High Volume Electrolyzing System With Staggered Current Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercially available electrolyzing systems are inefficient in producing large quantities of electrolyzed water, often resulting in inadequate supply and excessive waste due to simultaneous production of both alkaline and acidic waters, and are sensitive to water quality and membrane alignment, leading to unstable pH levels.
Innovation Solution
The system features a high-volume electrolyzing design with cathode and anode cells optimized for separate production of alkaline and acidic waters, using titanium mesh electrodes and ion exchange membranes, along with a water conditioning system for softening input water, ensuring efficient ion exchange and pH control through staggered current operation and dual flow paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of electrolyzing cell pairs is increased to achieve higher production quantities, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and system cost increase proportionally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple electrolyzing cell pairs into a single integrated electrolyzer housing, allowing multiple cells to operate simultaneously within one unified structure. This merging approach achieves high production quantities without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the cells share common infrastructure including housing, electrical connections, and control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolyzing system is designed with universal components that can be configured for different production scales. The modular cell design allows the same basic structure to be replicated and combined, providing a universal solution that scales productivity without requiring fundamentally different system architectures.
2Quantity of substance
If both alkaline and acidic electrolyzed water are produced simultaneously, then resource utilization is improved, but loss of substance increases due to excessive sanitizer production that must be discarded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements separate collection and application pathways for alkaline and acidic electrolyzed water, allowing each product to be directed to its appropriate use. Alkaline water is directed to cleaning applications where it provides detergent effects, while acidic water is directed to sanitizing applications. This local differentiation prevents the waste of either product type by ensuring each is used for its optimal purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolyzing system is segmented into distinct cathode and anode compartments that independently produce and collect alkaline and acidic waters respectively. This segmentation allows for separate quantification and utilization of each product type, enabling the system to match production quantities to actual demand for each water type and minimize discarding of excess sanitizer.
3Productivity
If pressure is increased to accelerate liquid flow through the electrolyzer cell, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to membrane alignment distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-compression elements and flexible sealing structures that accommodate pressure variations without compromising membrane alignment. These cushioning features are built into the cell construction to prevent distortion of the ion-exchange membranes under operating pressure, maintaining manufacturing precision while allowing high-flow operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolyzer cell design utilizes flexible membranes and compliant sealing structures that can deform elastically under pressure without permanent distortion. This flexibility allows the system to maintain proper membrane alignment and sealing even at higher flow rates, preventing the alignment distortion that would otherwise occur with rigid structures under pressure.
4Productivity
If power supply to electrode cells is increased to increase production, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to pH instability of electrolyzed waters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pH monitoring and control systems that provide feedback to the electrolyzing process. Sensors detect pH levels in the electrolyzed water streams, and this information is used to adjust operating parameters such as current density or flow rates to maintain pH within desired ranges, ensuring reliable and stable product quality even at high production levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrolyzing system is designed with dynamic control capabilities that allow real-time adjustment of electrical parameters and flow rates. This dynamic operation enables the system to maintain optimal pH stability by adapting current and flow conditions based on actual process conditions, preventing pH drift that would occur with fixed, high-power operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables economical production of higher quantities of electrolyzed water within optimal pH ranges, prioritizing alkaline production and maintaining stable pH levels, even with varying water hardness, while minimizing waste and ensuring efficient ion exchange and pH control.
Implementation Method 1
electrolyzing water containing ionic species (e.g., alkali salts) to produce acidic electrolyzed water and alkaline electrolyzed water
Implementation Method 2
ion permeable membrane supported relative to the electrode to define a space communication between a fresh water supply and a chemical outlet into which brine enters only through the membrane
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrolyzing system is provided for producing higher quantities of electrolyzed waters within prescribed pH ranges for optimum usage and which can be operated for producing greater quantities of alkaline electrolyzed water than acidic electrolyzed water consistent with a users requirements. The system includes an electrolytic cartridge having cathode and anode cells each comprising a pair of electrodes disposed in laterally spaced coplanar relation to each other, with a respective ion permeable membrane in spaced relation to the pairs of electrodes. The cells are separated with a common separator plate that maintains the ion permeable membranes in parallel relation with the respective electrodes and which facilitates the communication of brine solution from a brine bath to both cells. The cells further can be operate with staggered input currents and the redirection of electrolyzed water between the cells for optimum control of pH levels of the resulting products.