Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Preventing – decreasing – or delaying precipitation,...
Patent
1995-07-24
1997-12-09
McCarthy, Neil
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Preventing, decreasing, or delaying precipitation,...
210748, 2101981, 210252, 204554, 204660, 204666, C02F 148
Patent
active
056956444
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to fluid treatment devices and methods.
The invention finds particular, but not exclusive application to the treatment of water, for example mains-supplied drinking water, to prevent the formation of hard water scale and/or corrosion in water pipes and/or within machines designed to heat or otherwise process water. The invention also finds application to the treatment of other fluids, and in particular liquids, whether potable or non-potable.
Many different types of water conditioning appliances, employing various electromagnetic, magnetic, galvanic and other effects, have been tried with varying degrees of success. Examples of prior art conditioning techniques are explained briefly below.
Both cationic and anionic ion exchange resins have found significant use in the treatment of water. For example, in the most commonly used form, hard water is passed through an ion exchange resin which causes the offending salts of calcium and magnesium to be transformed into the corresponding sodium salts. However, in view of the concerns about sodium consumption, such conditioners are not desirable for use for drinking water. Also, they require regular maintenance.
Magnetic water conditioners employ an electro-motive force which is induced by passing the water to be conditioned, which is a conductor, through a magnetic field. Although magnetic conditioners apparently give reasonable results in some installations, the results which can be achieved are unpredictable and variable.
Galvanic devices usually incorporate a combination of electrodes which may be electrically connected either directly or through a resistor, with the aim of passing a current through the water. Different combinations of conductive elements have been employed in different prior art devices, including carbon, zinc, aluminium, copper, magnesium, etc. In general terms, galvanic conditioners set out to create an e.m.f. which will act across the flow of water within a water conditioning device so as to cause coagulation of colloidal substances and the subsequent early precipitation of scale-producing substances. In tests, these types of device were found to be more effective when the dissimilar elements used in their construction were connected together to provide a sacrificial anode. It is believed that metallic ions released into the water supply act in some way as initiators in the process of precipitating scale-producing substances. This view is supported in that leaving off the electrical connection was found in tests to result in poorer performance. Another advantage of electrically connecting dissimilar metals is that a degree of corrosion protection is afforded to the water system.
Applied voltage conditioners are generally similar to the type of conditioners described above as galvanic conditioners, except that a direct current is applied across two dissimilar electrodes, one of which is usually aluminium or zinc. In such a device a greater quantity of metal ions and therefore a greater number initiators for scale precipitation are provided than in a galvanic conditioner without an external source of direct current. However, in such conditioners it is necessary to provide a battery or other source of direct current and the sacrificial loss of the anode is increased.
To avoid or reduce the sacrificial effect, it has been proposed to coat the electrodes with a plastics or oxide dielectric layer. As, in such cases, the dielectric layer will at least substantially prevent the flow of ions into the fluid, the sacrificial effect is no longer present. It is understood that such devices are claimed to create a capacitance effect across the passing water. However, in such devices, the need remains to apply external voltages remain.
It will be appreciated that many different approaches have been employed for conditioning/treating water, for example to reduce the formation of hard scale in pipework and in water heating devices. The existing techniques all involve disadvantages. In some case the disadvantages are in the form of the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3919068 (1975-11-01), Gary
Buchanan John Christopher Sutherland
Joslin Christopher Michael David
Ion Enterprises Limited
McCarthy Neil
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