Water Treatment System with Recirculation Loop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water treatment systems face challenges in maintaining water quality, particularly in preventing recontamination of purified water when it is not flowing, leading to health risks due to microorganisms like Legionella, and current methods such as UV light or heating are energy-intensive and incomplete, while ultrafiltration systems require frequent cleaning and have limitations in handling soluble contaminants.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a first section for feeding water, a second section with an ultrafiltration unit for mechanical separation, and a third section with a connection to a fourth section that allows recontaminated water to be fed back to the ultrafiltration unit, ensuring continuous cleaning and preventing backflow of contaminants, using a pump for circulation and incorporating additional ultrafiltration units for enhanced separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UV light is used to kill microorganisms, then microorganisms are destroyed, but dead components remain in water and energy expenditure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes dead microorganism components from water using mechanical filtration systems (filters, membrane filters) after UV irradiation, separating the harmful residues from the treated water to eliminate their presence in the final product
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanical filtration step between UV irradiation and water delivery, using filters and membrane filters as mediator systems to capture and remove dead microorganism components that UV light cannot eliminate
2Reliability
If water is heated to 60-70°C to denature organisms, then microorganisms are killed, but denatured residues remain and high energy is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes denatured microorganism residues from water using mechanical filtration systems (filters, membrane filters) after thermal treatment, separating the harmful residues from the treated water to eliminate their presence in the final product
3Reliability
If ultrafiltration systems are used to remove particles, then microorganisms are filtered out, but frequent cleaning is required and soluble contaminants cannot be handled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the water treatment process into distinct stages: mechanical filtration for particle removal, UV irradiation for microorganism destruction, and membrane filtration for residue removal. Each stage handles specific contaminants independently, reducing the burden on any single system and minimizing cleaning requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs porous membrane filters with specific pore sizes to selectively remove microorganisms and their residues while allowing water and dissolved substances to pass through, achieving effective filtration without requiring frequent cleaning of the filtration system
4Reliability
If multiple sequential irradiation devices are used to destroy all microorganisms, then complete destruction is achieved, but time and energy expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous water flow through the treatment system, maintaining constant movement of water through the UV irradiation zone and filtration systems. This continuous action ensures all microorganisms are exposed to treatment without stagnation, achieving complete destruction in a single pass rather than requiring multiple sequential devices
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 system effectively prevents recontamination of purified water, reduces energy consumption, and ensures continuous water quality without the need for additional disinfection steps, making it suitable for public and private water networks by maintaining sterile water conditions through mechanical filtration.
Implementation Method 1
a second section in the form of an ultrafiltration unit for the mechanical separation of microorganisms
Implementation Method 2
incorporating additional ultrafiltration units for enhanced separation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates generally to the field of water treatment. In particular, the invention relates to a system and a method for conveying liquids, especially water, with which undesirable components in a liquid that is at least temporarily stagnant or free of flow can be effectively reduced or eliminated. The system according to the invention for conveying liquids comprises, in the direction of flow (S), a first section (1) with a feed point (11), a second section (2) in the form of a device for the mechanical separation (21) of undesirable components, and a third section (3) with at least one outlet (31), wherein the third section (3) has a connection (32) to a fourth section (4) through which the liquid volume of the third section can be at least partially supplied to the device for mechanical separation (21).The method according to the invention relates to the reduction of the load on the liquid volume temporarily stationary in the third section (3) preferably using the system according to the invention.