There are increasing demands on the public water supply such that public or governmental entities have had difficulty providing adequate water quality for consumption. Further, many individuals may not use a public water supply but instead may use a water source of uncertain quality, such as, for example, well water. In addition, there is an increasing desire to recycle water and to use non-conventional water sources such as, for example, seawater or brackish water. Consequently, there is a need for water treatment systems that may be used to purify water, improve or ensure water quality, or supplement existing water treatment methods.
There are numerous water treatment systems on the market that claim to improve water quality. These systems may use some combination of filtration, adsorption, distillation reverse osmosis or other methods to purify feed water. In general, these systems may be placed in line with a building's water supply to further purify water entering the building. For example, a system may be placed close to the entry point of water into a building, thereby permitting the building's entire water supply to pass through the system for purification. In other examples, water treatment systems may be placed a particular point in a building's water distribution. For example, a water treatment system may be placed adjacent to the supply of drinking water to further purify water from this source. In these and similar circumstances, a water treatment system is preferably relatively compact such that it may be installed and maintained in an existing space, whether that space is inside or outside of a building. Further, water treatment systems should be adaptable to particular situations, including where the source water has unique characteristics, such as increased concentrations of a specific impurity.
There remains a need for a water treatment system that is relatively compact such that may be easily installed or maintained in confined spaces, but which has a high capacity for water treatment, or which is relatively energy efficient. There also is a need for a system that may be customizable for particular water purification situations. There is also a need for a system that is able to recycle water for further purification.
Water treatment systems of the disclosure include at least one filtration cartridge, at least one reverse osmosis cartridge, at least one pump and an enclosure. Water treatment systems may have assemblies to facilitate installation or maintenance, including, for example, pump assemblies, tank assembly, an electronics assembly, filtration assemblies, reverse osmosis cartridge assemblies, or post-permeate assemblies.
The systems and methods described herein are not limited in their application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other disclosure and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including”, “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, “involving” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter, equivalents thereof, and additional items, as well as alternate examples consisting of the items listed thereafter exclusively.
Other aspects, embodiments, and advantages of these exemplary aspects and embodiments are discussed in detail below. This description is intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects and examples. The accompanying drawings are included to provide illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and examples and embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings, together with the specification, serve to explain the described and claimed aspects and embodiments.
The disclosure relates to water treatment systems, where a water treatment system reduces impurities in a feed water source that is inputted or flowed into the system. That is, water outputted or flowed from a system after treatment has reduced amounts of one or more impurities compared to feed water inputted or flowed into the system. Impurities removed by treatment, may be, without limitation, particulates, colloids, insoluble material or soluble material, bacteria, viruses, or some combination of these materials. Water treatment systems may remove, for example, and without limitation, organic or inorganic compounds, ions, including individual charged atoms, uncharged molecules or atoms, or some combination of these substances. Systems of the disclosure may reduce, for example only compounds, molecules or atoms having, lead, arsenic, iron, nitrates, nitrites, chromium fluoride, chlorine, chloramine, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) or some combination of these substances. According to the disclosure, the feed water may be, without limitation, from a municipal or public water supply, from a well water supply, may be wastewater or may be salinated water, such as seawater or brackish water. Water treatment systems of the disclosure may be customizable or adaptable to the characteristics of a particular source of water. For example, additional filtration components may be added if the feed water has particularly high levels of particulate matter.
Systems of the disclosure may meet industry-established or government-established standards for water treatment systems. For example, systems of the disclosure may meet, without limitation, the NSF-61 standard, the NSF-P473 standard for PFOA, PFOS and other perfluorochemicals (PFCs), the NSF standard for bacteria and viruses, or the LEC 2006 standard for water contaminants.
Systems of the disclosure may produce from about six (6) to about 24 gallons of output water per minute at maximum capacity. In some preferred examples, such as in a residential setting, a system may produce from about six (6) to about 12 gallons per minute (about 8000-17,000 gallons per day. For example, the output of purified water from a system of the disclosure may be greater than nine (9) gallons per minute at 77° F. with 500 TDS water and 40 psi (pounds per square inch) outlet pressure. In other preferred examples, such as in a commercial setting, systems may produce from about to 14 gallons per day to about 24 gallons per day of output water. In particularly preferred examples, systems may produce from about 16 to about 20 gallons per minute (about 23-28 k gallons per day).
In preferred examples, water treatment systems of the disclosure operate from about 32° F. to about 120° F. That is, a system may produce output water or post-permeate water in this temperature range.
In preferred examples, systems of the disclosure may remove up to 5000 ppm of total dissolved solids or up to 15000 ppm of total dissolved solids. For example, a system designed for use in a commercial setting may be used with feed waters having a greater amount of total dissolved solids.
According to the disclosure, water treatment systems may be used in numerous situations that require water purification. In preferred examples, water treatment systems may be used to provide purified water to residential or commercial buildings. In preferred examples, water treatment systems may be placed internally (e.g within a building) or externally (e.g. outside of a building) to residential or commercial buildings. In preferred examples, water treatment systems of the disclosure are placed close to the entrance of a water supply into a building, either externally or internally, adjacent to a building's source. In some examples, two or more water treatment systems may be linked or connected, such as fluidly connected, mechanically connected, electrically connected or some combination of these arrangements. The linked or connected water treatment systems may be placed in parallel, or in series, or some combination of in series or in parallel.
In some examples, compact, enclosed systems of the disclosure allow the purification of water in situations that would be difficult for other water treatment systems. For example, the system may be installed, operated or maintained in relatively small spaces, either indoors or outside. In preferred examples, systems of the disclosure may be shipped as ready-to-use, self-contained units with little or no assembly required, such as occurs with household appliances like washing machines. Systems of the disclosure may also be connected or linked to external components such as a holding or storage tank or may be linked to other types of water treatment systems. In some examples, water treatment systems of the disclosure may be able to be moved easily, such as adjusting the position of the system adjacent to a water source. For example, the system may include wheels or casters placed on the enclosure.
In preferred examples, a water treatment system according to the disclosure includes at least one reverse osmosis cartridge, at least one filtration cartridge, at least one pump and an enclosure. In general, systems of the disclosure include one or more assemblies which may be easily removed from the system or may be easily inserted into the system. Assembly, disassembly, or maintenance of water treatment systems may be facilitated by the use of the disclosed assemblies. The design of the disclosed assemblies may facilitate the incorporation of all components into compact, small-footprint, efficient water treatment systems. The systems of the disclosure may be energy efficient relative to other systems. For example, water treatment systems of the disclosure may produce more output water per energy unit than other systems. In preferred examples, systems of the disclosure may consume about 2.0 watt-hour per gallon per hour to 5.0 watt-hour per gallon per hour, or about 2.5 watt-hour per gallon per hour to 4.0 watt-hour per gallon per hour.
In preferred examples, systems have at least one assembly that includes one reverse osmosis cartridge, at least one assembly that includes two reverse osmosis cartridges, at least one assembly that includes three reverse osmosis cartridges, or at least one assembly includes four reverse osmosis cartridges. In preferred examples, reverse osmosis cartridges may include at least one reverse osmosis unit, or may include at least two reverse osmosis units, or may include at least three reverse osmosis units.
In preferred examples, water treatment systems may include at least one assembly that has at least one filtration cartridge, at least one assembly that has at least two filtration cartridges, at least one assembly that has at least three filtration cartridges, or at least one assembly that has at least four filtration cartridges. In preferred examples, filtration cartridges may include at least one filtration unit, or may include at least two filtration units, or may include at least three filtration units.
In preferred examples, water treatment systems have at least one pump assembly. In some examples, water treatment systems may have two pump assemblies, may have three pump assemblies or may have more than three pump assemblies. According to the disclosure, two or more pump assemblies may be connected in parallel, or in series, or some combination of in series and in parallel.
In preferred examples, components or assemblies of a water treatment system are located within, are enclosed by, or are incorporated into an enclosure. The enclosure provides protection for system components from environmental stress, such as water or particulate matter. For example, enclosures may provide protection for electronics to at least the IP54 standard as defined by the International Electrochemical Commission. The enclosure is formed from materials that are resistant to a range of environmental conditions and to physical stresses. In preferred examples, the enclosure is formed largely from a plastic material. In particularly preferred examples, the enclosure is formed from high density polyethylene. The plastic may have been treated to stabilize the material from ultraviolet radiation. In some examples, other materials may be incorporated into the enclosure for particular situations, including other plastics or metals.
In some examples, one or more components or assemblies may be external to the disclosure but connected to the enclosure. For example, external assemblies or components may be electrically connected to the enclosure, may be fluidly connected to the enclosure, may be mechanically connected to the enclosure or some combination of these arrangements. For example, water may be flowed through one or more filtration cartridges or through one or more pumps before flowing to an enclosure, the enclosure having a water treatment system
In preferred examples, a water treatment system of the disclosure may include at least one tank assembly. The capacity of the tank may be about from six (6) gallons to about 24 gallons, or about six (6) about to about 15 gallons. In a particularly preferred example, the tank contains about eight (8) gallons.
The weight of water treatment systems of the disclosure varies depending on the particular example, as water treatment systems may be customized to a particular situation. In preferred examples, water treatment systems weigh about 200 pounds to about 1000 pounds, or about 300 pounds to 900 pounds, or from 300 pounds to 600 pounds.
Water treatment systems of the disclosure may include at least one electronics assembly. Systems of the disclosure may include at least one flow meter assembly. Systems of the disclosure may include at least one assembly that facilitates the recirculation or recycling of water, such as concentrate. For example, systems may include an assembly that facilitates the recirculation or recycling of concentrate, such that concentrate water is passed through the system, or a portion of the system, such as reverse osmosis cartridges. In these examples, concentrate may be flowed through reverse osmosis cartridges such that the recirculated concentrate is further purified.
Systems of the disclosure may include at least one post-permeate assembly that adds material to purified water, such as adding calcite to permeate. Systems of the disclosure may include an assembly that includes an inlet for flowing water into the system. Systems may include an assembly which includes an outlet, where water is flowed out of a water treatment system. In preferred examples, inlets and outlets may be included in the same assembly.
Water treatment systems may include components for monitoring the status of the system. For example, systems may include at least one sensor, at least one gauge, at least one valve, or other similar devices. Systems may include, without limitation, one or more sensors that detect or measure total dissolved solids (TDS), one or more sensors that measure or detect particulate matter, one or more sensors that detect or measure certain compounds or atoms, such as arsenic, iron, lead, or compounds having these atoms. Systems may include at least one device that measures water pressure, such as a pressure gauge. Systems may include at least one device that measure flow rate at various points in the system. A system may monitor system properties such as TDS in, TDS out, volume of water output (e.g. gallons per minute). A system may monitor inlet water pressure, outlet water pressure, or pump water pressure. A system may monitor inlet flow, outlet flow, or discharge (concentrate) flow. These data may be shown on one or more displays of a system.
Systems of the disclosure may include at least one valve. For example, and without limitation, systems may include at least one pressure relief valve, may include at least one check valve, or may include at least one control valve or may have a combination of these valve types.
In preferred examples, water treatment systems have components that monitor, collect or integrate data from sensors, gauges, valves or other devices that collect data about a water treatment system. In preferred examples, systems of the disclosure include at least one electronics assembly where data about the system is received and processed. The data from the system may be inputted and certain algorithms may be in place to adjust performance of a system based on the inputted data. The water treatment system is therefore adaptable to changes in different feed water sources or changes in water properties during operation. For example, a system may monitor inlet water pressure and adjust relevant valves if the input pressure exceeds a set threshold. A system may use data obtained from monitoring the system to calculate relevant values. For example, predicted remaining filter life, total clean water out, predicted remaining reverse osmosis membrane life, recovery rate of concentrate, or calculated daily usage rate may be displayed. In some examples, the electronics assembly may use established algorithms to recirculate or recycle concentrate for further purification.
The system may display alerts if one or more monitored data or one or more calculated values is close to a pre-set value. These values may be shown on one or more display on an enclosure. The alerts or other information may be transmitted to a remote device, such as a computer.
In some examples, an end user may alter the operation of the system. For example, a user may shut down the system or decrease flow rate when the system is not required. In some examples, a user may use an application on a wireless device to monitor and effect changes in the operation of a system.
In
Permeate may be used or stored. In some examples, permeate may be flowed to a filter that adds material to the permeate, such as a calcite filter.
Permeate may also be used to flush the system, thereby removing debris, scale, or material otherwise deposited on surfaces of the system, including the membranes of reverse osmosis cartridges. According to the disclosure, permeate may be stored in one or more tanks, then flowed to one or more reverse osmosis cartridges for flushing to remove undesirable material. In examples, where permeate is used to flush the system, permeate is flowed at higher flow rates through the system than when feed water is flowed through the system for purification.
Concentrate water may be drained from the system for disposal. In preferred examples, a portion of concentrate may also be recirculated or recycled for further purification.
In this example, as shown in
Sensors that monitor water quality or water characteristics may be present, such as a sensor 208 that monitors total dissolved solids (TDS). Pressure gauge 207 may be present. A system may include a meter to measure flow rate 210 at this point. In this example, feed water passes from the one or more filtration cartridges to a pump 214. A check valve 212 may be present between the filter cartridges 204,206 and pump 214. In this example, the check valve 212 is a one-way check valve where the check valve prevents the flow of water from the one or more pumps back towards the filter cartridges 204,206. In other examples, water may flow to two or more pumps. In examples where there are two or pumps, the pumps may be placed in parallel or in series or some combination of in parallel and in series.
A pressure sensor and flow meter 218, 220 may be positioned adjacent to and fluidly connected to the pump, thereby measuring the pressure and flow rates in the pump. In this example, the pump 214 flows water to two reverse osmosis cartridges 222,224 which are placed in parallel. In other examples, systems may have one reverse osmosis cartridge, or have more than two reverse osmosis cartridges. In other examples, the reverse osmosis cartridges may be in series or the cartridges may in a combination of in series and in parallel.
In preferred examples, flat membrane sheets used for reverse osmosis are rolled to form a spiral pattern in the cartridge housing. The diameter of the rolled membrane may be from about two (2) inches to about 10 inches. In preferred examples, the rolled membrane is about six (6) inches in diameter. In preferred examples, a reverse osmosis membrane unit may have 10 to 25 leaves or layers. In preferred examples, a reverse osmosis cartridge may have from about 100 to 350 square feet of membrane. In preferred examples, a reverse osmosis unit may have about 280 square feet of membrane.
The flow of feed water through reverse osmosis membranes results in permeate and concentrate water fractions. In this example, permeate flows from the top of the reverse osmosis cartridges to a tank 226 where the water may be stored. In some examples, the tank may serve as a surge tank, such that the tank fills with water when demand is low and empties as demand requires. In preferred examples, the tank may be a hydro-pneumatic tank. The tank may have a bladder. In other examples, the tank may not have a bladder. The tank may be formed from fiber-reinforced plastic.
The tank may include a pressure relief valve 228, to drain water in the event of excess water pressure. In other examples, a pressure relief valve may be placed elsewhere, such as for example, on a post permeate filter assembly. In other examples, a water treatment system may operate without a tank. In preferred examples, the water pressure in a tank may be maintained from about 20 pounds per square inch (psi) to about 100 pounds psi, or from about 40 psi to about 80 psi.
In some examples, a water treatment system may have one or more post-permeate filters through which permeate may flow before use. These one or more filters may adjust the characteristics of permeate, for example, by adding material to the permeate. In the example shown in
In this example, permeate may also be flowed from one or more tanks to flush at least a part of the system. As shown in
In preferred examples, flushing with permeate may be done in cycles of pulses of water flow. For example, permeate may be flowed under pressure from at least one tank to one or more reverse osmosis cartridges for a short time period. The pump assembly may operate simultaneously during this time period to facilitate flow of permeate to a pump assembly, then through reverse osmosis cartridges. During the flushing process, permeate flow from at least one tank may be stopped for a short time period and then restarted for another pre-determined time period. The flushing procedure may consist of a predetermined number of such cycles. In other examples, the process be adjusted depending on the characteristics of the flushed water. For example, TDS values may drop after successful a number of flushing cycles and the flushing process may be therefore terminated.
In other examples, the flushing cycle may be determined by the frequency of use of a water treatment system. For example, if the system has been running for more than one hour without interruption flushing may be more frequent, depending on the TDS value. If the system has run less time, the flushing may be less frequent, depending on the TDS level of the input water. If the system has not been running for more than four hours, permeate flush is opened and pump operated is run to circulate permeate water through the system.
According to this example, concentrate may be sent to a drain 238 for disposal. In some examples, a portion of the concentrate may be recirculated or recycled. In examples utilizing recirculation or recycling of concentrate, a fraction of concentrate is flowed to pump assembly 214 where concentrate mixes with feed water. In some examples, water treatment systems may include solenoid valve manifold assemblies for concentrate recirculation and recycling in the system. In other examples, water treatment systems may use at least one step valve. In preferred examples, systems may use two step valves, where one valve regulates the amount of concentrate for mixing with feed water and a second step valve regulates the amount of water for disposal. The solenoid valves or step valves are placed to regulate the volume of concentrate flowed to at least one pump assembly. According to preferred examples, the mixture of feed water and concentrate is flowed from a pump assembly to at least one reverse osmosis cartridge.
In the example of
When concentrate is recirculated or recycled, concentrate may be mixed with feed water in various ratios such that the tolerances or specifications of the system are not exceeded. For example, concentrate and feed water may be mixed such that the specifications for reverse osmosis membranes regarding TDS are not exceeded. The fraction of concentrate directed for recycling may also be determined by other factors, including, without limitation, the pressure of water flowing into the system, feed water quality, including TDS value, the output flow of water out of the system or some combination of these factors. In preferred examples, one or more of these or other factors are monitored continuously such that the system may adjust the amount of concentrate recycled. In preferred examples, an algorithm is used to determine the optimal operation for recirculating and recycling water. In examples where concentrate is recycled, about 0.1% to about 80% of concentrate water produced by a system may be flowed for recycling, or from about 5% to about 70% concentrate, or from about 10% to about 60% concentrate.
In preferred examples, feed water and concentrate mix in a mixing bowl in at least one pump assembly. Feed water and concentrate may be mixed such that up to about 50% of the water mixed in the mixing bowl is concentrate (i.e. about 50% concentrate, about 50% feed water), or up to about 40% concentrate, up to about 35% concentrate, or up to about 30% concentrate, up to about 25% concentrate, up to about 20% concentrate, or up to about 15% concentrate. In preferred examples, feed water and concentrate are mixed in ratios up to about 65% feed water to about 35% concentrate. For example, concentrate may be flowed into a pump assembly at about 6 to 7 gallons per minute and feed water flowed into a pump assembly at about 10-11 gallons per minute.
In general, systems of the disclosure may use hoses or pipes to flow water or to connect components or assemblies of the system. Materials for hoses or pipes may be selected for one or more characteristics including, and without limitation, cost, corrosion-resistance, wear-resistance, ease of assembly, bacterial growth-resistance, fungal growth-resistance, weight, malleability, flexibility or some combination of these characteristics. In preferred examples, thermoplastic hoses having one or more of these characteristics may be used. In general, systems of the disclosure may use fittings made of one or more materials, such as plastic fittings, copper fittings, or stainless-steel fittings, depending on the requirements of a component. For example, valves may include copper where a reduced incidence of bacterial growth is desired.
Components of the system, such as reverse osmosis cartridge components, that may contact water are formed from materials and which meet established standards for water treatment. In some examples, system components may be formed from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that has been treated to meet standards for water treatment.
As shown in
Inlet AC (a powerpack) connection is also shown 328. Water treatment systems of the disclosure may use 110V or may be modified to the requirements of a particular electrical grid. Water treatment systems of the disclosure may be operated using portable electricity sources, such as generators. Water treatment systems of the disclosure may be adapted to particular situation, such as a smaller available space and the dimensions of an enclosure may vary depending on the system components. In one example, a system is contained within an enclosure about 50.5 inches high, 28 inches across, and 36 inches in depth. In other examples, an enclosure about 53 inches high, 28 inches across, and 39 inches in depth.
Referring to
According to this example, port 408 is an inlet for feed water, port 410 is an inlet for permeate, port 412 (shown in
As shown in
According to the example shown in 7(a), manifold 1700 for recirculation or recycling of concentrate or manifold 1600 for disposal of concentrate are shown. This figure is an exploded view of a recirculation and recycling and disposal manifolds, but shown inverted as to how the assemblies would be placed in a water treatment system. Disposal manifold 1600 shares a common line 1604 with recirculation or recycling manifold 1700 where this line receives concentrate from, for example, at least one reverse osmosis cartridge from inlet 1603. Common manifold section 1758 is shown as well as recirculation manifold section 1760 and disposal manifold section 1660. Inlet 1603 is shown in the common manifold section 1758. Recirculation manifold section 1760 has outlet 1755 and disposal manifold section has outlet 1661. Mounting portions 1607 are also shown, for mounting on cross-support 314.
Manifold 1600 includes solenoids 1608, 1610. Manifold 1700 includes solenoids 1708, 1710, 1712, 1714. Valve seats are shown for disposal manifolds 1600 (1616, 1618) and recirculation manifold 1700 (1716,1718,1720, 1722). Valve diaphragms 1632,1634 and 1732,1734,1736,1738 are also shown. Jet portions 1620,1622,1720,1722,1724,1726 are also shown. Jets 1620,1622,1720,1722,1724,1726 are selected to include channels of different diameters. Valve couplers 1680,1682,1780,1782,1784,1786 are shown as well as O-rings 1777.
In the examples of
According to this example concentrate from at least one reverse osmosis cartridge is flowed through inlet 1603, then through inlet channel 1705, as shown by arrows in
As shown by arrows in the
According to this example, concentrate may also flow through at least one jet and associated jet channel for disposal. As shown in
The reverse assembly includes reverse osmosis elements 702, 704, housings 710, 712, top pass element 714, bottom pass element 716, top endcaps 720, 721, top core nipples 722, bottom core nipples 724, bottom endcap 726, bottom manifold nipples 728, top manifold nipples 732. The assembly includes retaining pins 730. The assembly includes permeate outlet 734, permeate line 736, flush line 744, concentrate outlet 740, and feed water inlet line 742. Hose 731 connected to permeate line 736 is shown. Hose 743 connected to permeate outlet 736 is also shown.
During a flushing procedure as shown in
Filtration media within each filter cartridge may be selected according to the circumstances of a particular water source. For example, a first filter media may be a sediment or particulate filter and a second filter may be a granulated activated carbon (GAC) filter. In other examples a first filter may be a combination of sediment and carbon materials and a second filter may be a carbon filter. This arrangement be suitable, for example, where the chlorine content of the input water is significant. In some examples, the first or second filter media may include catalytic carbon. Catalytic carbon may be effective in removing chloramine.
In preferred examples, the sediment and carbon media fill a filtration unit housing having a diameter from about three (3) inches to about seven (7) inches. In some preferred examples, filter media fill a diameter of about four (4) inches. In other preferred examples, filter media fill a diameter of about 5.25 inches.
In preferred examples, the housing of a filtration cartridge may be from about 35 to about 50 inches high. In preferred examples a housing is about 40 inches high. The overall height of a filtration cartridge in this case may be about 44 inches.
In this example in
These caps may provide additional protection for the assemblies from the environment while the system is running. These caps may be easily removed for servicing.
The forging description is meant to be exemplary only and many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the disclosure, systems and methods may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2020/036855 | 6/9/2020 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62979691 | Feb 2020 | US | |
62960259 | Jan 2020 | US | |
62859186 | Jun 2019 | US |