Portable water purification system with double piston pump

• US 5,496,466 A
• Filed: 09/14/1993
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teledyne Industries Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Teledyne Industries Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gray, Buddy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Drodge, Joseph W.
• Application Number:
  US08/120,400
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 417/234, 417/539, 210/137, 210/257.1, 210/257.2, 210/258, 210/282, 210/416.1, 210/416.3
• US Class Current: 210/137
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/04 Specific process operations in the feed stream; Feed pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/16 Flow or flux control
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2626 Absorption or adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2649 Filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2321/02 Forward flushing
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/025 Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/04 Feed pretreatment
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/10 Accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/02 Membrane cleaning or sterilisation ; Membrane regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/20 Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/131 Reverse-osmosis

Abstract

A portable water purification system has a prefiler, a pumping unit, a reverse osmosis unit, a microbial control unit and a post filter for removing nuclear, biological, chemical and other contaminants from a water source. The hand operated pumping unit has a feed water cylinder and a concentrate cylinder to control ratios between intake and concentrate volumes. The system further prolongs the life of components by reducing the level of contaminants in contact with parts of the system.

Claims

1. A water purification system, comprising:

a reverse osmosis filter having a feed water input, a concentrate output and a permeate output; and

a pump system comprising;

(A) a feed water pumping section for inputting feed water to said feed water input, said feed water pumping section including a feed water cylinder, a feed water piston disposed to move axially in said feed water cylinder, a feed water intake means for connecting a feed water source to said feed water cylinder, and feed water inputting means connecting said feed water cylinder to said feed water input;

(B) a concentrate pumping section for removing concentrate from said concentrate output, said concentrate pumping section including a concentrate cylinder, a concentrate piston axially disposed in said concentrate cylinder, and a concentrate intake means connecting said concentrate cylinder to said concentrate output; and

(C) means for connecting said feed water inputting means with said feed water input without communicating with said concentrate pumping section, said filter and said pump system being constructed and arranged such that said feed water piston is caused to move in an axial direction by a control that causes said concentrate piston to move in an opposite axial direction.

2. The pump system of claim 1, wherein said system is constructed such that feed water enters said feed water cylinder from said feed water source through said feed water intake means when said feed water piston axially moves in said feed water cylinder in a first direction;

and

wherein feed water exits said feed water cylinder to said feed water input through said feed water inputting means when said feed water piston axially moves in said feed water cylinder in a second direction opposite said first direction.

3. The pump system of claim 2, wherein said concentrate pumping section includes:

a concentrate exiting means connecting said concentrate cylinder to a concentrate disposal location;

wherein concentrate enters said concentrate cylinder through said concentrate intake means from said concentrate output when said concentrate piston moves axially in a first direction; and

wherein concentrate exits said concentrate cylinder through said concentrate exiting means to said concentrate disposal location when said concentrate piston moves axially in a second direction opposite said first direction of said concentrate piston.

4. The pump system of claim 3, wherein said feed water piston moves in said first direction when said concentrate piston moves in said second direction, and said feed water piston moves in said second direction when said concentrate piston moves in said first direction.

5. The pump system of claim 1, wherein said concentrate pumping section includes:

a concentrate exiting means connecting said concentrate cylinder to a concentrate disposal location;

wherein concentrate enters said concentrate cylinder through said concentrate intake means from said concentrate output when said concentrate piston moves axially in a first direction; and

wherein concentrate exits said concentrate cylinder through said concentrate exiting means to said concentrate disposal location when said concentrate piston moves axially in a second direction opposite said first direction.

6. The pump system of claim 5, further comprising concentrate control means connected to said concentrate exiting means for allowing a portion of said concentrate to exit said concentrate cylinder when said concentrate piston is moving in said first direction such that water pressure in said reverse osmosis filter is reduced.

7. The pump system of claim 1, wherein said feed water pumping section periodically inputs water to said feed water input;

wherein said concentrate pumping section periodically removes concentrate from said concentrate output; and

said concentrate pumping section is coordinated with said feed water pumping section such that said concentrate pumping section removes concentrate from said concentrate output when said feed water pumping section inputs feed water to said feed wager input.

8. A water purification system, comprising:

a reverse osmosis filter having a feed water input, a concentrate output and a permeate output; and

a pump system comprising;

(A) a feed water pumping section for inputting feed water to said feed water input, said feed water pumping section including a feed water cylinder, a feed water piston disposed to move axially in said feed water cylinder, a feed water intake means connecting a feed water source to said feed water cylinder, and feed water inputting means connecting said feed water cylinder to said feed water input;

(B) a concentrate pumping section for removing concentrate from said concentrate output, said concentrate pumping section including a concentrate cylinder, a concentrate piston axially disposed in said concentrate cylinder, and a concentrate intake means connecting said concentrate cylinder to said concentrate output;

wherein feed water enters said feed water cylinder from said feed water source through said feed water intake means when said feed water piston axially moves in said feed water cylinder in a first direction; and

wherein feed water exits said feed water cylinder to said feed water input through said feed water inputting means when said feed water piston axially moves in said feed water cylinder in a second direction opposite said first direction, said pump system further comprising feed water control means connected to said feed water intake means and said feed water inputting means for controlling flow of feed water entering and exiting said feed water cylinder such that a portion of the feed water entering said feed water input through said feed water inputting means returns to said feed water cylinder when said feed water piston moves in said first direction, such that a portion of permeate passes through said reverse osmosis membrane due to regular osmosis and, lower pressure caused by said feed water returning to said feed water cylinder.