Methods of making a cell stack for an electrical purification apparatus

• US 9,463,987 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evoqua Water Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Evoqua Water Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Liang, Li-Shiang, Gifford, Joseph D., Chan, John K., Salvo, Lawrence J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US14/149,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 295/921, 296/021, 204/263, 204/267, 204/269, 204/275.1, 204/520, 204/522, 204/535, 204/630, 204/634
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2315/10 Cross-flow filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/463 comprising the membrane sequence AC or CA, where C is a cation exchange membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/48 having one or more compartments filled with ion-exchange material , e.g. electrodeionisation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/50 Stacks of the plate-and-frame type
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4693 electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4695 electrodeionisation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46 Apparatus for electrochemical processes
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 9/00 Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 9/19 with diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 9/70 Assemblies comprising two or more cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/02 for manufacturing cores, coils, or magnets H01F41/14 takes precedence; for dynamo-electric machines H02K15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/124 Water desalination
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

An electrical purification apparatus and methods of making same are disclosed. The electrical purification apparatus may provide for increases in operation efficiencies, for example, with respect to current efficiencies and membrane utilization.

Claims

1. A method for making a first cell stack for an electrical purification apparatus comprising:

forming a first compartment by securing a first cation exchange membrane to a first anion exchange membrane at a first portion of a periphery of the first cation exchange membrane and the first anion exchange membrane to provide a first spacer assembly having a first spacer disposed between the first cation exchange membrane and the first anion exchange membrane;

forming a second compartment by securing a second anion exchange membrane to a second cation exchange membrane at a first portion of a periphery of the second cation exchange membrane and the second anion exchange membrane to provide a second spacer assembly having a second spacer disposed between the second anion exchange membrane and the second cation exchange membrane; and

forming a third compartment by securing the first spacer assembly to the second spacer assembly at a second portion of the periphery of the first cation exchange membrane and at a portion of the periphery of the second anion exchange membrane to provide the first cell stack having a third spacer disposed between the first spacer assembly and the second spacer assembly, each of the first compartment and the second compartment constructed and arranged to provide a direction of fluid flow in a direction different from the direction of fluid flow in the third compartment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing the first cell stack within a housing.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing the first cell stack in a frame comprising an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold to provide a first modular unit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising securing the first modular unit within a housing.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising securing the first modular unit to the housing with a bracket assembly.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising securing a second modular unit within the housing.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising positioning a blocking spacer between the first modular unit and the second modular unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first spacer, the second spacer, and the third spacer is a blocking spacer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first compartment, the second compartment, and the third compartment comprises a flow redistributor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the periphery of the first anion exchange membrane is constructed and arranged to interlock with the first portion of the periphery of the first cation exchange membrane.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction of fluid flow in the first compartment is perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow in the second compartment.