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Fluid purification methods, devices, and systems

  • US 10,189,728 B2
  • Filed: 07/19/2016
  • Issued: 01/29/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of purifying water, comprising:

  • flowing water from a source along a flow path defined by automatic valves through a plurality of electronic deionization cells in a series, each of the cells having an inlet that receives input water and an outlet that outputs filtered water when flow through the cell is in a forward direction, a first cell encountered by the water in the series having a lowest rank in the series, the rank increasing along the series, and a last cell encountered by the water in the series having a highest rank in the series; and

    periodically changing a configuration of the flow path by controlling the automatic valves by a controller, whereina first portion of the water that has passed through all cells except the cell having the highest rank is collected as purified water,a second portion of said water that has passed through all cells except the cell having the highest rank flows through the cell having the highest rank in a reverse direction, opposite of the forward direction, to regenerate said cell having the highest rank, andsaid periodically changing the configuration of the flow path includesswitching the automatic valves such that in a changed flow path configuration the cell having the lowest rank becomes the cell having the highest rank that receives water in the reverse direction and a rank of each other cell decrements to a next lower rank, respectively.

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