U.S. patent application number 13/990082 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-10 for eco-dishwasher system and methodology.
This patent application is currently assigned to General Electric Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Mahesh Kumar Asati, Srinivasan Duraiswamy, Hui Lei, Paul Mathew, Nikhil Subhashchandra Tambe, Ronald Scott Tarr, Ramasamy Thiyagarajan, Chen Wang, Zijun Xia, Hai Yang. Invention is credited to Mahesh Kumar Asati, Srinivasan Duraiswamy, Hui Lei, Paul Mathew, Nikhil Subhashchandra Tambe, Ronald Scott Tarr, Ramasamy Thiyagarajan, Chen Wang, Zijun Xia, Hai Yang.
Application Number | 20130263892 13/990082 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46312987 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130263892 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Thiyagarajan; Ramasamy ; et
al. |
October 10, 2013 |
ECO-DISHWASHER SYSTEM AND METHODOLOGY
Abstract
A dishwashing apparatus and a methodology are provided for
washing dishware using electrolyzed water to provide alkaline and
acidic water for wash and rinse cycles. The water used at the
beginning of a pre-wash stage is repeatedly used in plural pre-wash
cycles and filtered through sediment and oil filtration between
pre-wash cycles. Water from a final rinse cycle is saved for use
for future pre-wash cycles. The sediment and oil filtration filter
are reversely flushed to regenerate the filtration systems.
Inventors: |
Thiyagarajan; Ramasamy;
(Louisville, KY) ; Tarr; Ronald Scott;
(Louisville, KY) ; Yang; Hai; (Shanghai, CN)
; Mathew; Paul; (Bangalore, IN) ; Wang; Chen;
(Shanghai, CN) ; Asati; Mahesh Kumar; (Bangalore,
IN) ; Lei; Hui; (Shanghai, CN) ; Xia;
Zijun; (Shanghai, CN) ; Tambe; Nikhil
Subhashchandra; (Bangalore, IN) ; Duraiswamy;
Srinivasan; (Bangalore, IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Thiyagarajan; Ramasamy
Tarr; Ronald Scott
Yang; Hai
Mathew; Paul
Wang; Chen
Asati; Mahesh Kumar
Lei; Hui
Xia; Zijun
Tambe; Nikhil Subhashchandra
Duraiswamy; Srinivasan |
Louisville
Louisville
Shanghai
Bangalore
Shanghai
Bangalore
Shanghai
Shanghai
Bangalore
Bangalore |
KY
KY |
US
US
CN
IN
CN
IN
CN
CN
IN
IN |
|
|
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
Schenectady
NY
|
Family ID: |
46312987 |
Appl. No.: |
13/990082 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
December 21, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2010/002105 |
371 Date: |
May 29, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/10 ; 134/105;
134/110 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 15/4208 20130101;
A47L 15/4202 20130101; A47L 15/4214 20130101; A47L 15/0005
20130101; A47L 15/0028 20130101; A47L 15/4238 20130101; A47L
15/0039 20130101; A47L 15/0026 20130101; A47L 15/0007 20130101;
A47L 2601/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/10 ; 134/110;
134/105 |
International
Class: |
A47L 15/42 20060101
A47L015/42 |
Claims
1. A dishwasher, comprising: a main cabinet configured to hold
items to be washed; an electrolysis system configured to generate
acidic and alkaline water from a water supply; an acidic water
storage tank; an alkaline water storage tank; a sedimentation
filtration system; an oil filtration system; and a controller,
wherein said controller is configured to cause the dishwasher to
perform a plurality of pre-wash cycles using fresh water from a tap
or previously stored final rinse water filtered through said
sedimentation filtration system and said oil filtration systems
following each pre-wash cycle or fresh tap water, to perform a wash
cycle using alkaline water, to perform a rinse cycle using acidic
water, to perform a final rinse cycle using water from a water
supply, and to store the final rinse water in said alkaline water
storage tank upon completion of the rinse cycle for use in
subsequent pre-wash cycles or to drain the final rinse water
without storing.
2. A dishwasher as in claim 1, wherein said sedimentation
filtration system comprises a first filter having a first mesh size
and a second filter having a second mesh size.
3. A dishwasher as in claim 2, wherein said first mesh size is
about 150 microns and said second mesh size is about 5 microns.
4. A dishwasher as in claim 1, wherein said oil filtration system
comprises a filter made of material having hydrophobic and
oleophilic surface characteristics.
5. A dishwasher as in claim 4, wherein said oil filtration system
comprises a filter made of kapok.
6. A dishwasher as in claim 1, wherein said controller is further
configured to perform a filtration process by cause water used for
the plurality of pre-wash cycles to be reverse flushed through said
sedimentation filtration system and said oil filtration system to
regenerate the filtration systems, and wherein the controller is
further configured to perform the filtration process during at
least one of between pre-wash cycles, simultaneously with spraying
of water into the main cabinet, or continuously as single pre-wash
cycles until substantially all contamination is filtered out.
7. A dishwasher as in claim 6, wherein said controller is further
configured to cause a filter portion of said oil filtration system
to be spun to assist in regenerating said oil filtration
system.
8. A dishwasher as in claim 1, further comprising: a sump; and a
heater positioned within one of said cabinet or said sump, wherein
said controller is further configured to cause said heater to heat
water within said main sump to a first temperature during a wash
cycle and to a second temperature during the final rinse cycle.
9. A dishwasher as in claim 1, wherein said controller is further
configured to automatically cause the final rinse water stored in
said alkaline water storage tank to be drained if a subsequent
pre-wash cycle is not begun within a predetermined period of
time.
10. A method for operating a dishwasher to wash items held in a
main cabinet of the dishwasher, comprising: electrolyzing water to
generate acidic and alkaline water; storing the alkaline water in a
first storage tank; storing the acidic water in a second storage
tank; providing a sedimentation filtration system; providing an oil
filtration system; performing a plurality of pre-wash cycles using
one of fresh water or previously used final rinse water; filtering
the water through the sedimentation filtration system and the oil
filtration systems; performing a wash cycle using alkaline water;
performing a rinse cycle using acidic water; performing a final
rinse cycle using water from a water supply; and draining the final
rinse water into one of a storage tank for use in subsequent
pre-wash cycles or from the dishwasher.
11. A method as in claim 10, wherein providing a sedimentation
filtration system comprises providing a first filter having a first
mesh size and a second filter having a second mesh size.
12. A method as in claim 11, wherein providing a first filter
comprises providing a filter having a mesh size of about 150
microns and wherein providing a second filter comprises providing a
filter having a mesh size of about 5 microns.
13. A method as in claim 10, wherein providing an oil filtration
system comprises providing a filter made of material having
hydrophobic and oleophilic surface characteristics.
14. A method as in claim 13, wherein providing an oil filtration
system comprises providing a filter made of kapok.
15. A method as in claim 10, further comprising: reverse flushing
the water used for the plurality of pre-wash cycle through the
sedimentation filtration system and the oil filtration system..
16. A method as in claim 15, wherein said controller is further
configured to cause a filter portion of said oil filtration system
to be spun to assist in regenerating said oil filtration
system.
17. A method as in claim 10, further comprising: providing a heater
within the main sump; controlling the heater to heat water within
the main sump to a first temperature during a wash cycle; and
controlling the heater to heat water within the main sump to a
second temperature during a final rinse cycle.
18. A method as in claim 10, further comprising: automatically
draining the stored final rinse water if a subsequent pre-wash
cycle is not begun within a predetermined period of time.
19. A method as in claim 10, wherein electrolyzing water comprises
electrolyzing a volume of water equal to two fills of water into
about one fill volume of acidic water and about one fill volume of
alkaline water.
20. A method as in claim 10, wherein performing a final rinse cycle
comprises performing a final rinse cycle using about one fill
volume of water from a water supply.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present subject matter relates to dishwashers. More
specifically, the present subject matter relates to dishwashers and
methods for operating such with reduced water and energy
consumption and without requiring the use of detergent.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Commonly available dishwashers such as the current GE
Profile dishwasher consumes approximately 7.2 gallons of water to
clean a heavily soiled ten place setting dish load in normal cycle
and consumes approximately 2.17 kWh energy in the process.
[0003] Some prior devices have been developed that recover and
store washing liquids including, for example, EP 0 691 099 A3
assigned to Candy S.p.A, thereby addressing concerns relating to
water usage. Other dishwashers, for example as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,947,135, wash and rinse tableware using variously
ionized water. U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,617 describes a dishwasher fine
filter assembly.
[0004] In view of these known concerns and ongoing efforts, it
would be advantageous to provide an ecologically friendly and
efficient dishwasher that uses significantly less water and with
less energy consumption while not requiring the use of
detergents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in
part in the following description, or may be obvious from the
description, or may be learned through practice of the
invention.
[0006] The present subject matter relates to apparatus and
methodologies for providing and operating a dishwasher unit (herein
after described as an eco-dishwasher) that is designed and operated
in such a manner so as to consume significantly less water and
electrical energy than previously known devices while at the same
time performing an effective cleaning operation without requiring
the use of detergents. In an exemplary configuration, an
eco-dishwasher constructed in accordance with present technology
may use only approximately 3.6 gallons of water and approximately
0.94 kWh of electrical energy with no detergent consumption for an
exemplary heavily soiled ten place setting dish load.
[0007] In certain embodiments, the present technology relates to a
dishwasher that includes a main cabinet configured to hold items to
be washed. An electrolysis system is configured to generate acidic
and alkaline water from a water supply. The dishwasher includes an
acidic water storage tank, an alkaline water storage tank, a
sedimentation filtration system, an oil filtration system, and a
controller. The controller is configured to cause the dishwasher to
perform a plurality of pre-wash cycles using fresh water from a tap
or previously stored final rinse water filtered through the
sedimentation filtration system and the oil filtration systems
following each pre-wash cycle or fresh tap water, to perform a wash
cycle using alkaline water, to perform a rinse cycle using acidic
water, to perform a final rinse cycle using water from a water
supply, and to store the final rinse water in the alkaline water
storage tank upon completion of the rinse cycle for use in
subsequent pre-wash cycles or to drain the final rinse water
without storing.
[0008] In selected embodiments, the sedimentation filtration system
has a first filter having a first mesh size and a second filter
having a second mesh size. In particular embodiments, the first
mesh size may be from about 100 microns to about 1 mm and the
second mesh size may be between about 5 to 100 microns. In
particular embodiments, the oil filtration system comprises a
filter made of material having hydrophobic and oleophilic surface
characteristics that in certain embodiments may correspond to a
filter made of kapok.
[0009] In other embodiments, the dishwasher controller may cause a
filtration process to be performed by causing water used for the
plurality of pre-wash cycles to be reverse flushed through the
sedimentation filtration system and the oil filtration system to
regenerate the filtration systems. The controller may be further
configured to cause the filtration process to be performed between
pre-wash cycles, simultaneously with spraying of water into the
main cabinet, or continuously as single pre-wash cycles until
substantially all contamination is filtered out.
[0010] In certain selected embodiments of the preset subject
matter, a heater may be positioned within the main cabinet or the
dishwasher sump to heat the wash and final rinse cycle water. In
other selected embodiments, a drain is provided to drain stored
previous final rinse water if a subsequent pre-wash cycle is not
begun within a predetermined period of time.
[0011] The present subject matter also relates to methods for
operating a dishwasher to wash items placed in the main cabinet of
the dishwasher. The method includes electrolyzing water to generate
acidic and alkaline watery, and storing the alkaline water in a
first storage tank and storing the acidic water in a second storage
tank. A sedimentation filtration system and an oil filtration
system are provided. The method includes performing a plurality of
pre-wash cycles using previous final rinse water, filtering the
water through the sedimentation filtration system and the oil
filtration systems, performing a wash cycle using alkaline water,
performing a rise cycle using acidic water, performing a final
rinse cycle using water from a water supply, and draining the final
rinse water into one of a storage tank for use in subsequent
pre-wash cycles or from the dishwasher.
[0012] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the following description and appended claims. The accompanying
drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,
together with the description, serve to explain the principles of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention,
including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill
in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes
reference to the appended figures, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a electrolysis, detergent free
washing system in accordance with present technology;
[0015] FIG. 2 is diagrammatic illustration of an electrolysis
cell;
[0016] FIG. 3 is diagrammatic illustration of an electrolysis
system design;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of exemplary Base and
Acid liquid generation results in accordance with present
technology;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a block diagram representing pre-wash, filtration,
and regeneration processes in accordance with present
technology;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating steps in an exemplary
dishwashing cycle per present technology; and
[0020] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of relationships among
various components of an exemplary dishwashing system per present
technology.
[0021] Repeat use of reference characters throughout the present
specification and appended drawings is intended to represent same
or analogous features or elements of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the
invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the
drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the
invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and
variations can be made in the present invention without departing
from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features
illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with
another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is
intended that the present invention covers such modifications and
variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and
their equivalents.
[0023] As noted in the Summary section, the present subject matter
is directed toward dishwashers configured for operation with
reduced water and energy consumption and without requiring the use
of detergent. A full-scale eco-dishwasher unit constructed in
accordance with present technology is designed to operate using
only approximately 3.6 gallons of water, approximately 0.94 kWh of
electrical energy, and no detergent consumption. These values are
not, however, limitations of the invention.
[0024] With reference now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a block
diagram of an electrolysis, detergent free washing system 100 in
accordance with present technology. The electrolysis,
detergent-free system 100 uses alkaline wash technology wherein
hydroxyl ions are generated at the point of use and worked in place
of detergents. An electrochemical compartment 102 is designed such
that direct water splitting generates hydroxyl ions. More
particularly, electrolysis system 102 is configured to split water
supplied from, for example, a tap water supply 104, and to store
the split water in an acid storage tank 132 and a base storage tank
134. In an exemplary system, about two fill volumes of water is
converted into about one fill volume of relatively acidic liquid
and one fill volume of relatively basic liquid. In exemplary
configurations, a fill volume may correspond to about 1.2 gallons
of water.
[0025] As more specifically seen in FIG. 2, electrolysis cells 202,
204, 206, 208 form an electrolysis system 200 that, as a voltage
supply is coupled between anode electrode 210 and cathode electrode
212, converts water supplied to electrolysis cells 202, 204, 206,
208 into acid and base ionized liquids for storage in chambers 232,
234, respectively. Anion and cation exchange membranes 222, 224,
226 are used to separate and transport protons and hydroxyl ions to
the acid and base chambers 232, 234. In an exemplary configuration,
an alkaline dish wash liquid having a pH of about 11 and an acidic
rinse having a pH range of about 2.5 to 4 may be employed. The
acidic rinse not only assists in managing scaling and filming
(spotting) on the dishes but also on the dishwasher hydraulic
system. An acidic rinse also acts as a sanitization agent in the
dishwashing operation.
[0026] More generally, as illustrated in FIG. 3, water from the tap
is introduced into acid and base tanks 332, 334, respectively, of
electrolysis system 300 with about one fill volume of water in each
tank for a total of about two fill volumes. Once the tanks have
been filled with the required amount of water, the electrolysis
process starts.
[0027] With reference now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that an
exemplary electrolysis cell 200, may include two inlets and two
outlets with one set, i.e., one inlet and one outlet, provided for
base and another one for acid generation. Tanks 232, 234, 332, 334
are connected to the electrolysis cell through independent pumps
and particle filters 342, 344 to remove solid particles from water
to avoid clogging of electrolysis cell. In an exemplary
configuration, pumps 342, 344 may be configured for operation at 12
VDC. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art
that pumps operating at other voltages may also be used.
[0028] A power supply (not separately illustrated) coupled to the
electrodes 210, 212 of the electrolysis cell is provided and may
correspond in an exemplary configuration to a 12 VDC supply. Again,
it should be appreciated that other voltage levels may be used.
Power is supplied simultaneously to the pumps and electrolysis
cell, and the electrolysis process starts. As generally illustrated
in FIG. 4, the pH level 444 of water in base tank 334 slowly
increases and the pH level 442 in acid tank 332 decreases. Once the
required level of pH is achieved, the process stops. As generally
indicated on FIG. 4, this process may require from about twenty to
thirty minutes to complete. During the main wash cycle, water from
base (alkaline) tank 334 is used for washing the dishes while
during one of the rinse cycle, water from acid tank 332 is used as
an acid rinse.
[0029] With reference to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a block
diagram representing pre-wash, filtration, and regeneration
processes 500 in accordance with present technology. One of the
important aspects of the present subject matter involves soil
separation system 502. In accordance with present disclosure, the
soil separation system 502 includes two filtration or separation
portions: a sediment-water separation portion 504 and an oil-water
separation portion 506.
[0030] Within sediment-water separation portion 504, two filters, a
150 micron (.mu.) filter 510 and a 5.mu. filter 512, are used to
remove sediments from used pre-wash water. 150-micron filter 510
may correspond to a nylon mesh filter which effectively removes
loose food particles from used water. 5.mu. filter 512 removes
particle size of 5-micron and above and helps to prevent clogging
of Kapok filter 514 which corresponds to the previously noted
oil-water separation portion 506. Kapok filter 514 helps to filter
oil from water. Ultra and/or nano filtration can also be added to
the sediment filtration to obtain cleaner water for re-cycling.
[0031] Kapok is a natural material that comes from the Kapok tree,
also known as Ceiba pentandra, Ceiba, or Silk Cotton Tree and has
hydrophobic and oleophilic surface characteristics. The surface
characteristic of the kapok fiber helps to retain oils while
permitting water to pass, thereby producing the desired separation
of oil from water. Each of the filters 510, 512, 514 may be
regenerated via reverse flushing at the end of each cycle to
prepare them for the next cycle. This process can be effectively
used in various applications where there are suspended particles,
oil and grease contaminations which need to be separated and flush
to the drain system.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an exemplary dishwashing cycle
in accordance with present technology will be described. First,
however, with reference to FIG. 7, it will be noticed that there is
representatively illustrated a controller 700. Further, the
schematic representation of the dishwasher system illustrated in
FIG. 7 illustrates a number of connecting lines that generally
represent tubes or piping configured to provide fluid flow paths.
The various illustrated valves V1-V9 and pumps P1-P5 are controlled
by controller 700 to direct fluid flow within the dishwasher. Those
of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that controller 700
may take on various forms including, for example but not limited
to, a timer motor driven switching mechanism, a computer operated
controller, a microprocessor, or other electro-mechanical device.
Further, with respect to the variously illustrated valves V1-V9, it
will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that
certain of these valves, for example V2, V6, and V8 are configured
to simply be open or closed to block or permit fluid flow. Others
of the valves, for example V1, V3, V4, V5, and V6 may be operated
to block or direct fluid flow in different flow paths. These paths
will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in
conjunction with the following operational description.
[0033] The dishwashing cycle begins with a water fill 602 from base
tank 1 (FIG. 7) or fresh water from a tap into Main Tank 704. Water
from base tank 1 corresponds to water saved from previous rinse
water. A first pre-wash 604 starts and at the same time tap water
from source 702 is sent to electrolysis cell 706 at step 606. An
electrolysis cycle begins at step 608 after about 2.4 gallons of
water is introduced into electrolysis cell 706.
[0034] At step 610 the first pre-wash cycle ends and a sediment and
oil filtration step begins. At this point water from the first
pre-wash is recycled with the help of filtration system including
filters 710, 712, 714 and the same water is used for a second
pre-wash starting at step 612. Pre-wash stops at step 614 and again
the pre-wash water is filtered by filters 710, 712, 714 and used
again a third pre-wash at step 616 and yet another filtering at
step 618 when the third pre-wash is stopped. In accordance with
present technology, these three pre-wash cycles including
filtration and reuse of the water provide a saving of 2/3 of
pre-wash water consumption.
[0035] Water from the tap 702 or base tank 1 (previous rinse water)
is taken into main tank (sump) 704 of the dishwasher for
pre-washing. Once the sump has been filled with a required amount
of water, spraying starts for the pre-wash cycles to remove loose
food particles, oil and grease from the dishware. After specified
times of spraying, the pre-washing stops and the filtration process
starts. Water will pass through 150 micron filter 710, 5 micron
filter 712, and kapok filter 714 and back to sump 704. This is a
dilution process, so the filtration process continues until most of
the soils are separated from the water. Once the filtration process
is completed, spraying starts again for further pre-washing the
dishes. This cycle continues, through a third pre-wash cycle. At
the end of this process, used water will reverse flush through 5
and 150-micron filters 712, 710, respectively, for regeneration.
Kapok filter 714 is spun at high speed (step 622), which enables
centrifugal extraction of oil at the end of this drain cycle 620.
At this time the electrolysis process is stopped (step 624) and
base water from base tank 1 is sent to main dishwasher cabinet 704
(step 626).
[0036] Following the three pre-wash cycles, the main (alkaline)
wash is started (step 628) using water from Base tank 1. During
this process a heater within dishwasher cabinet 704 is turned on to
heat the wash water to about 130.degree. F. After a predetermined
washing period, the alkaline wash is stopped at step 630 and a
sediment filtration process starts using 5 and 150-micron filters
712, 710 to circulate the water from Base tank 1 through cabinet
704. Following filtration, the used alkaline water is moved to base
tank 1 (step 632) and acid water is added to cabinet main sump 704
(step 634) from acid tank 2 to start an acid rinse cycle (step
636).
[0037] Following the acid rinse cycle, used acid water is moved
from main sump 704 to acid tank 2 (step 638) and the alkaline water
previously moved in step 632 to base tank 1 is sent (step 640) to
main sump 704 and base tank 1 is acid flushed (step 642) with water
from acid tank 2.
[0038] Acid sediment filtration flushing (step 644) is then
performed by pumping water from acid tank 2 through base tank 1 and
5 and 150-micron filters 712, 710 to drain 708. Kapok filter 714 is
then spun by a spin motor 716 (step 646) and drained into drain 708
along with alkaline water. Tap water from source 702 is then sent
to main sump 704 (step 648) in preparation for a final rinse at
step 650. during the final rinse, the heater within main sump 704
is controlled to operate at about 150.degree. F. Upon completion of
the final rinse, the rinse water in main tank 704 is moved to base
tank 1 for storage or drained out of the dishwasher and the wash
cycle ends (step 654).
[0039] This written description uses examples to disclose the
invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person
skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and
using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated
methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the
claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled
in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope
of the claims if they include structural elements that do not
differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include
equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from
the literal languages of the claims.
* * * * *