CDI-type water treatment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084740-B2
Application number	US-201415103199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A CDI-type water treatment device according to the present invention comprises: a filter unit for purifying raw water in a CDI type through an electrode part formed by alternately stacking electrodes and separators; and a sterilization unit provided on the front of the filter unit to supply the electrode part with a sterilization substance, which has been generated from the raw water in order to sterilize the electrode part. The sterilization unit, in this case, preferably operates after a predetermined time has passed since the electrode part has both stopped purifying raw water and stopped regenerating the electrodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating water using a capacitive deionization water treatment device, the device comprising a filter unit to purify raw water by capacitive deionization through an electrode part formed by alternately stacking electrodes and separators, the electrodes including positive electrodes and negative electrodes; a sterilization unit provided on the front of the filter unit, the sterilization unit comprising a sterilization terminal part coated with ruthenium oxide (RuOx) and a sterilization case part accommodating the sterilization terminal part, to supply the electrode part with a sterilization substance which has been generated from the raw water in order to sterilize the electrode part, wherein the sterilization unit reduces chlorine ion (Cl − ) in the raw water to chlorine (Cl 2 ); and a control unit configured to control power supplied to the filter unit; the method comprising:
operating the control unit to control the filter unit in a water-purifying mode for purifying the raw water at the electrode part, the control unit supplying positive power to the positive electrodes and supplying negative power to the negative electrodes in the water-purifying mode,
after the water-purifying mode, operating the control unit to control the filter unit in a regeneration mode for regenerating, the control unit supplying negative power to the positive electrodes and supplying positive power to the negative electrodes in the regeneration mode; after the operating the control unit to control the filter unit in the water-purifying mode and the operating the control unit to control the filter unit in the regeneration mode, operating the control unit to control the filter unit not to perform the water-purifying mode and not to perform the regeneration mode for a predetermined time; and
upon passing of the predetermined time with the water-purifying mode and the regeneration mode not performed, operating the control unit to perform a control of supplying power to the sterilization terminal part for sterilizing bacteria in the electrode part, the sterilization unit reducing the chlorine ion (Cl − ) in the raw water to the chlorine (Cl 2 ) in a sterilization mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the case of operating the sterilization mode, the control unit controls a strength of power to be supplied to the sterilization terminal part according to total dissolved solids (TDS) of the raw water.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the case of operating the sterilization mode, the control unit controls a strength of power to be supplied to the sterilization terminal part according to a strength of current flowing in the electrode part when a certain voltage is applied to the electrode part in the water-purifying mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the case of operating the water-purifying mode, the filter unit is configured to discharge purified water,
wherein in the case of operating the regeneration mode, the filter unit is configured to discharge regeneration water, and
wherein the filter unit includes an inlet to which the raw water is supplied, an outlet from which the purified water or the regeneration water is discharged, and a filter case part accommodating the electrode part.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein in the case of operating the sterilization mode, the raw water is supplied to the inlet or outlet through the sterilization unit.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein in the case of operating the sterilization mode, the raw water is supplied to the inlet through the sterilization unit by a first flow rate during the operation of the sterilization unit for a first sterilization for the electrode part.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein in the case of operating the sterilization mode, the raw water is supplied to the outlet through the sterilization unit by a second flow rate during the operation of the sterilization unit for a second sterilization for the electrode part.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein in the case of operating the sterilization mode, the raw water is supplied to the outlet through the sterilization unit by a third flow rate, the third flow rate greater than the first flow rate or greater than the second flow rate, for back washing of the electrode part.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the device further comprises a supply unit supplying the raw water to the filter unit; a purge unit purging the purified water to a user; a discharge unit discharging the regeneration water to the outside; and a valve unit performing opening and closing, the valve unit including a supply valve installed on a flow path passing from the supply unit to the inlet; a purge valve installed on a flow path passing from the outlet to the purge unit; a discharge valve installed on a flow path passing from the outlet to the discharge unit; a washing valve installed on a flow path passing from a front of the supply valve to the outlet; and a drain valve installed on a flow path passing from a rear of the supply valve to the outside;
wherein in the case of operating the water-purifying mode, the regeneration mode and the sterilization mode, the control unit controls opening and closing of the supply valve, the purge valve, the discharge valve, the washing valve, and the drain valve.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the control unit performs a control of opening the supply valve, closing the discharge valve, opening the purge valve, closing the washing valve, and closing the drain valve, during non-operation of the sterilization unit in the water-purifying mode.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the control unit performs a control of opening the supply valve, opening the discharge valve, closing the purge valve, closing the washing valve, and closing the drain valve, during non-operation of the sterilization unit in the regeneration mode.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the control unit performs a control of opening the supply valve, opening the discharge valve, closing the purge valve, closing the washing valve, and closing the drain valve, during operation of the sterilization unit for a first sterilization for the electrode part in the sterilization mode.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the control unit performs a control of closing the supply valve, closing the discharge valve, closing the purge valve, opening the washing valve, and opening the drain valve, during operation of the sterilization unit for a second sterilization for the electrode part in the sterilization mode.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the control unit performs a control of closing the supply valve, closing the discharge valve, closing the purge valve, opening the washing valve, and opening the drain valve for back washing of the electrode part in the sterilization mode.

Assignees

• Coway Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Soo Young
• Kwon Tae Seong
• Moon Hyoung Min
• Park Byung Kil
• Moon Sung Min

Classifications

• C02F1/467 Primary

  by electrochemical disinfection; {by electrooxydation or by electroreduction} · CPC title

• C02F1/469

  by electrochemical separation, e.g. by electro-osmosis, electrodialysis, electrophoresis · CPC title

• C02F2001/46142

  Catalytic coating · CPC title

• C02F2209/10

  Solids, e.g. total solids [TS], total suspended solids [TSS] or volatile solids [VS] · CPC title

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title