such as contaminated water containing impurities or seawater containing salt. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a seawater boiling method has been known as a method for desalinating seawater. This method involves boiling the water to be treated, which is made up of seawater supplied to a boiler section, to generate steam, which is collected in a steam recovery section and used to drive a steam turbine. The steam is then passed through a condenser and cooled with seawater to be recovered and used as pure water (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The inventor has also proposed a freshwater generating device comprising: a first storage tank containing stored liquid (water to be treated); a first absorbent substrate whose lower end is immersed in the stored liquid in the first storage tank; an air blowing means for blowing air toward the upper end side of the first absorbent substrate; a second absorbent substrate in which the air blown by the air blowing means adsorbs and condenses water vapor evaporated and blown out from the upper end side of the first absorbent substrate at the upper end side, causing the condensed water droplets to fall from the lower end side; a second storage tank in which condensed water dripping from the lower end side of the second absorbent substrate is stored; a lid body for sealing the upper spaces of the first and second storage tanks; and a conduit whose one end is connected to the upper space of the second storage tank of the lid body and exhausts the air blown from the air blowing means, and whose other end is connected to the upper space of the first storage tank and communicates with the intake side of the air blowing means to form a circulation path for the air blown (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-62513 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6391698 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The seawater boiling method disclosed in Patent Document 1 can obtain highly pure purified water by boiling seawater (water to be treated) supplied to a boiler section to generate steam, and then cooling and liquefying the steam. However, a large amount of thermal energy is required to boil the water to be treated, and the running costs required to purify the water to be treated are inevitably extremely high.

[0006] On the other hand, the fresh water generating device disclosed in Patent Document 2 can generate fresh water by vaporizing seawater (water to be treated) without boiling it. However, this requires a special porous water-absorbing substrate, which inevitably increases the manufacturing cost of the water purification device. In addition, there is a problem that it takes a long time to purify a large amount of water to be treated due to the low vaporization efficiency of the water to be treated.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a water purification device that can purify the water to be treated at low cost and with high efficiency without requiring a large amount of thermal energy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a water purification device comprising: a water treatment tank for containing water to be treated; a heating means for heating the water to be treated in the water treatment tank to promote evaporation of the water to be treated; a liquefaction promotion section having a cooling means for introducing water vapor generated in the water treatment tank and condensing the water vapor by cooling it; a purified water storage tank for introducing purified water condensed and liquefied by the liquefaction promotion section; and an air blowing means for sucking in air above the purified water in the purified water storage tank and sending it into the water treatment tank.

[0009] Here, it is preferable that the temperature of the purified water storage tank is room temperature, the heating means heats the treated water storage tank to a temperature higher than room temperature, and the cooling means cools the liquefaction promotion section to a temperature lower than room temperature.

[0010] Here, it is preferable to cool the liquefaction promoting section to a temperature of 0°C or lower.

[0011] Here, it is preferable that the treatment system further comprises a pressurizing means for increasing the internal pressure of the treatment water storage tank to a higher pressure than that of the liquefaction promoting section.

[0012] Here, it is preferable that the purified water storage tank has a pressure reducing means for reducing the internal pressure of the purified water storage tank to a pressure lower than that of the liquefaction promoting section.

[0013] Here, it is preferable that the system has a first connecting pipe connecting the upper space of the treated water storage tank to the inside of the liquefaction promotion section, a second connecting pipe connecting the inside of the liquefaction promotion section to the upper space of the purified water storage tank, and a third connecting pipe connecting the upper space of the purified water storage tank to the upper space of the treated water storage tank, and that a blower constituting the air blowing means is provided in the third connecting passage.

[0014] Here, it is preferable that the heating means and the cooling means are constituted by a peat pump that collects heat in the liquefaction promotion section and transfers it into the tank for accommodating the water to be treated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The present invention utilizes the synergistic effects of promoting evaporation of the water to be treated in a water treatment tank by heating the water with a heating means, promoting condensation and liquefaction of water vapor introduced into a liquefaction promotion section by cooling the water vapor introduced into the liquefaction promotion section with a cooling means, and actively sending the water vapor generated in the water treatment tank to the liquefaction promotion section by a blowing means, thereby quickly evaporating a large amount of water to be treated in the water treatment tank without boiling it, and efficiently liquefying the water vapor introduced into the liquefaction promotion section, thereby producing highly pure purified water.

[0016] Furthermore, a configuration in which the temperature of the purified water storage tank is set to room temperature, the heating means heats the water storage tank to a temperature higher than room temperature, and the cooling means cools the liquefaction promotion section to a temperature lower than room temperature has the advantage of significantly promoting the evaporation of the water to be treated in the water storage tank and the condensation and liquefaction of the water vapor introduced to the liquefaction promotion section. Moreover, since there is no need to provide either a heating means or a cooling means in the purified water storage tank, the structure of the water purification device can be simplified.

[0017] Furthermore, if the liquefaction promotion section is configured to be cooled to a temperature below 0°C using a cooling means, the water vapor introduced into the liquefaction promotion section can be quickly frozen, allowing it to be smoothly introduced into the purified water storage tank and stored therein.

[0018] Furthermore, by using the pressurizing means to increase the internal pressure of the water tank to a level higher than that of the liquefaction promotion section, the water vapor generated in the water tank can be smoothly sent into the liquefaction promotion section, which has the advantage of more significantly promoting the evaporation of the water in the water tank and the liquefaction of the water vapor in the liquefaction promotion section.

[0019] Furthermore, by using a pressure reducing means to reduce the internal pressure of the purified water storage tank to a pressure lower than that of the liquefaction promotion section, the purified water liquefied in the liquefaction promotion section can be smoothly moved and stored in the purified water storage tank, thereby more effectively improving the purification efficiency of the water to be treated.

[0020] Furthermore, by providing a first connecting pipe connecting the upper space of the treated water storage tank with the interior of the liquefaction promotion section, a second connecting pipe connecting the interior of the liquefaction promotion section with the upper space of the purified water storage tank, and a third connecting pipe connecting the upper space of the purified water storage tank with the upper space of the treated water storage tank, and by providing a blower as an air blowing means in the third connecting passage, water vapor in the treated water storage tank can be smoothly guided into the liquefaction promotion section to be effectively liquefied, and the purified water liquefied in the liquefaction promotion section can be smoothly moved and stored in the purified water storage tank.

[0021] Furthermore, when the heating means and cooling means are configured using a heat pump, the water to be treated in the water to be treated storage tank can be efficiently heated with a simple configuration to promote its evaporation, and the inside of the liquefaction promotion section can be efficiently cooled to promote condensation and liquefaction of water vapor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the water purification device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing yet another embodiment of the water purification device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the water purification device of an embodiment of the present invention comprises a water tank 1 for storing water A to be treated, which may be contaminated water, seawater, or the like; a heating means 41 for heating the water A in the water tank 1 to promote evaporation of the water A; a liquefaction promotion section 2 having a cooling means 42 for introducing water vapor B generated in the water tank 1 and condensing the water vapor B by cooling it; a purified water tank 3 for introducing purified water C condensed and liquefied by the liquefaction promotion section 2; and an air blowing means 5 for sucking in air E from an upper space D located above the purified water C stored in the purified water tank 3 and sending it to the water tank 1 to be treated.

[0024] An upper space F located above the water to be treated A contained in the water to be treated storage tank 1 is airtightly connected to the interior G of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 via a first connecting pipe 11. The interior G of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 is airtightly connected to the upper space D of the purified water storage tank 3 via a second connecting pipe 21. The upper space D of the purified water storage tank 3 is airtightly connected to the upper space F of the water to be treated storage tank 1 via a third connecting pipe 51. The third connecting pipe 51 and a blower 52 provided midway through the third connecting pipe 51 constitute an air blowing means 5 that sucks air above the purified water storage tank 3 and sends it into the water to be treated storage tank 1.

[0025] The air blowing means 5 has a function of reducing the internal pressure of the purified water storage tank 3 to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure by sucking in air E above the purified water storage tank 3 in accordance with the driving force of the air blower 52. The air blowing means 5 has a function as a pressurizing means for pressurizing the internal pressure of the water to be treated tank 1 to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure by sending out air E sucked into the third connecting pipe 51 in accordance with the driving force of the air blower 52 into the upper space F of the water to be treated tank 1. Since the interior G of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 is airtightly connected to both the water to be treated tank 1 and the purified water storage tank 3 by the first connecting pipe 11 and the second connecting pipe 21, respectively, the internal pressure of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 is an intermediate value between the internal pressures of the water to be treated tank 1 and the purified water storage tank 3.

[0026] The heating means 41 has the function of actively evaporating and vaporizing the water A from its surface by heating the water A contained in the water tank 1 to a temperature higher than room temperature, for example, about 60°C to 80°C. On the other hand, the cooling means 42 has the function of effectively condensing and liquefying the water vapor B, which has been introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 from the water tank 1 through the first connecting pipe 11, to a temperature lower than room temperature, for example, about 0°C, thereby converting the water vapor B into purified water C.

[0027] In this embodiment, the heating means 41 and the cooling means 42 are constituted by a heat pump 4 that collects heat in the liquefaction promotion section 2 and transfers it into the water-to-be-treated tank 1. That is, the heat pump 4 has a circulation passage 43 that circulates a low-boiling-point refrigerant R, such as a chlorofluorocarbon alternative, in the area where the heating means 41 and the cooling means 42 are installed, a compressor 44 that compresses the refrigerant R upstream of the heating means 41, and an expansion valve 45 that expands the refrigerant R upstream of the cooling means 42. The refrigerant R expands to a low temperature and low pressure as it passes through the area where the expansion valve 45 is installed, and is supplied to the cooling means 42 to remove heat from the interior G of the liquefaction promotion section 2. The refrigerant R is then compressed by the compressor 44 to a high temperature and high pressure, and is supplied to the heating means 41 to impart heat to the water A in the water-to-be-treated tank 1.

[0028] When using the water purification device having the above configuration to purify water A to be treated, which may be contaminated water containing impurities such as precious metals discharged from a plating factory or sludge in stored water, or seawater containing salt, a predetermined amount of water A to be treated is first supplied into the water-to-be-treated tank 1 through a supply port (not shown). The water A is then stored in the lower part of the water-to-be-treated tank 1, isolated from the outside air, with a space F left above. The heat pump 4 is then operated to heat the water A stored in the water-to-be-treated tank 1 to a temperature higher than room temperature using the heating means 41, and cool the interior G of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 to a temperature lower than room temperature using the cooling means 42. The blower 52 of the air blowing means 5 is then operated to draw in air E from the upper space D of the purified water tank 3 and send it into the upper space F of the water-to-be-treated tank 1.

[0029] In this way, the water A in the water tank 1 is heated to a temperature higher than room temperature by the heating means 41, which promotes evaporation of the water in the water A. As a result, a large amount of water vapor B is contained in the upper space F of the water tank 1, and the relative humidity in the upper space F becomes, for example, about 50%. Then, in response to the wind pressure of air E blown into the upper space F of the water tank 1 from the third connecting pipe 51 of the air blowing means 5, the water vapor B in the upper space F is successively introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 through the first connecting pipe 11. Because the interior G of the liquefaction promotion section 2 is cooled to a temperature lower than room temperature by the cooling means 42, the amount of saturated steam that can exist per unit volume in the liquefaction promotion section 2 is significantly lower than that in the upper space F of the water tank 1. As a result, condensation and liquefaction of the water vapor B introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 is promoted, and most of it becomes purified water C and is contained in the purified water tank 3, and the relative humidity in the upper space D becomes, for example, about 20%. Furthermore, when the water vapor B introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 is cooled and condensed and liquefied, the gas density inside the liquefaction promotion section 2 drops significantly, resulting in a large pressure difference between the water tank 1 and the liquefaction promotion section 2. As a result, the water vapor B inside the water tank 1 is continuously introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2.

[0030] As described above, the present invention has a synergistic effect of promoting the evaporation of the water A to be treated by heating the water A in the water storage tank 1 with the heating means 41, promoting the condensation and liquefaction of the water vapor B by cooling the water vapor B introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 with the cooling means 42, and actively sending the water vapor B generated in the water storage tank 1 to the liquefaction promotion section in accordance with the wind pressure of the air blowing means 5.This makes it possible to quickly vaporize a large amount of water A to be treated without boiling the water A in the water storage tank 1, and to efficiently liquefy it to obtain highly pure purified water C.

[0031] Furthermore, when purifying and treating water A to be treated, which is seawater containing salt, the salt concentration of the water A left in the water-to-be-treated storage tank 1 gradually increases. When the salt concentration exceeds, for example, 70%, the water can be removed and sun-dried to recover table salt, etc. Furthermore, when purifying and treating water A to be treated, which is wastewater from a plating factory containing precious metals such as zinc and tin, when the concentration of precious metals in the water A left in the water-to-be-treated storage tank 1 reaches, for example, 30%, the water can be removed to the outside to recover the precious metals.

[0032] As shown in the above embodiment, the temperature of the purified water storage tank 3 is set to room temperature, the heating means 41 heats the water storage tank 1 to a temperature higher than room temperature, and the cooling means 42 cools the liquefaction promotion section 2 to a temperature lower than room temperature. This configuration significantly promotes the evaporation of the water A to be treated in the water storage tank 1 and the liquefaction of the water vapor B introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2, and has the advantage that the water vapor B in the water storage tank 1 can be continuously introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 in accordance with the pressure difference between the water storage tank 1 and the liquefaction promotion section 2. Moreover, since there is no need to provide either a heating means or a cooling means in the purified water storage tank 3, the operation and structure of the water purification device can be simplified.

[0033] The greater the temperature difference between the untreated water storage tank 1 and the liquefaction promotion section 2, the more effectively the water vapor B introduced into the liquefaction promotion section 2 can be condensed and liquefied. In particular, if the liquefaction promotion section 2 is configured to be cooled to a temperature of 0°C or below by the cooling means 42, the water vapor B can be quickly frozen in the liquefaction promotion section 2, and then smoothly introduced and stored in the purified water storage tank 3.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the internal pressure of the water-to-be-treated storage tank 1 is increased to a higher pressure than that of the liquefaction promotion section 2 in response to the wind pressure of the air blowing means 5, so that the water vapor B generated in the water-to-be-treated storage tank 1 can be smoothly sent into the liquefaction promotion section 2. This has the advantage that the evaporation promotion effect of the water to be treated A in the water-to-be-treated storage tank 1 and the liquefaction promotion effect of the water vapor B in the liquefaction promotion section 2 can be more significantly achieved.

[0035] Furthermore, as described above, by using the air blowing means 5 to suck in air above the purified water C contained in the purified water storage tank 3, the internal pressure of the purified water storage tank 3 is reduced to a pressure lower than that of the liquefaction promotion section 2, so that the purified water C liquefied in the liquefaction promotion section 2 can be smoothly moved and stored in the purified water storage tank 3, which has the advantage of more effectively improving the purification efficiency of the water A to be treated.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, this embodiment of the present invention has a first connecting pipe 11 connecting the upper space F of the treated water storage tank 1 to the interior G of the liquefaction promotion section 2, a second connecting pipe 21 connecting the interior G of the liquefaction promotion section 2 to the upper space D of the purified water storage tank 3, and a third connecting pipe 51 connecting the upper space D of the purified water storage tank 3 to the upper space F of the treated water storage tank 1, and a blower 52 constituting the blowing means 5 is provided on the third connecting pipe 51.With this simple configuration, water vapor B in the treated water storage tank 1 can be smoothly guided into the liquefaction promotion section 2 to be effectively liquefied, and purified water C liquefied in the liquefaction promotion section 2 can be smoothly moved and stored in the purified water storage tank 3.

[0037] In place of the above-described embodiment in which the heating means 41 and the cooling means 42 are configured by a heat pump 4 that collects heat in the liquefaction promotion section 2 and transfers it into the water-to-be-treated tank 1, it is also possible to configure the system as shown in Fig. 2 by separately providing a heating means 46 that heats the water A to be treated in the water-to-be-treated tank 1 and a cooling means 47 that cools the interior G of the liquefaction promotion section 2. However, when the heating means 41 and the cooling means 42 are configured by a heat pump 4 as described above, it is possible to efficiently heat the water A to be treated in the water-to-be-treated tank 1 and cool the interior G of the liquefaction promotion section 2 with a simple configuration.

[0038] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the liquefaction promotion unit 2 is installed horizontally has been described, but as shown in Fig. 3, the liquefaction promotion unit 2 may be installed at an angle, with one end of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 connected to the to-be-treated water storage tank 1 via the first connecting pipe 11 positioned higher than the other end of the liquefaction promotion unit 2 connected to the purified water storage tank 3 via the second connecting pipe 21. With this configuration, the purified water C condensed and liquefied in the liquefaction promotion unit 2 can be moved more smoothly into the purified water storage tank 3 according to its own weight. Note that in this embodiment, heating means and cooling means are not shown. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Treated water storage tank 2 Liquefaction promotion part 3 Purified water storage tank 4. Heat pump 5. Air blowing means 11 First connecting pipe 21 Second connecting pipe 41 Heating means 42 Cooling means 43 Circulation passage 44 Compressor 45 Expansion valve 51 Third connecting pipe 52 Blower A. Untreated water B. Water vapor C. Purified water D. Space above the purified water storage tank E Air F. Upper space of the treated water storage tank G Inside the liquefaction promotion section R refrigerant

Claims

1. a water-to-be-treated storage tank for storing water to be treated; a heating means for heating the water to be treated in the water-to-be-treated storage tank to promote evaporation of the water to be treated; a liquefaction promotion unit having a cooling means for introducing water vapor generated in the water treatment tank and condensing the water vapor by cooling the water vapor; a purified water storage tank into which the purified water condensed and liquefied by the liquefaction promotion unit is introduced; and a blower means for sucking air above the purified water in the purified water storage tank and sending it into the untreated water storage tank.

2. 2. The water purification device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the purified water storage tank is set to room temperature, the heating means heats the treated water storage tank to a temperature higher than room temperature, and the cooling means cools the liquefaction promotion section to a temperature lower than room temperature.

3. The water purifying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquefaction promoting section is cooled to a temperature of 0°C or lower.

4. 3. The water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressurizing means for increasing the internal pressure of the tank to a higher pressure than that of the liquefaction promoting section.

5. 3. The water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure reducing means for reducing the internal pressure of the purified water storage tank to a pressure lower than that of the liquefaction promoting section.

6. a first connecting pipe connecting an upper space of the water-to-be-treated storage tank and an interior of the liquefaction promotion unit; a second connecting pipe connecting the interior of the liquefaction promotion unit and the upper space of the purified water storage tank; a third connecting pipe connecting an upper space of the purified water storage tank and an upper space of the water to be treated storage tank; 3. The water purifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a blower constituting the blowing means is provided in the third connecting passage.

7. 3. The water purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means and the heating means are constituted by a peat pump that collects heat in the liquefaction promotion section and transfers it into the tank for accommodating the water to be treated.

Images