Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a device for backwashing
the mineral bed of an iron filter or water softener.
In general, backwashing devices for use in iron filters
and water softeners are somewhat inefficient. ExamplPs of
backwashing devices are found in U.S. Patents Nos. 3,395,099,
issued to R.D. Johnson on July 30, 1968 and 3,455,458, issued
to R.D. Johnson on July 15, 1969. The Johnson devices employ
separate, spaced apart tubes. In one embodiment of the Johnson
inventions, particulate mineral is drawn into one of the tubes
in a limited area beneath the tube. The other device involves
separate, parallel tubes or a spiral tube on a second tube.
In each case, suction for backwashing is created by means of a
fine nozzle. It has been found that such devices become clogged
to the poir,t of inoperability. Moreover, such prior art devices
cannot be used with commercial water treatment control valves
with up flow brine controls, because the regenerative chemical
will by-pass the bed.
The object of the present invention is to provide a
relatively simple, efficient device for backwashing a mineral
bed which can be used in small or larg~ diameter tanks containing
the mineral bed, and which is not susceptible to clogging.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a
device for backwashing a bed of particulate mineral in a water
treatment tank comprising elongated, tubular casing means; tube
means co-axial with said casing means extending therethrough
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beyond the ends of said casing means; cap means slidable on said
tube means for movement between a closed position in which the
cap means closes the open top end of the casing means, and an
open position in which said cap means is spaced apart from
said open top end of the casing means; spring means biasing said
cap means to the closed position; first opening means in said tube
means for discharging water into said cap means to cause the
latter to move away from said casing means to the open position;
valve body means closing the bottom end of said casing means;
first passage ~.eans in said body means in fluid co~lmunication
with the bottom end of said tube means, said first passage means
being normally open to the flow of water upwardly from the bed
of particulate mineral into said tube means, and closed with
respect to the mineral bed when the flow of water is reversed;
radially extending second opening means in said body means;
diaphragm means normally closing said second opening means;
second passage means in said body means above said second opening
means closed at one end by said diaphragm means and in fluid
communication at the other end with the bottom end of said
casing means; and at least one venturi opening in the bottom end
of said casing means permitting the flow of said particulate
mineral into said casing means, whereby, when during a back-
flushing operation water is caused to flow under pressure down-
wardly in said tube means, the valve means is closed with respect
to said mineral bed, the cap means moves to the open position,
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water passes through said second opening means in said body means
and presses against said diaphragm means to move the latter away
from said valve body, permitting water to flow through said
second passage means into the bottom of said casing means to
create a venturi flow in said casing means which draws particulate
mineral into the bottom end of the casing means and discharges
the water and mineral through the open top end of the casing
means.
The invention will now be described in greater detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate
a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a backwashing
device in accordance with the present invention in the open
position;
Figure 2 is a lonqitudinal sectional view of the
device of Fig. 1 in the open position;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the device of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a cross section taken generally along line
IV-IV of Fig. 2;
Figure 5 is a bottom view of a valve body used in
the device of Figs. 1 to 4;
Figure 6 is a plan view of a valve ring used in the
device of Figs. 1 to 4;
Figure 7 is a bottom view of the device of Figs. 1
to 4;
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Figure 8 is a cross section taken generally along
line VIII-VIII of Fig. 2;
Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a
portion of a water treatment tank containlng the device of Figs.
1 to 8;
Figure 10 is a schematic, longitudinal section view
of the bottom end of a second embodiment of the device of the
present invention;
Figure 11 is a plan view of a disc diaphragm used in
the device of Fig. 10;
Figure 12 is a plan view o~ a retainer plate in the
device of Fig. 10;
Figure 13 is a schematic, longitudinal sectional view
of a third embodiment of the device of the present invention;
Figure 14 is a cross section taken generally along
line XIV-XIV of Fig. 13;
Figure 15 is a bottom view of a check valve plate
used in the device of Figs. 13 and 14; and
Figure 16 is a schematic cross section of the plate
of Fig. 15 and a portion of a cover plate.
APPARATUS
With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the backwashing
device of the present invention includes an elongated, tubular
casing generally indicated at 1. The casing 1 is defined by
upper and lower portions 2 and 3, respectively. A socket 5
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is provided on the top end of the lower portion 3 ~or receiving
the bottom end of the upper portion 2. The sections are glued
together. Alternatively, the casing 1 is defined by a single
elongated tube. An elongated tube 6 exkends through the casing
l for carrying water into and out of the device. The tube 6
is centered in the casing l by three screws 7 (two shown), which
extend through the casing into abutment with the tube 6. The
screws 7 are spaced equidistant apart around the periphery of
the tube 6.
The open top end 8 of the casing 1 is normally closed
by a cap 10. The cap 10 includes a solid inner sleeve 11,
which is fixedly mounted on the tube 6, and an outer sleeve 12
slidable on the inner sleeve 11. An O-ring 13 forms a seal
between the inner sleeve 11 and the outer sleeve 12, and an O-ring
14 forms a seal between sleeve 11 and the tube 6. The outer
sleeve 12 extends upwardly beyond the top end 15 of the inner
sleeve 11 and inwardly to the tube 6. An O-ring 16 seals the
sleeve 12 with respect to the tube 6. Thus, a small space 17
is provided between the top ends 15 and 18 of the sleeves ll and
12, respectively. Water can be introduced into the space 17
through a small hole 19 in one side of the tube 6. The cap 10
is retained in position against the top end 8 o~ the casing 1
by a helical spring 20, which is co-axially mounted on the tube
6. The spring 20 is retained against the top end 18 of the
cap 10 by a split ring 21. The ring 21 (Fig. 3) has a serrated
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inner edge 23, and is held closed around the tube 6 by a screw
24.
An annular flange 25 extends outwardly from the bottom
end of the sleeve 12 for closing the top end 8 of the casing 2.
An O-ring 26 is mounted in a groove in the sleeve 12 for sealing
against the bottom of sleeve 11. The entire cap 10, the spring
20 and the ring 21 are covered by a rubber sleeve 27 with closed
ends and O-rings sealing around the tube 6.
The bottom end of the casing 2 is closed by a valve
generally indicated at 28. The valve 28 (Figs. 2 and 4) includes
a tubular, plastic body 30, with an annular groove 31 in the
top end thereof for receiving the bottom end of the casing 2.
Arcuate venturi openings 33 are provided in the bottom end of
the casing 2 above the valve body 30 for admitting material into
the bottom of the passage 34 between the casing 2 and the tube
6. An annular hood 36 with an inclined top surface 37 is mounted
on the casing 2 immediately above the openings 33.
The tube 6 extends downwardly into a cylindrical central
passage 38 in the body 30 which contains a flexible ball 40.
The ball 40 normally seats on the periphery of a slightly
restricted openings 41 (Figs. 2 and 5) in the bottom of the body
30. Opposing arcuate notches 42 are provided in the bottom end
of the tube 2, so that the ball 40 cannot close the tube 2.
Three inclined passages 43 extend downwardly and outwardly through
the body 30 from the passage 34 to an annular groove 44 in the
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outer periphery of the body 30. A plurality of openings 45
extend radially outwardly through the side of the body 30
beneath the groove 44 for providing fluid communication between
the passage 34 and an annular groove 46 in the outer periphery
of the body 30. The grooves 44 and 46 are normally closed, i.e.
covered by a flexible rubber sleeve diaphragm 47. The top end
of the diaphragm 47 is wrapped around an O-ring 49 in a groove
in the bottom of the outwardly extending, annular shoulder 50
on the top end of the body 30. Th~ bottom end of the diaphragm
47 is retained in an annular groove in the body 30 by another
O-ring 52. A metal cap 53 retains the O-ring 52 in position.
A central opening 54 in the cap 53 is aligned with the opening
41 in the body 30.
A plurality of plastic rings 56 ~Figs. 1, 2 and 6) are
sandwiched between the shoulder 50 and a bottom conical cap 57
(Figs. 2, 7 and 8). Screws 60 extend through the cap 57 and
aligned holes 61 in the rings 56 into threaded holes 62 in the
shoulder 50. The inner diameter of the uppermost ring 56 is
smaller than the diameter of the other rings, and acts as a
washer with an annular, concave groove in the top inner edge
thereof for retaining the O-ring 49 and the upper end of the
diaphragm 47 in position. Small lugs 64 extend upwardly from
the cap 57, and from each of the rings 56 between each adjacent
pair of holes 61 for creating gaps 65 between the rings 56.
The inner diameter of the rings 56 is larger than the outer
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diameter (the main or central portion) of the body 30 and the
diaphragm 47, so that there is a passage between the rings 56
and the diaphragm 47. Water can flow into the gaps 65, and
downwardly through gaps between the cap 53 and lugs 67 on the
cap 57. The lugs 67 on the cap 57 e~tend inwardly a sufficient
distance to engage the metal cap 53, while lea~ing gaps for
fluid flow.
OPERATION
The operation of the device will be described with
reference mainly to Fig. 9 of the drawings. The device is
used in a water conditioner of the type including a tank 70
containing a granular mineral bed 71 for conditioning water
flowing therethrough. During normal operation, water flows
downwardly through the mineral bed 71 and enters the tube 6 via
the gaps 65, the openings 54 and 41 and the passage 38 in the
valve body 30. The gaps 65 between the rings 56 are sufficiently
small that the mineral particles cannot enter the valve 28.
The water is discharged from the tank 70 through the usual
valve (not shown).
In order to effect backwashing of the mineral bed 71,
the flow of water in the tube 6 is reversed, i.e. water under
pressure is caused to flow down the tube 6. Such downward flow
of water pushes the ball 40 against the valve seat defined by
the bottom of the body 30. As the pressure in the tube 6 and
the valve body 30 rises, wa~er flows through the hole 19 into
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the space 17 between the tops 15 and 18 of the sleeves 11 and
12, respectively. Thus, the cap 10 is forced upwardly to create
a gap (Figs. 1 and 9) between the top 8 of the casing 1 and the
bottom o~ the cap 10.
The pressure in the valve chamber 38 again rises which
causes the sleeve diaphragm 47 to expand outwardly, i.e. water
is dlscharged radially through the openings 45 to bow the
diaphragm 47 outwardly. When the diaphragm 47 moves outwardly,
the water under pressure flows into the annular groove 45 and
upwardly through the passages 43 into the bottom of the casing 1
outside of the tube 6. The water flows upwardly to exit through
the opening at the top end 8 of the tube 1. Water passing the
venturi openings 33 draws particulate mineral from the bed 71.
The hood 36 ensures that the mineral withdrawn from the bed is
taken from near the bottom and from the periphery of the bed,
and prevents channelling in the area of the venturi openings 33.
There is turbulence in the casing 1 which assists in dislodging
foreign matter from the particulate mineral. Additionally, and
more importantly, foreign matter is also dislodged when the
mineral hits the bottom of the flange 25. The foreign matter is
generally lighter than the mineral and remains suspended in the
water while the particulate mineral settles on the top of the
bed 71. The foreign matter is washed from the tank with backwash
water through a conventional port (not shown) to drain.
Upon completion of the backwashing operation, the
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flow of water downwardly in the tube 6 is stopped, whereupon the
upward flow of water through the casing 1 ceases, and the
diaphragm 47 returns to the rest position against the valve body
30. The spring 20 returns the cap 10 to the rest position
(Fig. 2) on the top end 8 of the casing 1.
With a conventional water conditioning control valve
(not shown) having a so-called "down flow line control valve",
after backwashing, water and regenerative chemical pass downwardly
from the control valve through the mineral bed 71, recharging
the mineral bed. The water and chemical then flow into the
bottom valve 28, up through the tube 6 and out of the control
valve.
With a water conditioning control valve including
an "up flow line control valve", after backwashing, water and
regenerative chemical pass downwardly through the tube 6.
Because the ball 40 closes the opening 41, regenerative chemical
is forced through the openings 45 and the groove 46, extending
the diaphragm 47 so that regenerative chemical passes through
groove 44, the passages 43 and the openings 33 ~because the cap
10 is closed). The regenerative chemical is discharged under
the hood 36, and flows upwardly through the bed 71 and the top
control valve.
When the brine cycle has been completed and the water
conditioner valve is returned to the normal service position,
water flows downwardly through the bed 71 and through the
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valve 28, upwardly through the tube 6.
ALTERN~TIVE EMBODIMENTS
In the following descriptions of the second and third
embodiments of the invention, wherever possible the same reference
numerals have been used to identify elements the same or similar
to elements of the device of Figs. 1 to 9.
With reference to Figs. 10 to 12, the valve generally
indicated at 75 at the bottom of the casing 1 is defined by a
cylindrical body 76 with a closed bottom end 78 containing an
opening 79 normally closed by the ball 40. AS in the device of
Figs. 1 to 9, the body is surrounded by rings 56 and a bottom cap
57 held in position by screws 60. The upper end of the body is
closed by a top plate 80, which is covered by an annular diaphraçm
82 and a retainer plate 83. The top plate 80 is connected to
the rings 56 by the screws 60, and the diaphragm 82 and the plate
83 are connected to the top plate 80 by screws 85.
Three jet holes 86 are provided in the top plate 80.
The holes 86 are spaced equidistant apart around the periphery of
the tube 6. Generally Y-shaped slits 87 are provided in the
diaphragm 82 above the holes 86. The slits 87 are located
between and radially inwardly of holes 89 for receiving the
screws 85. Openings 90 (Fig. 12) are provided in the plate 83
above the slits 87. The openings 90 are located between and
radially inwardly of holes 92 for receiving the screws 85.
During backwashing, water passes downwardly through
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the tube 6 causing the hall 40 to close against the openings 79
in the end 78 of the valve 75. Thus, water is forced upwardly
through the jet holes 86, the slits 87 and the openings 90
into the passage34 between the cas:ing 1 and the tube 6.
Upon completion of a backwashing operation, when
using an apparatus containing a conventional so-called "down
flow brine valve" (not shown), water and regenerative chemical
flow from the control valve (not shown) through the mineral bed,
into the valve 75, and up the inner tube 6 and out of the control
valve.
Upon completion of backwashing when using an apparatus
including an "up flow brine valve" (not shown) water and
regenerative chemical flow downwardly through the inner tube
6. Because the ball 40 closes the opening 79, the chemical and
water are forced upwardly through the holes 86, the slits 87
and the openings 90 and through a venturi annulus 94 into the
mineral bed 71.
When returned to the service position, water passes
downwardly through the mineral bed 71, into the valve 75 and up
the tube 6 to a conventional top control valve (not shown).
Referring to Figs. 13 to 16, the third embodiment of the invention
includes a cap generally indicated at 95 and a separate cap plate
96 mounted on the tube 6, and a valve generally indicated at
98 mounted on the bottom ends of the casing 1 and tube 6.
The cap 95 is defined by a hollow, cylindrical body 99
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with an opening 101 in the top end thereof for receiving the
tube 6, and an annular outwardly extending flange 102 at the
bottom end thereof. An annular lip seal 104 provides a seal
between the top end of the cap 95 and the tube 6. A piston
defined by a sleeve 105 is fixedly mounted in the cap 95 on the
tube 6. A sleeve seal 106 provides a seal between the cap 95
and the sleeve 105. An O-ring 108 is provided at the inner
bottom end of the cap 95 for sealing with the sleeve 105
when the cap 95 moves upwardly relative to the sleeve 105.
The cap plate 96 includes an annular body 109 which
is sealed with respect to the tube 6 by an annular lip seal 110.
Like the cap body 99, the cap plate 96 is slidable on the tube 6.
The plate 96 is connected to the flange 102 of the body 99 by
three bolts 112 spaced equidistant apart around the periphery of
the plate. A helical spring 113 extends between the sleeve lOS
and the top of the plate 96. An O-ring 115 is provided in the
bottom of the plate body 109 for sealing with the top end of
the casing 1. The tube 6 is centered in the casing 1 by three
wings 116 extending radially outwardly ~rom the tube 6 into
contact with the interior of the casing 1.
The valve 98 is defined by a tubular body 117 with a
closed bottom end 118. An opening 120 is provided in the
bottom end 118 for admitting liquid into the valve body 117.
The top of the body 117 is closed by an annular top plate 121,
which is attached to the bottom end of the tube 6. Bolts 60
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extend upwardly through the cap 57, the rings 56, the cover
plate 121 and spacers 123 into the hood 36. A valve plate
124 is mounted on helical springs 125 in the valve chamber
defined by the body 117. The springs 125 extend from recesses
127 (Fig. 15) in the bottom of the plate 124 into recesses 128
in the top surface of the bottom end 118 of the valve body 117.
Three pins 130 spaced equidistant apart extend upwardly from
the valve plate 124 into jet orifices 131 in the top plate 121.
When the dev~ce of ~igs. 13 to 16 is used with a
water conditioner control valve (not shown) and the valve is
in the service position, water passes downwardly through the
mineral bed 71, through the valve 98 into the valve chamber,
around the valve plate 124 and into the tube 6.
When the water conditioner control valve is in the
backwash cycle, water flows downwardly through the tube 6
exerting pressure on the valve plate 124, which closes the
opening 120. Simultaneously, the pins 130 move downwardly
to open the jet orifices 131. Because of the small diameter
of the jet orifices 131, pressure builds up in the tube 6.
Consequently, water is forced through the opening 19 into the
space between the cap body 99 and the sleeve 105 which causes
the cap 95 and the plate 96 to rise compressing the spring
113. Water is then forced through the jet orifices 131 and
the passage 34 between the casing 1 and the tube 6. Thus,
mineral is drawn through the gap between the plate 121 and the
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hood 36, and is discharged through the gap between the plate
96 and the top of the casing 1. The mineral is deflected by
the bottom of the plate 96.
Upon completion of the backwash operation, the flow
of water downwardly in the tube 6 is discontinued, whereupon the
upward flow of water through the passage 34 ceases, and the
spring 113 returns the cap 95 and the cap plate 96 to the rest
position on the top end of the casing 1. The springs 125 return
the pins 130 to their elevated position, closing the jet orifices
131. When the water conditioning control valve is a conventional
"down flow brine control valve" following backwashing, water
and regenerative chemical (usually salt or potassium permanganate
solution) pass downwardly from the control valve (not shown)
through the mineral bed to recharge the latter, enter the valve
98, and are discharged through the tube 6 and the control valve
to drain.
If the water conditioning control valve is a conventional
"up flow brine control valve" following backwashing, water and
regenerative chemical pass downwardly through the tube 6 and the
valve 98 into the mineral bed. The water and chemical pass
upwardly through the mineral bed and are discharged through the
control valve to drain.
Upon completion of the brine treatment cycle, the
water conditioner valve returns to the normal service position,
whereupon water passes downwardly through the mineral bed and
the valve 98 into the tube 6.
