The present invention relates generally to improvements in water purification systems designed to remove dissolved ionic material and other contaminants from an ordinary supply of tap water or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to an active vibration water purification system designed to prevent channeling in particulate catalyst water filtration media during times of relatively slow water flow to extend the operational lifetime and enhance the quality of water purification.
Water purification systems in general are well-known in the art of the type having a reverse osmosis (RO) unit or membrane for converting an incoming supply of ordinary tap or feed water into relatively purified water. In general, a reverse osmosis unit may include a semi-permeable RO membrane over which tap water supply passes, such that the membrane acts essentially as a filter to remove dissolved metallic ions and other contaminants and undesired particulate matter from the tap water. Normally, these removed impurities are concentrated in a separate water flow, commonly referred to as retentate or brine, which may be discharged to a drain as waste. The thus-produced flow of relatively purified water is available for immediate dispensing for use and/or for temporary storage within a suitable reservoir or vessel waiting dispensing for use. While the specific construction and operation of such RO water purification systems may vary, such systems are exemplified by those shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,585,554; 4,595,497; 4,657,674; and 5,045,197.
One disadvantage associated with water purification systems that include RO membranes and/or other types of catalyst pre-filters is that the impurities can concentrate along the RO membranes or the particulate catalyst media can clump together and lead to undesirable channeling. In terms of the RO filter, concentration or accumulation of impurities on the RO membranes results in decreased performance and a shortened service life. Likewise, catalyst particulate media exposed to tap water or relatively unfiltered water for extended durations as a result of channeling will more quickly lose its filtering effectiveness. Typically, water filtration devices include some sort of sensor to measure the level of particulate matter in the water filtration conduits, which can indicate earlier than desired replacement when the filtration equipment (e.g., the RO membranes and/or particulate catalyst media) lose filtering effectiveness as a result of the above-mentioned conditions. For example, some water purification systems include a monitor circuit coupled to a pair of electrodes for respectively taking conductivity readings of the untreated tap water inflow and the produced purified water (or at other positions along the various water flow paths). The conductivity readings reflect the presence of dissolved solids in the monitored water supplies, whereby a comparison between the conductivity of the untreated tap water versus the produced purified water represents an indication of the performance efficiency of the RO membrane and/or catalyst pre-filter cartridge. When the detected conductivity ratio indicates inadequate purification of the water, such a water purification system may signal the time for replacing the RO cartridge and/or particulate catalyst media. Current known systems require such replacement on a fairly frequency basis of about every six months to a year. Accordingly, this drives up the cost of owning and utilizing such water filtration equipment. As a result, many residential and commercial water customers have favored use of bottled water as a purified water source, despite the costs and inconveniences associated with delivery, storage and changeover of large (typically 5 gallon) water bottles with respect to a bottled water cooler.
There exists, therefore, a significant need in the art for further improvements in and to water purification systems, and specifically for actively vibrating particulate catalyst filter media contained in a catalyst pre- or post-membrane filter to beneficially extend service life and filtration effectiveness by preventing clumping and channeling therein during times of relatively slow tap water inflow. Such improvements may further include a flush flow activation chamber for substantially stirring and agitating to abrade and refresh the particulate catalyst media, and for removing impurities off the RO membranes, thereby significantly extending service life. The present invention fulfills these needs and provided further related advantages.