Apparatus and method for backwashing filter membrane modules

• US 20100051544A1
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: inge watertechnologies AG (BASF SE)
• Original Assignee: inge watertechnologies AG (BASF SE)
• Inventors: Berg, Peter, Winkler, Roland
• Granted Patent: US 9,757,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/636
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2317/04 Elements in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2317/06 Use of membrane modules of the same kind
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2321/04 Backflushing
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/22 Controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/02 Membrane cleaning or sterilisation ; Membrane regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/44 by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/16 Regeneration of sorbents, filters

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for backwashing filter membrane modules arranged in parallel in the form of a plurality of module rows within a module rack and supplyable with raw water through supply/drain ports at each end face via respectively associated supply/drain lines, and each including a drain port on a wall side for the filtrate, to which a filtrate collection line is connected for draining the filtrate, wherein valve means are provided to control at least one filtration and backwashing mode, wherein, in the backwashing mode, a supply-side control valve of the first supply/drain lines carrying raw water of a module row is closed, but an associated drain-side control valve of the other supply/drain line of one module row serving to drain backwashing water is open, whereas the remaining supply-side control valves in the supply line carrying raw water of the remaining module rows are open, to ensure backwashing of the one module row of the module rack by the filtrate simultaneously produced by the other module rows.

Claims

1. An apparatus for backwashing filter membrane modules arranged in parallel in the form of a plurality of module rows within a module rack and supplyable with raw water through supply/drain ports at each end face via respectively associated supply/drain lines, and each including a drain port on a wall side for the filtrate, to which a filtrate collection line is connected for draining the filtrate, wherein valve means are provided to control at least one filtration and backwashing mode,

wherein, in the backwashing mode, a supply-side control valve of the first supply/drain lines carrying raw water of one module row is closed, but an associated drain-side control valve of the other supply/drain line of one module row serving to drain backwashing water is open, whereas the remaining supply-side control valves in the supply line carrying raw water of the remaining module rows are open, to ensure backwashing of the one module row of the module rack by the filtrate simultaneously produced by the other module rows.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the supply and drain-side control valve inserted per module row into the supply/drain lines carrying raw water and the filtrate collection line are configured as electro-magnetically operated two-way/two-position directional valves for the electronic control of the filtration and backwashing modes.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply/drain line carrying raw water of the first supply/drain ports of the filter membrane modules is connectable with a central supply for raw water or with a central drain for polluted backwashing water by means of a switchover valve means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the supply/drain line carrying raw water of the second supply/drain ports of the filter membrane modules is connectable with a central supply for raw water or with a central drain for polluted backwashing water by means of a switchover valve means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, the switchover valve means is configured as an electro-magnetically operated four-way/two-position directional valve.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the filtrate collection line is equipped with a central filtrate valve at its end.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the switchover valve means, the central filtrate valve, and the control valves inserted into the supply/drain lines and the filtrate collection line are switchable in a coordinated manner by a central electronic control unit in accordance with at least one filtration and backwashing mode.

8. A method for backwashing filter membrane modules connected in parallel in a plurality of module rows within a module rack and alternately supplied with raw water through supply/drain ports at each end face by respectively associated supply/drain lines, and each including a drain port at a wall side for the filtrate, to which a filtrate collection line is connected for draining the filtrate, wherein at least one filtration and backwashing mode is carried out under valve control,

wherein, in the backwashing mode, a supply-side control valve of the first supply/drain line carrying raw water of one module row is closed, but an associated drain-side control valve of the second supply/drain line serving to drain backwashing water of one module row is open, whereas the remaining supply-side control valves in the supply line carrying raw water of the remaining module rows are opened, to ensure backwashing of the one module row of the module rack by the filtrate simultaneously produced by the other module rows.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein in the backwashing mode, each module row of the module rack is alternately backwashed in succession to clean all filter membrane modules.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the filtration mode, each module row of the module rack has raw water applied to it via one of the supply/drain lines and in that, on the drain side, the filtrate is drained via the filtrate collection line.