Water treatment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399870-B2
Application number	US-201815896181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2018
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A water treatment system is provided, including a raw water tank connected to a water supply, a reverse osmosis unit arranged to produce purified water from water input from the raw water tank via a raw water supply line, at least one water treatment facility alongside the raw water supply line downstream of the raw water tank and upstream of the reverse osmosis unit, and a reuse water feedback line arranged to feed waste water and/or grey water collected from the reverse osmosis unit and/or the at least one water treatment facility back to the raw water tank for reuse. In a water treatment method in such a water treatment system, waste water and/or grey water collected from the reverse osmosis unit and/or the at least one water treatment facility is fed back to the raw water tank for reuse.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A water treatment system, comprising:
A raw water tank for connection to a water supply;
A reverse osmosis unit arranged to produce purified water from water received from the raw water tank via a raw water supply line;
At least one water treatment facility alongside said raw water supply line downstream of said raw water tank and upstream of said reverse osmosis unit, said at least one water treatment facility including at least one of a water softening plant, an activated carbon filter with backwash facility having a washback cycle, or a sand filter; and
A reuse water feedback line arranged to feed, according to a reuse requirement,
a) grey water collected as reverse osmosis discharge water from said reverse osmosis unit when concentration of said reverse osmosis discharge water is below a set level, and
b) water collected from the washback cycle of said activated carbon filter, back to the raw water tank for reuse in regenerating a softener in said water softening plant, backwashing said activated carbon filter, or flushing said sand filter.

2. The water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a set of isolation valves allowing raw water to enter into the water treatment facility and to leave the water treatment facility, wherein said at least one water treatment facility including said at least one water softening plant, activated carbon filter with backwash facility having the washback cycle, or sand filter is configured to be connectable to the raw water supply line via the set of isolation valves.

3. The water treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein said water softening plant is configured to operate with NaCl brine.

4. The water treatment system according to claim 2 , wherein only said activated carbon filter with backwash facility is connected to said reuse water feedback line.

5. The water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a water saving storage tank arranged as a grey water buffer in said reuse water feedback line, said reuse water feedback line arranged to feed grey water collected from at least one of said reverse osmosis unit or said at least one water treatment facility into said water saving storage tank prior to feeding the collected grey water back to the raw water tank for reuse.

6. The water treatment system according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a reuse water filter configured to filter particle sizes of 5 μm or more arranged in said reuse water feedback line downstream of said water saving storage tank.

7. The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one water treatment facility includes at least one sand filter arranged to filter out particle sizes of 5 μm or more absolute arranged in a backwashable manner downstream of said at least one water treatment facility and upstream of said reverse osmosis unit.

8. The water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one raw water filter configured to filter out particle sizes of 20 μm or more arranged in a backwashable manner upstream of said raw water tank.

9. The water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one raw water pump and a pressure vessel arranged in said raw water supply line downstream of said raw water tank and upstream of said at least one water treatment facility;
at least one reuse water pump and a strainer arranged in said reuse water feedback line; and
a first high fluid level detector and a first low fluid level detector arranged at and connected to the reuse water feedback line feeding reuse water into the raw water tank, and
a second high fluid level detector and a second low fluid level detector arranged at and connected to the raw water supply line feeding raw water into the raw water tank
wherein the first high fluid level detector, the first low fluid level detector, the second high fluid level detector, and the second low fluid level detector are configured to output detection signals for use in controlling the at least one raw water pump.

10. The water treatment system according to claim 9 , wherein said first and second high and low fluid level detectors are configured as at least one of sensors or switches in two separate detector circuits and are configured to output the detection signals of said two separate detector circuits, and said water treatment system is configured to control at least one of an independent raw water pump, a reuse water pumpol, or an inlet valve based on said detection signals.

11. A water treatment method in a water treatment system having a raw water tank connected to a water supply, a reverse osmosis unit arranged to produce purified water from water input from the raw water tank via a raw water supply line, and at least one water treatment facility alongside said raw water supply line downstream of said raw water tank and upstream of said reverse osmosis unit, said at least one water treatment facility including at least one of a water softening plant, an activated carbon filter with backwash facility having a washback cycle, or a sand filter, the method comprising the step of
feeding, according to a reuse requirement,
a) grey water collected as reverse osmosis discharge water from said reverse osmosis unit when concentration of said reverse osmosis discharge water is below a set level, and
b) water collected from the washback cycle of said activated carbon filter,

back to the raw water tank for reuse in regenerating a softener in said water softening plant, backwashing said activated carbon filter, or flushing said sand filter.

Assignees

• Braun Avitum Ag

Inventors

• Clark Chris
• Steptoe James
• Bröker Björn

Classifications

• C02F2301/046

  Recirculation with an external loop · CPC title

• C02F2001/425

  using cation exchangers · CPC title

• C02F1/283

  using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them · CPC title

• B01D2311/08

  Specific process operations in the concentrate stream · CPC title

• B01D61/10

  Accessories; Auxiliary operations · CPC title