Ozonated Water Self-Cleaning Ultrafiltration Membrane
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Ultrafiltration membranes used in water treatment quickly become clogged due to inorganic and organic particles, leading to reduced flow and the need for chemical cleaning, which limits their service life and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize ozone injection and back-cleaning to self-clean ultrafiltration membranes without chemicals, where ozone is added to contaminated water before filtration, and the filtered water is used to tangentially flush out impurities, preventing membrane clogging and extending the membrane's service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ultrafiltration membranes are used to remove pathogens and solid sludge from water, then high quality drinking water is achieved, but the membranes become clogged quickly by inorganic and organic particles
Solution Approach 1:
Ozone is injected into the contaminated water before it enters the ultrafiltration membrane to pre-oxidize organic contaminants and prevent them from clogging the membrane pores, thereby extending membrane service life while maintaining water quality
Solution Approach 2:
Ozone, a strong oxidant, is used to oxidize organic and inorganic particles in the water before filtration, reducing their ability to adhere to and clog the membrane surface, thus preventing rapid membrane fouling
2Productivity
If chemical cleaning systems are used to clean clogged membranes, then flow is restored, but the service life of the membranes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a portion of the filtered water to automatically rinse and clean the membrane surface during operation, eliminating the need for chemical cleaning agents that would otherwise degrade the membrane material and reduce its service life
Solution Approach 2:
A back-cleaning pump extracts and removes accumulated particles and sludge from the membrane surface and pores, restoring flow without requiring chemical cleaning that would harm the membrane
3Reliability
If membranes act as molecular sieves to remove high molecular weight substances, then pathogen removal is effective, but pore clogging occurs rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
Ozone oxidation changes the chemical parameters of organic contaminants, breaking down large molecular weight substances into smaller molecules that pass through the membrane more easily, maintaining flow while preserving pathogen removal efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The ozone oxidation process converts harmful organic contaminants that would clog pores into beneficial smaller molecules that do not interfere with membrane filtration, transforming the clogging problem into an enhanced filtration process
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 approach allows for automatic dynamic membrane cleaning without chemicals, reducing the frequency of filter replacements and maintaining membrane effectiveness by preventing biofilm formation and oxidizing inorganic contaminants, thus ensuring continuous operation of ultrafiltration systems.
Implementation Method 1
ozonization device, with a supply line for contaminated water to which a pump is connected, the ozone supply line of an ozone source being connected to the supply line, viz an ozone generator, for supplying ozone to the contaminated water
Implementation Method 2
the pump supplying ozonated water to a membrane filter module, namely a cross-flow ultrafiltration module
Implementation Method 3
The driving force of the process is the pressure difference, which causes the density of the volume flow of the permeate through the membrane
Implementation Method 4
Reversible membrane clogging can be removed using high-shear reverse-flushing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for filtering water, comprising a filter arrangement with a chemical-free self-cleaning function for cleaning the filter, as well as an ozonation device. To achieve advantageous filtration ratios, a supply line (1) for contaminated water is connected to the pump (7), and the ozone supply line (6) of an ozone source, particularly an ozone generator (5), is connected to said supply line (1) so as to supply ozone to the contaminated water, said pump (7) supplying ozonated water to a filter module (8), particularly to a crossflow ultra-filtration module, and purified water flowing into an outlet (9) on one side and into a container (10) for clean drinking water on the other side, said container (10) being connected to the filter module by means of lines and a cleaning return pump (11) in order to counter-flush the filter membranes in the filter module (8), and contaminants retained in said filter module (8) being flushed out by means of a pressure-regulator device (14), particularly a valve, that is associated with a wastewater outlet (15).