Patent Application
20140217005
The present invention relates to a water purification cartridge and a water purifier using such a water purification cartridge.
As a water purifier with an installed water purification cartridge, a so-called pot-type purifier is known. Such a pot-type water purifier is structured to have a water purification cartridge interposed between an upper-side raw water reservoir and a lower-side purified water reservoir. By virtue of its own weight, raw water stored in the raw water reservoir passes through the water purification cartridge to be purified in the water purification cartridge, then flows into the purified water reservoir. As an example of a purification cartridge installed in a pot-type water purifier, the one described in patent publication 1 is listed.
Such a water purification cartridge needs to have a structure to vent air generated inside so that the permeability of the water is maintained. In aforementioned water purification cartridge 1000, air outlet 1006 is provided in the upper center of cylindrical cover 1002a.
Also, a water purification cartridge proposed in patent publication 2 has an adsorber layer and a hollow-fiber membrane module below the adsorber layer, and an air ventilation pipe is provided to vent the air generated in the hollow-fiber membrane module upward to the outside.
Patent publication 3 proposes a water purification cartridge having an air ventilation pipe that penetrates through the upper and lower bottom portions, and the upper portion is positioned above the liquid inflow portion.
patent publication 1: Japanese Publication of PCT Application 2003-514647
patent publication 2: Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application 2004-230358
patent publication 3: Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application 2005-342684
A water purification cartridge described in patent publication 2 or 3 is capable of efficiently venting the air generated inside. However, if a water purification cartridge has an air ventilation pipe or an air exhaust tube, problems may arise such as a taller size and an increase in manufacturing costs due to its complex structure.
In addition, the filtration duration of a water purification cartridge is preferred to be shorter, and the processing speed is also required to be improved.
In response to the above, the objective of the present invention is to provide a water purification cartridge with excellent water permeability and processing capability.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a water purification cartridge positioned between a raw water reservoir and a purified water reservoir of a water purifier and having a container to accommodate an adsorbent and a hollow-fiber membrane for filtering raw water. Such a water purification cartridge includes an adsorber section in which the adsorbent is positioned and which has a water collector section through which the water filtered by the adsorbent flows; a hollow-fiber membrane section in which the hollow-fiber membrane is positioned and which is located on the downstream side of the adsorber section and the water collector section; and an air outlet positioned on the upper side of the container and connected to the space in the water collector section.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a water purifier is provided with the water purification cartridge installed therein.
By structuring as above, a water purification cartridge with excellent water permeability and processing capability is provided according to the present invention.
a) and 2(b): upper plan views schematically illustrating structural examples of a water purification cartridge according to the embodiment;
a)-(c): cross-sectional views schematically illustrating structural examples of a water purification cartridge according to the embodiment;
a) and 5(b): upper plan views schematically illustrating structural examples of a water purification cartridge according to the embodiment;
a) and 6(b): cross-sectional views schematically illustrating structural examples of a water purification cartridge according to the embodiment;
The present invention relates to a water purification cartridge which is positioned between a raw water reservoir and a purified water reservoir of a water purifier and is provided with a container to accommodate an adsorbent and a hollow-fiber membrane for filtering raw water. Such a water purification cartridge has an adsorbent section in which the adsorbent is positioned, and a water collector section is formed through which the water filtered by the adsorbent flows; a hollow-fiber membrane section in which the hollow-fiber membrane is positioned and which is located below the adsorber section and the water collector section; and an air outlet which is positioned on the upper side of the container and is connected to the space in the water collector section to vent out the air. By providing a water collector section inside the adsorber section, the area through which the water filtered by the adsorbent flows out is set greater on the side surface of the adsorber section. In addition, the air generated in the hollow-fiber membrane section passes through at least the water collector section and is vented to the outside from the air outlet. Accordingly, excellent water permeability is achieved. As a result, by employing the structure according to the present embodiment, a water purification cartridge with excellent water permeability and processing capability is provided.
The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention related to a water purification cartridge with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment below.
As shown in
Also, when the sum of the cross-sectional area of the plane perpendicular to the gravity direction in adsorber section 101 (vertical direction in
Container 102 is structured mainly with cylindrical casing 102b to accommodate filtration materials, upper cover 102a positioned at the upper end of casing 102b, and a lower cover 102c positioned at the lower end of casing 102b. However, the container according to the present embodiment is not limited to such a structure. As shown in
Upper cover 102a has protruding portion 112 which forms air collector section 105 on water collector section 103. In the upper portion of protruding portion 112, air outlet 106 is provided to vent air from air collector section 105 to the outside. More specifically, air outlet 106 is provided in upper level 121 of protruding portion 112, namely, in the upper portion of upper cover 102a. In addition, raw water entry port 104 is formed at lower level 122 of upper cover 102a to allow raw water from the raw water reservoir to enter the container. In other words, air outlet 106 is provided at the upper portion of protruding portion 112 that forms air collector section 105, and raw water entry port 104 is provided along the container wall positioned between the lower end of protruding portion 112 and the side wall of the container. Raw water entry port 104 is preferred to be formed so that raw water flows directly into adsorber section 101 through raw water entry port 104.
Hollow-fiber membrane section 108 is provided on the downstream side of adsorber section 101 and water collector section 103. Hollow-fiber membrane 109 is fixed at the lower end of casing 102b in the container by using potting resin 110 as shown in
Adsorber section 101 and hollow-fiber membrane section 108 are separated by divider wall 107 having opening 107a connecting water collector section 103 and hollow-fiber membrane section 108.
In addition, lower cover 102c positioned at the lower end of casing 102b has purified water exit port 111 to drain obtained purified water. Lower cover 102c is shaped with a gentle downward slope toward purified water drainage port 111.
Raw water in the raw water reservoir flows from raw water entry port 104 into adsorber section 101 by virtue of gravity. The water filtered in adsorber section 101 flows from the inner wall surface of adsorber section 101 into water collector section 103, and further flows into hollow-fiber membrane section 108 from the lower end of water collector section 103. Then, the water that flowed into hollow-fiber membrane section 108 is further filtered by hollow-fiber membrane 109 and flows out from the end opening of the hollow-fiber membrane toward the purified water exit port. The purified water is drained from purified water exit port 111 to the purified water reservoir.
Using the structure above, the area through which the water filtered in the adsorber section flows out is formed greater on the inner side surface of the adsorber section, thus the processing capability of the water purification cartridge is enhanced. In addition, since the air generated in the hollow-fiber membrane section passes through the water collector section and air collector section to be vented efficiently to outside the container from the air outlet, the water permeability of the water purification cartridge is further enhanced. Accordingly, the water purification cartridge having the structure of the present embodiment has excellent water permeability and processing capability.
An adsorbent is provided in adsorber section 101. As for the adsorbent, for example, fibrous adsorbents, powder adsorbents, granular adsorbents formed by shaping powder adsorbents into particles, and the like may be used. Examples of such adsorbents are inorganic adsorbents such as natural-product-based adsorbents (natural zeolite, silver zeolite, acid white clay and the like), and synthetic adsorbents (synthetic zeolite, bacterium adsorbing polymer, phosphate ore, molecular sieves, silica gel, silica-alumina gel, porous glass and the like).
Also, activated carbon is preferred as the adsorbent. Examples of activated carbon are powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon, fibrous activated carbon, activated carbon blocks, extrusion molding activated carbon, molded activated carbon, compound-based granular activated carbon, compound-based fibrous activated carbon and the like. When granular activated carbon is used, its particle size is preferred to be in the range of 0.07-2 mm. Using granular activated carbon with a particle size no smaller than 0.07 mm, the pressure loss is reduced. Also, by using granular activated carbon with a particle size no greater than 2 mm, designing a compact water purification cartridge is achieved.
In addition, organic adsorbents may also be used instead of inorganic adsorbents. Examples of organic adsorbents are molecule adsorbing resins, ion exchange resins, ion exchange fibers, chelate resins, chelate fibers, superabsorbent resins, oil absorbent resins, oil absorbents and the like. Among those, it is preferred to use activated carbon that is excellent in adsorbing organic compounds such as residual chlorine, mold odors, trihalomethanes, and so forth in raw water.
Furthermore, a molded adsorbent, for example, molded activated carbon, is preferred to be used in the present embodiment. Molding is conducted, for example, by extrusion and die molding. Molded activated carbon is formed by mixing granular or fibrous activated carbon with a binder. Using a molded body as an adsorbent, it is easier to form the adsorber section, and the compact structure of a water purification cartridge is obtained. In addition, the cost of forming a water purification cartridge is reduced.
Other preferred adsorbents are ion exchange fibers that are excellent for decreasing water hardness and adsorbing water-soluble metals. Examples of ion exchange fibers are strong acid types with a sulfonic acid group as an exchanger, weak acid types with a carboxylic acid group as an exchanger, strong base types with a quaternary ammonium group as an exchanger, weak base types with an amine group as an exchanger and the like.
Moreover, dechlorination agents excellent for removing residual chlorine may also be used preferably as an adsorbent. As for such a dechlorination agent, calcium sulfite is preferred because it is capable of removing chlorine for a prolonged duration.
Adsorbents may be used alone or in combination of any two or more.
The adsorber section is preferred to be positioned so that the upper end portion of the adsorber section is in contact with the upper wall of the container. In addition, the adsorber section is preferred to be in contact with the inner wall portions of the container positioned around protruding portion 112 and the upper portion of the adsorber section. Namely, as shown in
Hollow-fiber membranes are not limited specifically, but examples thereof include various materials based on cellulose, polyolefin (polyethylene, polypropylene), polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, polyether, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polysulfone, polyacrylonitrile, polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon, registered trademark), polycarbonate, polyester, polyamide, and aromatic polyamide. Among those, polyolefin-based hollow-fiber membranes such as polyethylene and polypropylene are preferred from the viewpoints of ease of handling and processability of hollow-fiber membranes as well of ease as disposal, such as incineration.
A hollow-fiber membrane is not limited to any specific dimensions, but is preferred to have an outer diameter of 20˜2000 μm, a hole diameter of 0.01˜1 μm, a porosity of 20˜90%, and a membrane thickness of 5˜300 μm. In addition, a hollow-fiber membrane is preferred to be such that has on its surface a hydrophilic group—a so-called hydrophilic hollow-fiber membrane.
Furthermore, the membrane surface area of a hollow-fiber membrane is preferred to be 0.1˜1 m2. By setting the membrane surface area of the hollow-fiber membrane at 0.1 m2 or greater, permeability is enhanced. In addition, by setting the membrane surface area of the hollow-fiber membrane at 1 m2 or smaller, a water purification cartridge is designed to be compact.
A raw water entry port is provided on the upper portion of a container so as to allow raw water in the raw water reservoir to enter the container. Raw water that has entered the container from the raw water entry port flows into the adsorber section. The shape of the raw water entry port is not limited specifically, and may be circular, elliptical, polygonal or irregular, for example.
The raw water entry port is not limited to any specific type, but may be formed using mesh material as shown in
It is an option to form one or more raw water entry ports. Also, the opening shape of a raw water entry port is preferred to be larger so as not to impede the filtration speed.
The shape of an air outlet is not limited specifically, and it may be circular, elliptical, or polygonal. Alternatively, it may be irregular.
The shape of an air outlet may be selected properly. For example, the diameter may be set no smaller than 0.6 mm for the air outlet. When the diameter of the air outlet is set at 0.6 mm or greater, air is promptly vented to the outside. Here, the diameter of the air outlet indicates the diameter when it is a circle, the major axis when it is an ellipse, and the longest diagonal line when it is a polygon. When the shape is irregular, the diameter means the widest width. At least one air outlet is provided, but there may be multiple air outlets.
The shape of a container is not limited specifically, and a cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section, substantially elliptical cross section or substantially polygonal cross section may be listed. Among those, a cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section is preferred.
Moreover, as shown in
Water purifier 200 shown in
Water purifier 200 is formed with cylindrical outer container 201 having an open upper-end and a bottom, and cylindrical inner container 202 having an open upper-end and a bottom which is inserted through the upper-end opening of outer container 201 and is arranged inside outer container 201. Inner container 202 is set to be positioned at approximately half the depth of outer container 201 or higher, and forms aforementioned raw water reservoir 204 in inner container 202 by being closely fitted to the upper-half portion of outer container 201 except for predetermined space 205. In addition, purified water reservoir 203 is formed between bottom wall 202a of inner container 202 and bottom wall 201a of outer container 201. Space 205 is formed to extend upward from purified water reservoir 203 so as to function as a spout when purified water is poured.
Upper cover 206 is fitted in the upper-end opening of inner container 202. For example, in the center of upper cover 206, an opening for supplying water is formed and an openable flap is provided to cover the water supply opening from above.
In addition, an opening formed at the upper end of space 205 works as a spout, and a spout cover 207 is provided over the spout.
On bottom wall 202a of the inner container, accommodation section 202b to accommodate a water purification cartridge is formed, and bottom wall 202a of the inner container is set with a gentle downward slope toward accommodation section 202b. Accommodation section 202b for a water purification cartridge is recessed from bottom wall 202a of the inner container toward the purified water reservoir. Water purification cartridge 500 is inserted from above to be fitted in accommodation section 202b. In the bottom center of accommodation section 202b, an opening is formed. Through accommodation section 202b and the bottom opening, namely, through water purification cartridge 500 installed in accommodation section 202b, raw water reservoir 204 is connected to purified water reservoir 203 positioned below.
As shown in
If a molded body such as molded activated carbon or the like is used as the adsorbent, the above structure is not necessary. However, if a granular adsorbent or the like is used, such an adsorbent is kept in the adsorber section by using water collector structural member 130 such as above.
a) is a view showing a structural example of the water purification cartridge according to the present embodiment, in which adsorber section 101 is formed using a molded body as the adsorbent. In
Raw water that has entered raw water entry passage 141 enters adsorber section 101 from a side surface of adsorber section 101, is filtered, and flows out to water collector section 103.
By employing the structure of the present embodiment, adsorber section 101 is more effectively used for filtration. Namely, when a raw water entry passage is positioned on a side surface of the adsorber section, the lower side portion of the adsorber section also contributes effectively to filtration processing, allowing the entire adsorber section to be used for filtration. Accordingly, processing capability is further enhanced.
In addition, as shown in
Raw water entry passage 141 is preferred to be positioned between a side surface of adsorber section 101 and a side wall of the container and be formed all the way to the lower portion of the adsorber section, preferably to the lower end. Namely, raw water entry passage 141 is preferred to be formed along a side surface of the adsorber section.
Although not shown in the accompanying drawings, it is also an option to form raw water entry port 104 to allow raw water from the raw water reservoir to enter adsorber section 103 even when raw water entry passage 141 is formed.
Furthermore, as shown in
When a molded body is used as an adsorber section, raw water entry passage 141 may be formed by adjusting the distance between a side wall of the container and the adsorber section. Alternatively, a raw water entry passage may be formed in the absorber section by cutting a desired formation during the molding process or after molding the absorber section. By using a molded adsorbent, a compact water purification cartridge with a simplified structure is also obtained according to the present embodiment.
In raw water entry passage 141, the horizontal distance from a side surface of adsorber section 101 to a side wall of the container is preferred to be 0.5-20 mm, more preferably 1-10 mm, even more preferably 2-6 mm.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-193941 | Sep 2011 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2012/072636 | 9/5/2012 | WO | 00 | 2/27/2014 |
