Removable Water Filter Canister With Bypass Sanitizing Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft potable water distribution systems face challenges in maintaining water quality due to varying taste and sanitary quality of water sources, with parasitic cysts like Giardia and Crypto not being controlled by chlorination, requiring frequent and labor-intensive sanitization and replacement of filtration/purification cartridges, and manual actuation of vacuum breaks and vents leading to inadequate water draining and filling.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of self-contained canisters with filtration and purification media attached to valve heads integrated into the water distribution system at accessible locations, allowing for immediate filtration and purification of water at the point of use, reducing exposure to contaminants, and enabling non-technical personnel to replace cartridges without professional maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If filtration/purification cartridges are installed in hard-to-reach locations within aircraft water distribution systems, then water quality purification is achieved, but maintenance becomes labor-intensive and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular components: a permanent valve head assembly installed in hard-to-reach locations and removable cartridge assemblies that can be easily exchanged. This segmentation allows the valve head to remain installed in the water distribution system while the cartridges can be accessed and replaced at convenient locations, resolving the contradiction between purification reliability and maintenance accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration/purification function is extracted into a separate removable cartridge assembly that can be detached from the valve head. This extraction allows the cartridge to be removed and replaced without disturbing the permanently installed valve head in hard-to-reach locations, enabling easy maintenance while maintaining continuous water quality purification capability.
2Reliability
If high concentration chlorine solutions are used for sanitation, then microorganism control is improved, but filtration/purification cartridges are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The sanitation function is separated from the filtration function. The cartridge can be removed from the valve head before sanitation, protecting it from damage by high concentration chlorine. The valve head remains in place and can be sanitized independently, then the cartridge is reinstalled afterward, maintaining microorganism control capability while preserving cartridge integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge is removed before sanitation and stored in a protected location. This preliminary action prevents the cartridge from being exposed to damaging high concentration chlorine solutions, while still allowing the water distribution system to be properly sanitized through the valve head and piping.
3Duration of action of moving object
If water is stored in centralized distribution tanks, then water supply availability is improved, but water quality degradation occurs over time
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration/purification process operates continuously at the point of use through the valve head and cartridge assembly, rather than relying on pre-treated stored water. This continuous purification action maintains water quality throughout the duration of water supply availability, addressing both the need for continuous supply and continuous quality assurance.
Solution Approach 2:
Water quality treatment is applied locally at each valve head installation point throughout the aircraft, rather than treating all water centrally in storage tanks. This local treatment approach ensures that water remains pure from the moment it enters the distribution system at each location, maintaining high quality even as water is supplied over extended periods.
4Productivity
If manual vacuum breaks and vents are required for draining, then water system draining is achieved, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve head assembly incorporates automatic vacuum break and vent functions that operate without manual intervention. The system self-regulates the draining process by automatically breaking vacuums and venting air as needed, simplifying operation while maintaining effective water system draining capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum break and vent functions are merged into the valve head assembly, combining multiple functions into a single integrated component. This integration eliminates the need for separate manual operations and reduces system complexity while maintaining effective draining capability.
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 solution provides efficient, cost-effective, and improved water quality management by reducing contamination risks, minimizing labor costs, and ensuring consistent water quality through point-of-use filtration and easy cartridge replacement, while also simplifying maintenance and reducing the risk of bacterial growth in distribution lines.
Implementation Method 1
These pathogens can reliably be removed by effective microfiltration
Implementation Method 2
A primary sanitation defense mechanism is to maintain an adequate residual of chlorine, preferably free chlorine, within the water storage and distribution system
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for filtering water has a valve head and a filtration/purification canister removably mountable thereon. Connecting the canister to the valve head automatically opens a check valve in the valve head to permit water to flow from the valve head into and through the canister, and then back to and through the valve head to an outlet port. Disconnecting the canister from the valve head automatically closes the check valve, stopping the flow of water. A bypass valve is provided in the valve head to permit a sanitizing solution to flow through the valve head and along the lines of the water distribution system to sanitize the system, while bypassing the canister. The outlet port may be directly connected to an appliance that uses water, to eliminate possible contamination that may occur when water is brought indirectly from the outlet port to the appliance instead.