Apparatus for producing electrolytic water

• US 6,200,434 B1
• Filed: 02/25/1999
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amano Corporation
• Original Assignee: Amano Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki, Shinjo, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Valentine, Donald R.
• Application Number:
  US09/257,283
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 204/263, 204/228.3, 204/230.2, 204/230.6
• US Class Current: 204/230.2
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/46104 Devices therefor; Their operating or servicing
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4618 for producing "ionised" acidic or basic water
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4674 with halogen or compound of halogens, e.g. chlorine, bromine
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4611 Fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4612 Controlling or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46145 Fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4615 Time
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4617 DC only
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46175 Electrical pulses
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4618 Supplying or removing reactants or electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/006 comprising a software program or a logic diagram

Abstract

An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water including an electrolyzing vessel which is partitioned into an anode chamber and a cathode chamber by a partition membrane, electric current being supplied to electrodes set in the anode and cathode chambers and water to be electrolyzed being delivered into the anode and cathode chambers to produce anodic water in the anode chamber and cathodic water in the cathode chamber, electrolytic water thus produced being discharged through discharge ports disposed on the anode and cathode chambers,

wherein the anode chamber is connected with anode side treating water supply means which is capable of supplying, as treating water, sodium chloride solution or potassium chloride solution to the anode chamber and which is capable of adjusting quantities of supply thereof, and the cathode chamber is connected with cathode side treating water supply means which is capable of supplying, as treating water, hydrochloride solution or dilute hydrochloride solution to the cathode chamber. Advantages of the apparatus not only that a required quantity of electrolytic production water can be produced by a single apparatus upon demand, but that the electrolytic production water has a stable electrolysis, a effective concentration, and the desired pH.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water, said apparatus comprising:

(a) an electrolyzing vessel comprising an anode chamber, a cathode chamber, and a partition membrane, said partition membrane being disposed between said anode chamber and said cathode chamber, wherein electric current which is supplied to electrodes disposed in said anode and cathode chambers, and water to be electrolyzed which is delivered into said anode and cathode chambers to produce anodic water in said anode chamber, and cathodic water in said cathode chamber, produce electrolytic water which is discharged through discharge ports disposed on said anode and cathode chambers;

(b) anode side treating water supply means for (i) supplying as treating water. sodium chloride solution or potassium chloride solution to said anode chamber and (ii) adiusting quantities of supply of said sodium chloride solution or potassium chloride solution, said anode chamber being connected with said anode side treating water supply means;

(c) cathode side treating water supply means for supplying, as treating water, hydrochloride solution or dilute hydrochloride solution to said cathode chamber, said cathode chamber being connected with said cathode side treating water supply means; and

(d) a raw water supply passage for supplying service water, said raw water supply passage being provided with a flow meter for detecting a flow quantity of said raw water,

wherein said anode side treating water supply means and said cathode side treating water supply means comprise an anode side pump and a cathode side pump, respectively, and each of said anode side pump and said cathode side pump is controlled for operation in accordance with said flow quantity of raw water measured by said flow meter, so that a required quantity of produced anodic water, cathodic water, or mixed water thereof, can be mixed with said raw water.

2. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 1, further comprising electrolytic water producing/mixing means capable of mixing, at a desired ratio, anodic water produced in said anode chamber and discharged therefrom, with cathodic water produced in said cathode chamber and discharged therefrom, so as to obtain mixed water.

3. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 1, further comprising dilute mixing means capable of mixing, at a desired ratio, anodic water produced in said anode chamber, cathodic water produced in said cathode chamber, or mixed water comprising said anodic water and said cathodic water, with raw water such as service water, so as to obtain mixed water.

4. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 3, further comprising solution-to-be-electrolyzed used/remaining quantity arithmetic calculation means capable of calculating and outputting a remaining quantity of a used quantity, and a remaining quantity of solution-to-be-electrolyzed which remaining quantity is obtained by calculation based thereon, in accordance with an integrated flow quantity of said raw water measured by said flow meter.

5. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 1, said apparatus further comprising electrolytic current control means for controlling supply quantities of electric current with respect to the electrodes of said anode chamber and said cathode chamber such that in case a supply quantity of the treating water with respect to said anode chamber is to be increased, the supply quantity of the electric current is increased in proportion to said increase of the supply quantity of the treating water, and in case a supply quantity of the treating water with respect to said anode chamber is to be decreased, the supply quantity of the electric current is decreased in proportion to said decrease of the supply quantity of the treating water.

6. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 5, further comprising means for adjusting independently from said anode side the quantity of the treating water supplied by said cathode side treating water supply means.

7. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 5, further comprising

storage means for storing, when a predetermined flow quantity of electrolytic production water having various effective hydrochloride concentration is to be produced, data related to a quantity of said treating water supplied to said cathode chamber side and a pH value which characterizes the resultant electrolytic production water, and

cathode chamber side supply quantity control means for determining a supply quantity of said treating water with respect to said cathode chamber based on various pH values which are set based on the related data stored in said storage means, and a flow value which is obtained based on a relation between the quantity of treating water to be supplied to said cathode chamber side for each effective hydrochloride concentration, and controlling said cathode side treating water supply means based on the supply quantity thus determined, so that a constant quantity of treating water is supplied.

8. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 1, said apparatus further comprising electrolytic current control means for controlling variable ON/OFF duty ratio of pulse current supplied to the electrodes of said anode and cathode chambers, such that in case a supply quantity of the treating water with respect to said anode chamber is to be increased, the ON-time duty ratio is increased in proportion to said increase of the supply quantity of the treating water, and in case a supply quantity of the treating water with respect to said aiode chamber is to be decreased, the ON-time duty ratio is decreased in proportion to said decrease of the supply quantity of the treating water.

9. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 8, further comprising, means for adjusting independently from said anode side the quantity of the treating water supplied by said cathiode side treating water supply means.

10. An apparatus for producing an electrolytic water according to claim 8, further comprising

storage means for storing, when a predetermined flow quantity of electrolytic production water having various effective hydrochloride concentration is to be produced, data related to a quantity of said treating water supplied to said cathode chamber side and a pH value which characterizes the resultant electrolytic production water and

cathode chamber side supply quantity control means for determining supply quantity of said treating water with respect to said cathode chamber based on various pH values which are set based on the related data stored in said storage means and a flow value which is obtained based on a relation between the quantity of treating water to be supplied to said cathode chamber side for each effective hydrochloride concentration, and controlling said cathode side treating water supply means based on the supply quantity thus determined, so that a constant quantity of treating water is supplied.