Medical water purification device capable of reusing concentrated water and its operation control method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a medical water purification device and a method for controlling the operation thereof. The medical water purification device according to the present invention comprises a raw water tank for receiving and storing tap water, a raw water storage unit for supplying raw water stored in the raw water tank, a pretreatment unit for primarily purifying raw water supplied from the raw water storage unit, a reverse osmosis unit for purifying water purified in the pretreatment unit by passing it through a membrane at a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure, a UV sterilization unit for sterilizing water purified in the reverse osmosis unit using ultraviolet rays, an ultrafiltration unit for purifying water sterilized in the UV sterilization unit by passing it through a UF (Ultrafiltration) membrane, and a control monitoring unit that controls the discharge of concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse if the conductivity of the produced water produced in the reverse osmosis unit is below a preset reference value, and to discharge concentrated water if the conductivity of the produced water is greater than the reference value. According to the present invention, when the conductivity of the produced water passing through the membrane is below the reference value, the concentrated water can be sent to the raw water tank for reuse.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical water purification device and a method for controlling the operation thereof, and more specifically, to a medical water purification device capable of reusing concentrated water discarded after use in a membrane and a method for controlling the operation thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Medical water purification devices are used in medical environments such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and pharmaceutical plants that require highly clean or sterile water. For example, they are used to produce purified water for hemodialysis machines used during dialysis treatment, sterile water used for cleaning or disinfecting surgical instruments, and ultrapure water for laboratories and pharmaceuticals used in experiments and manufacturing processes.

[0003] Medical water purification systems are important equipment that supplies high-purity water by removing impurities, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals from the water, ensuring patient safety and the effectiveness of treatment.

[0004] The membrane used in these medical water purification devices is a thin, semipermeable membrane that serves as a key filter. It is primarily used in reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration processes and allows water molecules to pass through while filtering out impurities, microorganisms, and ions.

[0005] However, in general medical water purification systems, the concentrated water, which contains contaminants that did not pass through the membrane, is discarded, and only the clean production water that passed through the membrane is used. Typically, only about 50% to 80% of the water fed into the membrane can be converted into production water, and the rest is discarded as concentrated water, so a large amount of water is wasted.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to consider measures to reduce water waste in medical water purification systems by reusing a portion of the concentrated water depending on the quality of the produced water. The problem to be solved

[0007] Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to provide a medical water purification device capable of reusing concentrated water according to the water quality of the produced water, and a method for controlling the operation thereof. means of solving the problem

[0008] A medical water purification device according to the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises a raw water tank for receiving and storing tap water, a raw water storage unit for supplying raw water stored in the raw water tank, a pretreatment unit for primarily purifying the raw water supplied from the raw water storage unit, a reverse osmosis unit for purifying the water purified in the pretreatment unit by passing it through a membrane at a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure, a UV sterilization unit for sterilizing the water purified in the reverse osmosis unit using ultraviolet rays, an ultrafiltration unit for purifying the water sterilized in the UV sterilization unit by passing it through a UF (Ultrafiltration) membrane, and a control monitoring unit for controlling the discharge of concentrated water from the reverse osmosis unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse if the conductivity of the produced water produced in the reverse osmosis unit is less than or equal to a preset reference value, and to discharge the concentrated water if the conductivity of the produced water is greater than the reference value.

[0009] A medical water purification device according to the present invention for achieving the above objective supplies ultrapure water purified through the ultrafiltration unit to a medical device and may further include a circulation unit that prevents bacterial growth in the ultrapure water using a heating module and a circulation device.

[0010] The above control monitoring unit can control the sending of the ultrapure water remaining after use in the medical device to the raw water tank for reuse.

[0011] In addition, the control monitoring unit can control the water discharged from the ultrafiltration unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse.

[0012] The control monitoring unit may control the supply of tap water so that a certain amount of water is stored in the raw water tank, and the control monitoring unit may display a value measuring the water quality of the water purified through each unit.

[0013] A method for controlling the operation of a medical water purification device according to the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises, in a medical water purification device having a reverse osmosis unit that pre-treats water stored in a raw water tank that receives and stores tap water and purifies it by passing it through a membrane at a pressure greater than or equal to the osmotic pressure, a step of measuring the conductivity of the produced water purified in the reverse osmosis unit; a step of controlling the concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse when the conductivity of the produced water is less than or equal to a preset reference value in the control monitoring unit; and a step of controlling the concentrated water to be discharged when the conductivity of the produced water is greater than the reference value in the control monitoring unit.

[0014] Additionally, the method may further include the step of sterilizing the water purified by reverse osmosis using ultraviolet rays in a UV sterilization unit, the step of purifying the water sterilized in the UV sterilization unit by passing it through an Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane in an ultrafiltration unit, and the step of supplying the water purified in the ultrafiltration unit to a medical device.

[0015] In addition, the control monitoring unit may further include the step of controlling the water discharged from the ultrafiltration unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse, and the step of setting the reference value through the control monitoring unit. Effects of the invention

[0016] According to the present invention, if the conductivity of the produced water passing through the membrane is below a reference value, the concentrated water can be sent to the raw water tank for reuse. Additionally, water discharged from the ultrafiltration unit and ultrapure water remaining after use in medical devices, such as hemodialysis machines, can be sent to the raw water tank for reuse without being discharged. By doing so, water waste is reduced, thereby decreasing water usage and consequently reducing overall maintenance costs. Furthermore, the reference value can be automatically adjusted according to the usage environment to reduce overall maintenance costs. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a medical water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the detailed configuration of a medical water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart provided for explaining the operation control method of a medical water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] In this specification, where it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, or that there may be other components in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" or "neighboring to," and expressions such as one component "transmits" a signal to another component, should be interpreted in the same way.

[0019] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a medical water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of a medical water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the medical water purification device (100) may include a raw water storage unit (110), a pretreatment unit (120), a reverse osmosis unit (130), a UV sterilization unit (140), an ultrafiltration unit (150), a circulation unit (160), and a control monitoring unit (170).

[0022] When these components are implemented in actual applications, two or more components may be combined into a single component as needed, or one component may be subdivided into two or more components.

[0023] The raw water storage unit (110) receives and stores tap water in the raw water tank (111). The control monitoring unit (170) can open the first valve (SV1) to supply tap water to the raw water tank (111) when the water level of the tap water stored in the raw water tank (111) falls below the minimum standard value, and close the first valve (SV1) to block the supply of tap water to the raw water tank (111) when the water level of the tap water stored in the raw water tank (111) rises above the maximum standard value.

[0024] In the raw water storage unit (110), the first and second raw water supply pumps (115, 117) are installed in parallel to supply raw water at a preset pressure and flow rate.

[0025] The raw water filter (117) removes large particles or floating matter from the raw water.

[0026] The pretreatment unit (120) receives water that has passed through the raw water filter (117) through the second valve (SV2) and purifies it primarily. In the pretreatment unit (120), the pretreatment filter (123) may include a media filter (M) that removes solids, particles, suspended matter, etc. in the water using a filtration medium such as sand, gravel, gravel, or ceramic, an active carbon filter (CA) that removes chemical substances, odors, organic substances, etc. in the water by adsorbing them using activated carbon, and a water softener (S) that produces soft water by removing calcium and magnesium.

[0027] The reverse osmosis (RO) unit (130) produces high-purity production water by passing water through a fine membrane (135) at a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure by a reverse osmosis pump (133) to remove bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, chemicals, etc.

[0028] The UV sterilization unit (140) sterilizes microorganisms using ultraviolet rays emitted from a UV sterilizer (143).

[0029] The ultrafiltration unit (150) passes through an Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane (153) to remove viruses and fine particles, etc.

[0030] The circulation unit (160) supplies ultrapure water purified in the ultrafiltration unit (150) to a medical device such as a hemodialysis device (200), and prevents the growth of bacteria, etc. in the purified ultrapure water using a circulation pump (133) and a heating module (165).

[0031] The control monitoring unit (170) controls the opening and closing of the valves (SV1 to SV6), monitors and displays water quality conditions such as conductivity, pH, and temperature at each unit, and detects and notifies of filter replacement times, equipment malfunctions, etc.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a flowchart provided for explaining the operation control method of a medical water purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 3, first, a reference value is set in the control monitoring unit (170) (S300). The reference value is set to the conductivity value of water to be used as a reference. For example, the reference value can be set to 5 μS / cm, and can be set in the range of 1 to 10 μS / cm depending on the usage environment.

[0034] Water conductivity is an indicator that measures the concentration of ions (e.g., sodium, calcium, chloride, etc.) dissolved in water, and it is used to evaluate the purity and quality of water. Although water itself conducts very little electricity, the ions (electrolytes) dissolved in it conduct the electric current. Therefore, higher conductivity means there are more impurities (ionic substances) in the water, while lower conductivity means the purity of the water is higher.

[0035] The control monitoring unit (170) measures the conductivity of the water produced in the reverse osmosis unit (130) through a sensor installed in the reverse osmosis unit (130) (S305).

[0036] If, as a result of the measurement in step S305, the conductivity of the produced water is below the reference value, the third valve (SV3) in the reverse osmosis unit (130) is opened so that the concentrated water is sent to the raw water tank (111) for reuse (S315). Concentrated water refers to water in which impurities and ions filtered out during the water purification process have been concentrated.

[0037] When the measurement result of step S305 shows that the conductivity of the produced water is greater than the reference value, the fourth valve (SV4) is opened at the reverse osmosis pressure (130) to allow the concentrated water to be discharged (S320).

[0038] This process is performed continuously until the operation of the medical water purification device (100) is stopped (S325).

[0039] In addition to the condensate discharged from the reverse osmosis unit (130), the water discharged from the ultrafiltration unit (150) can also be sent to the raw water tank (111) for reuse. Furthermore, the ultrapure water remaining after use in the medical device can also be sent to the raw water tank (111) for reuse under the control of the control monitoring unit (170).

[0040] The control monitoring unit (170) can control the amount of tap water supplied to the raw water tank (111) when reusing concentrated water or other water, so that the water level of the raw water tank (111) does not exceed the maximum standard value.

[0041] In addition, the reference value set in the control monitoring unit (170) can be configured to adaptively adjust according to the amount of water produced in the reverse osmosis unit (130), the amount of concentrated water discharged, and the amount of electricity used. That is, considering the electricity usage fee and tap water cost consumed in the medical water purification device (100), it can be configured to automatically adjust from an initial reference value to an optimal reference value so that the overall maintenance cost can be minimized.

[0042] Meanwhile, the medical water purification device and the operation control method according to the present invention are not limited to the configurations of the embodiments described above; rather, all or part of each embodiment may be selectively combined to allow for various modifications to the embodiments.

[0043] Furthermore, although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Various modifications are possible by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of the invention as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0044] 110 : Raw water storage unit 120 : Preprocessing section 130 : Reverse osmosis unit 140: UV Sterilization Unit 150 : Ultrafiltration unit 160 : Circulatory section 170 : Control Monitoring Unit

Claims

Claim 1 A medical water purification device comprising: a raw water storage unit that supplies raw water stored in the raw water tank, provided with a raw water tank that receives and stores tap water; a pretreatment unit that primarily purifies the raw water supplied from the raw water storage unit; a reverse osmosis unit that purifies the water purified in the pretreatment unit by passing it through a membrane at a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure; a UV sterilization unit that sterilizes the water purified in the reverse osmosis unit using ultraviolet rays; an ultrafiltration unit that purifies the water sterilized in the UV sterilization unit by passing it through a UF (Ultrafiltration) membrane; and a control monitoring unit that controls the discharge of concentrated water from the reverse osmosis unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse if the conductivity of the produced water produced in the reverse osmosis unit is below a preset reference value, and to discharge the concentrated water if the conductivity of the produced water is greater than the reference value. Claim 2 A medical water purification device according to claim 1, further comprising a circulation unit that supplies ultrapure water purified through the ultrafiltration unit to a medical device and prevents bacterial growth in the ultrapure water using a heating module and a circulation unit. Claim 3 A medical water purification device characterized in that, in paragraph 2, the control monitoring unit controls the ultrapure water remaining after use in the medical device to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse. Claim 4 A medical water purification device according to claim 1, wherein the control monitoring unit controls the water discharged from the ultrafiltration unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse. Claim 5 A medical water purification device according to claim 1, wherein the control monitoring unit controls the supply of tap water so that a certain amount of water is stored in the raw water tank. Claim 6 A medical water purification device according to claim 1, wherein the control monitoring unit displays a value measuring the water quality of the water purified through each unit. Claim 7 A method for controlling the operation of a medical water purification device equipped with a reverse osmosis unit that pre-treats water stored in a raw water tank that receives and stores tap water and purifies it by passing it through a membrane at a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure, the method comprising: a step of measuring the conductivity of the produced water purified in the reverse osmosis unit; a step of controlling the concentrated water discharged from the reverse osmosis unit to be sent to the raw water tank for reuse when the conductivity of the produced water is less than or equal to a preset reference value in the control monitoring unit; and a step of controlling the discharge of the concentrated water when the conductivity of the produced water is greater than the reference value in the control monitoring unit. Claim 8 A method of operation control according to claim 7, further comprising: a step of sterilizing water purified by reverse osmosis using ultraviolet rays in a UV sterilization unit; a step of purifying water sterilized in the UV sterilization unit by passing it through an Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane in an ultrafiltration unit; and a step of supplying water purified in the ultrafiltration unit to a medical device. Claim 9 A method of operation control according to claim 8, further comprising the step of controlling the control monitoring unit to send the water discharged from the ultrafiltration unit to the raw water tank for reuse. Claim 10 A method for controlling operation according to claim 7, further comprising the step of setting the reference value through the control monitoring unit.

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