Demineralized water is a unique form of purified water that is essentially stripped of mineral ions and dissolved salts. As such, it is a highly-demanded commodity with a myriad of application fields ranging from laboratories to automotive industries. In recent years, manufacturers of water treatment systems have taken their craftsmanship a notch higher consequently developing contemporary demineralization systems.
These complex, modern-day units are highly effective and extremely cost-efficient. Most importantly, they are easy to install and pretty straightforward to use. But for a user to reap the maximum rewards from his/her demineralization system, he/she must adhere to the stipulated user instructions.
As a customer-oriented demineralized systems manufacturer, we are not only interested in making astronomical sales. We tirelessly work with our clients to ensure that they are in a position to maximize the output of our first-rate demineralization units. In the spirit of aiding clients, our experts have assembled the following piece, outlining all the tips and tricks requisite to optimizing the output of any demineralization system.
Handy Tips To Help You Get The Most From Your Demineralization System.
Just like every other machine, demineralized water plants necessitate frequent and quality maintenance to continually function at a high level. Utilizing your DI water system appropriately and servicing it as stipulated by the manufacturer guarantees an unlimited supply of first-rate demineralized water and an extended lifespan. Underneath, we discuss the chief practices that will help you maximize your demineralization systemโs productivity ultimately giving you value for your money.
โข Understand Your Equipment.
At present, there are multiple water treatment systems specifically designed to demineralize or deionize water. However, the most prominent water deionization systems currently in use are ion exchange systems. The design and configuration of ion exchange demineralization systems may however differ depending on the features of the respective feed water and the specifics of certain applications. Here are the two types of IX deionization systems.
Dual bed deionizer.
As the name suggests, dual-bed deionizers are demineralization units made of two distinct vessels. Each vessel houses a distinct ion exchange resin. The vessel holding the anion exchange resin consists of hydroxyl (OH-) ions and it is responsible for extracting negatively charged impurity ions. The adjacent vessel on the other hand consists of a cation exchange resin charged with hydrogen (H+) ions, which substitute positively charged objectionable ions.
Mixed-bed deionizers.
Unlike dual-bed deionizers, mixed-bed deionizers have a single pressure vessel, which houses a blend of the cation and anion exchange resins. If deployed appropriately, mixed-bed demineralization systems generate first-rate demineralized water characterized by a resistivity of 18.2 megohms. For this reason, they are mostly deployed as post-treatment systems to supplement dual-bed demineralization systems.
The Basic Components of Demineralization Systems.
Although most demineralization systems may differ in design and configuration, they often consist of similar components. Here is a brief breakdown of the major parts that make up a fully-functional demineralization unit.
- Ion exchange columns.
- Ion exchange resins (cationic and anionic resins).
- Control board (Mostly PLC).
- Regenerate dosing system.
- Control valves and piping fixtures.
- Storage tanks.
โข Understanding The Demineralization Process.
To fully exploit your water deionizer system, it is paramount that you first comprehend how it works. Demineralization systems primarily eject objectionable ion minerals from water through distinct processes such as ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and electrodeionization. However, ion exchange is the dominant demineralization process in practice today.
The Ion Exchange Process.
The ion exchange process gets rid of undesirable ionic impurities by substituting them with less-objectionable ions. In two-bed demineralization systems, the demineralization process is undertaken in two separate vessels. The inlet water is first driven through a cation exchange resin charged with hydrogen (H+) ions. The positively charged objectionable ions are attracted to the negatively charged functional sites before consequently being replaced by the H+ ions.
The de-cationized water exiting the cation exchange column is subsequently fed into the anion exchange column. Here, it is passed through the anion exchange resin which emits hydroxyl (OH-) ions to replace the undesirable impurity anions. This generates the final product, which is essentially demineralized water free of undesirable anions and cations.
In mixed-bed demineralization systems, the demineralization process is undertaken in a single ion exchange column. The blended anionic and cationic exchange resins extract the objectionable anions and cations simultaneously. Click on the link below to watch an illustration of the demineralization process.
โข Supplementing Your Demineralization System with a Reverse Osmosis System.
According to multiple studies, integrating reverse osmosis and deionization elevates the quality of demineralized water generated and makes the purification process cost-efficient. Combining reverse osmosis and demineralization systems to create integrated reverse osmosis di systems increases the range of impurities eliminated thereby improving the quality of pure water harvested.
Deploying a standalone demineralization system to purify water accrues production costs of approximately $0.50 per gallon. On the contrary, deploying a reverse osmosis demineralization (RO/DI) system depreciates the production costs to roughly 1-3 cents per gallon. Ideally, the feed water is first treated using the reverse osmosis system, which eliminates a range of minerals, microbial pollutants, dissolved salts, and chemicals.
Although the two systems are independently very effective, integrating them makes it possible to generate ultra-pure water, which is an essential commodity for laboratories, automotive industries, and pharmaceuticals among other industries. We manufacture turnkey reverse osmosis di water systems that are easy to install, operate and maintain. Contact us today, to place your order or to consult our auspicious technicians.
โข Carrying Out Preventative Maintenance.
Preventative maintenance simply mitigates unprecedented failures and it is pivotal in upholding optimum productivity. Our engineers recommend periodic or scheduled maintenance and a detailed guidebook comprehensively illustrating all the necessary maintenance practices is provided upon purchase of a demineralized water filter system. Underneath, we are going to briefly discuss some of the best maintenance practices to help you maximize your systemโs output.
Periodically cleaning your demineralization system.
Over the course of time, the ion exchange resins in your demineralization system pick up undesirable pollutants from the feed water. Over accumulation of these particles may clog the porous resins and eventually break them down. To mitigate this, you should periodically and thoroughly cleanse your DI water system to dislodge the seized impurities.
Demineralization resin cleaning is typically carried out in a process referred to as Backwashing. The backwashing process involves pumping clean water from the bottom of the ion exchange resin using pressure. This fluidizes the ion exchange resin and dislodges the accumulated impurities.
To effectively eradicate the amassed impurities, the resin should be stretched out to within 300mm of the backwash collector at the tankโs top. The following formula defines the expansion percentage for deionization vessels.
% expansion= fluidized heightโ settled bed depth ร 100
To flawlessly backwash your demineralization resin bed, you should first go through the technical product literature issued by your respective manufacturer.
Promptly regenerate your demineralization system.
During the in-service cycle, your ion exchange resin picks up objectionable ions and exchanges them for non-objectionable (H+ and OH-) ions. The buildup of these objectionable ions results in exhausted or fully loaded IX resin beads incapable of effectively demineralizing your water. To avert this, one is necessitated to frequently carry out the regeneration process to restore the resinโs optimal capacity. Here are the few steps you need to take to effectively regenerate your deionized water filter.
โข Backwashing.
Typically, the regeneration process is kick-started by backwashing the resin bed. This is accomplished by flushing sparkling clean water through the IX resin bed in a reversed direction (mostly from bottom to top). Backwashing gets rid of the amassed debris as well as air pockets.
โข Regenerant injection.
Once the IX resin bed is effectively cleaned, it is assembled back and a regeneration solution is flushed through. This drives away the objectionable ions seized during the in-service cycle while replacing them with non-objectionable ions.
โข Slow rinse.
This process is also referred to as the regenerant displacement process. During this step, dilution water is slowly passed through the resin bed to flush out the regeneration chemicals. In mixed-bed demineralization systems, the slow rinse step is undertaken after both the cation and anion IX resins have been injected with the respective registrants.
โข Final rinse.
To wrap up the regeneration process, flush clean water through the resin beads at a flow rate similar to the typical in-service cycle flow rate. Continue flushing clean water through the resins until the specific water quality is detected.
Conclusion.
The growth of industrialization coupled with population increment has surely heightened the demand for high-purity water. This has consequently hiked up the demand for various purified water systems including demineralization systems, which are requisite in laboratories, automotive industries, and pharmaceuticals among other fields.
Despite contemporary demineralization systems being extremely effective and efficient, one must operate and maintain the system appositely to get the best out of it. At NEWater, we are committed to giving our DI water system customers the ultimate shopping and user experience. We will work tirelessly to help you procure the best system for your application, install it and operate it. Feel free to contact us for more information, order placement, or any inquiry.