U.S. patent application number 15/960110 was filed with the patent office on 2018-10-04 for water purification method and system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Paul C. Williamson. Invention is credited to Paul C. Williamson.
Application Number | 20180282194 15/960110 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61951720 |
Filed Date | 2018-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180282194 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Williamson; Paul C. |
October 4, 2018 |
WATER PURIFICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM
Abstract
A method and system used to purify water that removes or reduces
volatile organic compounds, calcium carbonate, cyanuric acid, and
sodium bicarbonate from water to acceptable levels.
Inventors: |
Williamson; Paul C.; (Mesa,
AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Williamson; Paul C. |
Mesa |
AZ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
61951720 |
Appl. No.: |
15/960110 |
Filed: |
April 23, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15478153 |
Apr 3, 2017 |
9950940 |
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15960110 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C02F 1/001 20130101;
C02F 1/42 20130101; C02F 2001/422 20130101; C02F 2209/001 20130101;
C02F 2001/425 20130101; C02F 2209/008 20130101; C02F 2201/008
20130101; C02F 1/20 20130101; C02F 2209/04 20130101; C02F 2209/06
20130101; C02F 1/66 20130101; C02F 2103/42 20130101; C02F 2209/006
20130101; C02F 2101/10 20130101; C02F 2101/38 20130101; C02F 9/005
20130101; C02F 2101/322 20130101; C02F 2209/07 20130101; C02F 9/00
20130101; C02F 2201/006 20130101; C02F 2209/29 20130101; C02F 1/283
20130101 |
International
Class: |
C02F 9/00 20060101
C02F009/00 |
Claims
1. A system for purifying water comprising: a particle filtration
system configured to receive a flow of water from a water source
and to reduce physical particles and volatile organic material; an
ion exchange system configured to receive the flow of water from
the particle filtration system and to reduce at least one of
calcium hardness and cyanuric acid; a de-gassing system configured
to receive the flow of water from the ion exchange system and to
reduce the alkalinity.
2. The system of claim 10, wherein the particle filtration system
is configured to pass the flow of water through a cartridge filter
and activated carbon.
3. The system of claim 10, wherein the ion exchange system is
configured to reduce calcium hardness according to the chemical
formula: 2 RNa+CaCO.sub.3.fwdarw.R.sub.2Ca+Na.sub.2CO.sub.3,
wherein R represents a weak acid cation ion exchange resin.
4. The system of claim 10, wherein the ion exchange system is
configured to reduce cyanuric acid according to the chemical
formula:
R'HCO.sub.3+(CNOH).sub.3.fwdarw.R'(CNO)(CNOH).sub.2+H.sub.2CO.sub.3,
wherein R' represents a strong base anion exchange resin.
5. The system of claim 10, wherein the de-gassing system is
configured to inject acid into the flow of water and agitate the
flow of water by spraying the water as water droplets over a
chamber of small spheres and forcing air through the chamber so
that the water droplets contact the small spheres causing the water
droplets to release carbon dioxide.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 15/478,153, filed Apr. 3, 2017, issued as U.S. Pat. No.
9,950,940, and entitled "Water Purification Method and System," the
complete content of which are incorporated by reference for all
purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention is generally related to water
purification.
BACKGROUND
[0003] People use water for a variety of recreational activities or
for aesthetics. A common and well known issue is maintaining the
condition of the water. Proper sanitation of the water is
frequently mandated or heavily regulated to ensure safe and healthy
water for its desired use. A variety of methods are employed, such
as physical filtering and chemical processing, to reduce or remove
various contaminants from the water. For example, in commercial and
residential swimming pools, a mixture of chemicals is used to get
rid of bacteria, disinfect the pool water, and keep the water
comfortable for users.
[0004] Various techniques and equipment have been created to
maintain pool water quality. Filtration units, water pumps,
skimmers, automated pool cleaners, chlorination systems, heaters
and various automated water circulators have been created to ease
water maintenance. However, the chemistry of maintaining water
generally remains the same--in that whatever chemicals are used,
they must remain in balance for safe and comfortable experience.
For example, chlorine is used to disinfect the water, but the
chlorine must be stabilized or else it quickly loses its
effectiveness to disinfect. An acid, such as cyanuric acid is
sometimes used to "protect" the chlorine so that its effectiveness
can be maintained. But, the use of cyanuric acid creates another
issue in that over long term use, the acid builds up and can become
uncomfortable to humans and a detriment to equipment. For example,
buildup of acid interferes with chlorine's ability to kill certain
unsafe microorganisms in the water.
[0005] As pool use increases, calcium plus other contaminants build
up, and the pH of the water becomes too acidic or basic, which is
uncomfortable for many pool users. Temperature variations also
affect the rate of evaporation, which can affect the level of
calcium, the pH and impact the surfaces and equipment of the pool.
At some point, the body of water is unable to take more chemical
treatment before needing to be changed. Typically, to combat these
effects, the water is partially or fully drained and new water is
added. Then, the chemicals are added, the pool is stabilized and
the process begins again.
[0006] This drain and fill process wastes water. Reputable
companies and responsible owners are supposed to properly dispose
of the water and the chemicals within it, but compliance is hard to
govern. In some instances, the water is drained straight into a
backyard, a street, or down a sewer possibly causing
environmentally long term hazardous conditions. Further, many pools
are in arid or dry climates where water supply is low and possibly
expensive to replace. The cost and environmental burden to drain
and refill a pool can be prohibitive. What is needed is a system
and method that can safely treat the water, limit water and
chemical usage and waste, and effectively remove and retain
hazardous waste byproducts for proper disposal.
SUMMARY
[0007] While the way in which the present invention addresses the
disadvantages of the prior art will be discussed in greater detail
below, in general, the present invention provides for water
purification. In particular, the present invention provides a
system and method to purify water of contaminants such as volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), calcium carbonate, cyanuric acid, calcium
carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate.
[0008] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be
obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be
realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations
particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other
features of the present invention will become more fully apparent
from the following description, or may be learned by the practice
of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] To describe the way the advantages and features of the
present invention can be obtained, a more particular description of
the present invention will be rendered by reference to specific
embodiments and examples, which are illustrated in the appended
drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical
embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be limiting
of its scope, the present invention will be described and explained
with additional specificity and detail using the accompanying
drawings in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a water
purification method of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of
a water purification system of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an
acidification system of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a de-gassing
chamber of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Various embodiments of the invention are described in detail
below. While specific implementations involving water purification
are described, the description is merely illustrative and not
intended to limit the scope of the various aspects of the
invention. For example, the water purification system involves the
movement of water from one system to another system. Transport of
the water may be accomplished via pumps, pipes, fittings, and
valves of varying models and construction (e.g., PVC, vinyl,
copper, etc.) depending on the application. A person skilled in the
relevant art will recognize that other components and
configurations may be easily used or substituted than those that
are described without parting from the spirit and scope of the
invention. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the
art, the system may be embodied as a customization of an existing
system, an add-on product, and/or a stand-alone system.
[0015] As will become apparent from the following descriptions, the
present invention purifies water. In particular, the present
invention provides a system and method to purify water of
contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), calcium
carbonate, cyanuric acid, and sodium bicarbonate.
[0016] In general, the present invention provides a method of water
purification. In its various embodiments, the method removes or
reduces volatile organic compounds, calcium carbonate, cyanuric
acid, and sodium bicarbonate from water to acceptable levels.
Depending on the application, the method also may remove or reduce
physical particles from the water, adjust the water's pH level, or
remove excess carbon dioxide from the water. In an exemplary
embodiment, the method is used to purify water from a pool or spa.
Although the method is described as purifying pool water, the
method may be used to purify water from any body of water, such as
fountains, water displays, theme parks, spas or hot tubs, therapy
pools (e.g., in hospitals, physical therapy locations, sports
facilities), public pools (e.g., in hotels, apartment complexes,
health clubs, campgrounds), ponds, or man-made water features. This
list is exemplary of typical bodies of water and non-exhaustive. It
is not meant to limit the invention to only those applications
described.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment
of the water purification method 100 used to purify a body of
water, e.g., a residential pool. A pipe or similar inlet device is
placed in the water to receive the water from the pool. The method
comprises removing or reducing undissolved or suspended solids from
the water by pumping the water from the pool through a filter 101.
Any type of filter that can remove gross particles from a water
flow is within the scope of the present invention. In an exemplary
embodiment, the filter is a cartridge filter. The filter may be of
any suitable size depending on the application. An exemplary size
is 75 square feet in surface area. In an exemplary embodiment, the
method removes particles greater than 20 microns.
[0018] The method comprises removing volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) from the water 102. Pool water becomes contaminated with
compounds such as calcium, fluoride, heavy metals (e.g., lead,
mercury), nitrates/nitrites, and bacteria. In its embodiments, the
method removes various VOCs from the water to acceptable ranges. In
some embodiments, VOCs are removed by passing the water flow over
an adsorbent material capable of removing the various chemicals
from the stream. In some embodiments, the adsorbent material is
activated charcoal, also referred to as activated carbon. In an
exemplary embodiment, the activated charcoal is granular activated
charcoal. However, any material that may absorb VOCs in a water
stream is suitable and is within the scope of the invention.
[0019] Once the VOCs are removed, the method comprises removing
calcium hardness from the water 103. Calcium hardness in pool water
is the result of calcium carbonate (CaCO.sub.3) build-up, which
forms an insoluble precipitate in the water. Calcium hardness will
result in scale formation on surfaces, filters, and pipes. The
water flow is passed through a sodium form weak acid cation-ion
exchange resin to remove calcium molecules present in the water. To
remove the calcium ion from the carbonate molecule, the calcium
molecule is exchanged with a sodium molecule according to the
following equation:
2RNa+CaCO.sub.3.fwdarw.R.sub.2Ca+Na.sub.2CO.sub.3
`R` represents a weak acid cation ion exchange resin. An exemplary
resin is Rohman and Haas Amberlite. However, any weak acid cation
exchange resin that achieves the exchange of the calcium ion from
the carbonate is suitable. One benefit to exchanging the sodium ion
with the calcium ion is that the sodium bicarbonate
(Na.sub.2CO.sub.3) typically remains soluble in the water and does
not precipitate out or cause scale formation in the water or on
equipment. In an exemplary embodiment, the method removes 2400
parts per million of calcium carbonate from the water.
[0020] After calcium carbonate removal, the method comprises
removing cyanuric acid (CNOH.sub.3), also referred to as
isocyanuric acid 104. Cyanuric acid is added and used in
chlorinated water to stabilize the chlorine and prevent algae
growth. Cyanuric acid can absorb ultraviolet light, which protects
the chlorine from the sun. The acid binds with free chlorine in the
water until the chlorine kills bacteria in the water or is
otherwise used up. However, as concentrations of cyanuric acid in
water increase, the effectiveness of chlorine will decrease. To
remove cyanuric acid, the water is passed through a strong base
anion exchange resin according to the following equation:
R'HCO.sub.3+(CNOH).sub.3.fwdarw.R'(CNO)(CNOH).sub.2+H.sub.2CO.sub.3
In the equation R'HCO.sub.3 represents a strong base anion exchange
resin. An exemplary resin is Resintech SBG1P. However, any strong
base anion exchange resin that achieves the exchange of the
cyanuric acid is suitable. In an exemplary embodiment, the method
removes 1250 parts per million of cyanuric acid from the water.
Also because of the strong base anion exchange, carbonic acid
(H.sub.2CO.sub.3) is produced. The carbonic acid produced in this
step of the method will breakdown to form water and carbon dioxide
according to the equation below:
H.sub.2CO.sub.3.fwdarw.H.sub.2O+CO.sub.2
[0021] After cyanuric acid removal, the method comprises decreasing
the alkalinity, e.g., sodium carbonate, and treating the pH of the
water 105. High alkalinity levels in water may result in irritation
to users and make it difficult to maintain the pH level of the
water at a comfortable level. High alkalinity also can be a
detriment to equipment and surfaces. To reduce the alkalinity
level, a two-stage de-gassing process is used. The first stage
comprises introducing hydrochloric acid (HCl) into the water flow
from the cyanuric acid removal step which will adjust the water pH
and alkalinity according to the following equation:
Na.sub.2CO.sub.3+2HCl.fwdarw.2NaCl+H.sub.2O+CO.sub.2
Though hydrochloric acid is used in this process, other acids that
reduce alkalinity, e.g., citric acid, are within the scope of the
invention.
[0022] After the first stage de-gassing, the method comprises
reducing the carbon dioxide remaining in the water stream
("de-gassing stage 2") 106. In its embodiments, the reduction is
achieved by physically agitating the water flow. In an exemplary
embodiment, the water flow is pumped through a reaction chamber
containing small spheres of material. The spheres may be solid,
hollow, or have perforations on its surface (e.g., like a wiffle
ball). Air is forced into the reaction chamber causing the water
droplets to "bounce" off the surface of the spheres. This physical
agitation results in the water releasing dissolved carbon dioxide
from the water. After de-gassing, the water is returned to the pool
through a pipe or other outlet.
[0023] One aspect of water purification of a water source is how
much water needs to be cycled through a treatment method before one
can be sure the process has removed the proper amount of
contaminants. Using this method enables a smaller amount of water
to be pumped from the water source through the method and returned
to the water source than traditional methods. In other words, not
all the water of the water source may need to be cycled through the
method.
[0024] A water purification system includes components configured
to purify water by removing contaminants such as volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), calcium carbonate, cyanuric acid, and sodium
bicarbonate from water to acceptable levels. The water purification
system includes a filtering system, an ion exchange system, a
de-gassing system, and a control system. In its embodiments, the
water is pumped from a water source (e.g., a swimming pool) through
the filtering system. Then, the water flows from the filtering
system to the ion exchange system. The ion exchange system may be
configured as a single pass system or it may pass the water flow
through the ion exchange system more than once. After the desired
number of passes through the ion exchange system, the water flows
from the ion exchange system to the de-gassing system to eliminate
carbon dioxide resulting from the ion exchange process. Lastly, the
water is pumped back to the water source. An electrical control
system comprised of pumps, sensors, valves, and test and metering
devices may optionally be used to control water flow through the
various systems.
[0025] The water purification system may be stationary (e.g.,
remains on-site), configured as a mobile system, or as a
combination of stationary and mobile systems. For example, the
system may be encompassed in a mobile vehicle (e.g., a truck or
van), in or on a trailer to be pulled by a vehicle, or as a unit to
be carried by a technician or pulled on a small dolly or hand
truck. Any configuration that enables the components of the system
to purify water using the method described above is part of the
scope of the invention.
[0026] FIG. 2 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the
water purification system 200 configured as an enclosed trailer to
be pulled by a vehicle to the desired water sources. An intake pump
201 is connected to a pipe or hose that is placed in the water
source to pump water through the system. The filtering system
includes components to filter physical particles and/or volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) from the water flow. The filtering system
may comprise one or more stages depending on the application. FIG.
2 illustrates a two-stage filtering system. In the first stage,
water flow is passed through a cartridge filter 205 that removes
physical particles. The size of the filter depends on the
purification application. In the second stage, the filtered water
flow is then passed through an adsorbent material capable of
removing the various chemicals 210. In some embodiments, the
adsorbent material is activated charcoal. FIG. 2 shows two pressure
vessels, however, any number of vessels may be used depending on
the application. The water continues its flow through the system
from the filtering system to the ion exchange system.
[0027] The ion exchange system includes any components suitably
configured to remove calcium hardness and/or cyanuric acid from the
water. Depending on the configuration of the system, the ion
exchange system may be configured to exclusively remove calcium
hardness, exclusively remove cyanuric acid, or remove both. For
example, in a mobile application where a technician cleans multiple
water sources a day (e.g., residential or commercial pools), each
water source will exhibit varying hardness and cyanuric
characteristics. The system may begin removing both calcium
carbonate and cyanuric acid, but as these compounds are removed, it
is possible that the treatment may only need to continue treating
one of the compounds. The ion exchange system may be configured to
shut down, for example, calcium carbonate removal, while continuing
to treat for cyanuric acid without disturbing the overall operation
and flow of water through the system. FIG. 2 illustrates a dual ion
exchange system that uses two tanks for calcium carbonate removal
215 and two tanks for cyanuric acid removal 220. The tanks are
filled with the reactant to interact with the water. Any number of
tanks may be used for the ion exchange system depending on the
application and is within the scope of this invention. It is also
not necessary that the number of tanks for one ion exchange process
be used for the other ion exchange process (e.g., one tank could be
used for calcium carbonate treatment and three tanks could be used
for cyanuric acid treatment). If one of the exchange processes is
shut down or not used, the water flow may either travel through the
tanks without reaction or be diverted by valves within the system.
The water continues to flow from the ion exchange system into the
de-gassing system.
[0028] The de-gassing system includes any components suitably
configured to decrease the alkalinity and treat the pH of the
water. FIG. 2 illustrates a two stage de-gassing system (225 and
230). The first stage comprises an acidification system 225
receiving the water flow from the ion exchange system (215 and 220)
and treating the water with hydrochloric acid. As the water flows
into the system's reaction chamber, the water continues to flow
towards stage two of the de-gassing system. FIG. 3 illustrates an
exemplary embodiment of an acidification system 300. The system
comprises a multiport venturi injector 305 connected to tubing from
the ion exchange system 310. Bypass tubing and valve 315 is
configured so that the water flow may be diverted around the
venturi injector 305 when further acid treatment is not needed.
Acid is introduced into the water flow by a spray nozzle 320, which
receives acid from an acid containment vessel 325. The water flows
from the venturi injector 305 through a check valve 330 to the
reaction chamber 335. The water continues its flow through the
reaction chamber 335 to the de-gassing system.
[0029] Stage two of the de-gassing system includes any components
suitably configured to reduce carbon dioxide in the water stream.
In its embodiments, the second stage of the de-gassing system
physically agitates the water flow, which causes carbon dioxide to
be released. Agitation may be achieved by a variety of methods,
such as physically moving chambers full of the water or introducing
agitating agents into the water stream. FIG. 2 illustrates the
second stage of the de-gassing system 230 receiving the water flow
from the first stage of the acidification system 225. The water is
pumped to the top of the chambers as air is forced through the
bottom of the chambers. The second stage of the de-gassing system
may contain any number of chambers and may also contain one or more
stages of chambers depending on the application. FIG. 2 shows four
chambers arranged in a two-step de-gassing process. The water flows
through the first stage chambers 30a and 30b and then is pumped to
the top of chambers 30c and 30d to repeat the process. The water
flows from the bottom of chambers 30c and 30d back to the water
source.
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a de-gassing
chamber 400. Water flows into the top of the chamber to a spray
head 405. The chamber 400 is filled with perforated polypropylene
spheres 410. The spray head distributes water droplets across the
polypropylene spheres. The spray head produces small water volumes
so that the droplets "bounce" off the spheres. Air is pumped into
the bottom of the chamber at port 415 creating the agitation so
that the droplets bounce off the spheres and release carbon
dioxide. Once the droplets reach the bottom of the chamber, the
water flows out of the chamber at port 420.
[0031] The water purification system may optionally include an
oxidation-reduction potential sensor. The sensor is placed in the
water flow so that readings may be made to inform a technician (in
a manually operated process) or an automated control system of the
free chlorine in the water source that is available to sanitize the
system. FIG. 2, ref. 208 illustrates an exemplary placement of the
sensor.
[0032] The water purification system may optionally include an
automated control system. In its embodiments, the automated control
system accepts data inputted at a control panel from a technician
or the system may be configured to read water parameters from a
sensor placed at water flow input at the beginning of the water
purification system. For example, parameters such as volume,
current cyanuric acid level, total chlorine level, pH, and
alkalinity may be entered. Sensors, valves, and meters placed at
input and output points at each stage provide data to a central
processing unit within the automated control system to monitor the
water parameters as it moves through the water purification system.
The automated control system is configured to intervene in the
process in a variety of ways to affect the flow of water through
the system, the flow of air through the de-gassing system, and the
introduction of chemicals at the ion exchange and acidification
systems. Additionally, the control system may employ partial
automated and partial manual controls depending on the
application.
[0033] The automated control system may employ various integrated
circuit components, e.g., memory elements, processing elements,
logic elements, audio and/or visual elements, input/output
elements, wired or wireless communication techniques, and the like,
which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one
or more microprocessors or other control devices. Accordingly, the
system may take the form of an entirely software embodiment, an
entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combining aspects of
both software and hardware. Furthermore, the system may take the
form of a computer program product on a computer-readable storage
medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in the
storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may
be utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROM, optical storage devices,
magnetic storage devices, and/or the like.
[0034] The automated control system may also alert the operator via
email, text, phone, or other electronic communication concerning
the operation of the water purification system, e.g. operation
completed, time left for completion, errors, alerts and the
like.
[0035] Although the above description may contain specific details,
they should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way.
Other configurations of the described embodiments of the invention
are part of the scope of this invention. The descriptions and
embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise forms disclosed.
* * * * *