Softeners and Ion Exchange Systems

 

 

Many water supplies contain hard minerals, calcium and magnesium. When present in water they form a scale and create problems in many appliances and systems including washing machines, heaters, dishwashers, coffee makers, humidifiers and plumbing systems.

 

Water Softener Systems can stop the harmful effects of these hard minerals with filtration through a resin softening medium. Our water softener systems include heavy metal water recovery, demineralized water treatment and pre-treatment, and boiler softeners.

 

Ion Exchange Systems use a chemical reaction wherein an ion from the water solution is exchanged with a similarly charged ion from an ion exchange resin. The strategy employed in using this technology is to exchange harmless ions such as hydrogen and hydroxyl located on the resins, for ions of interest located in the water, for instance copper. In the most basic sense, ion exchange materials are classified as either cationic or anionic. Cation resins exchange hydrogen ions for positively charged ions such as copper, nickel, and sodium.

 

Anion resins exchange hydroxyl ions for negatively charged ions such as sulfates, chromate, and cyanide. The basic ion exchange column consists of a resin bed which is retained n the column with inlet and outlet screens, and service and regeneration flow distributors.

 

Operational Cycles:

• Service [exhaustion]: water solution containing ions is passed through the ion exchange column or bed until the exchange sites are exhausted.  
• Backwash: the bed is washed in the reverse direction of the service cycle in order to expand and resettle the resin bed.
• Regeneration: the exchanger is regenerated by passing a concentrated solution of the ion originally associated with it through the resin bed. The solution is typically a strong mineral acid or base.
• Rinse: excess regenerate is removed from the exchanger: typically by passing water through it.  

 

 

 

 

            Legend:
              1.  Raw Water
              2.  Controler
              3.  Water Meter
              4.  Soft Water
              5.  Brine Tank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Single Softener

   

   

   Dual Softener

   

   

    (Packed Bed-Counterflow Regeneration)