Water purification apparatus and methods for cleaning the water purification apparatus
AssigneesBaxter International Inc., Baxter Healthcare S.A.
InventorsPeter Sendelius, Henrik Lindgren, Olof Jansson, Carl-Henry Orndal, Per-Ola Wictor, Robert Hallstrom
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a water purification apparatus capable of being cleaned at a point of care, and methods for cleaning the water purification apparatus at the point of care. The water purification apparatus and the methods provide an efficient use of a heater for heat disinfection the water purification apparatus, e.g. by recirculating heated fluid to further heat the fluid. Several different cleaning programs are provided that may be utilized for cleaning different parts of the water purification apparatus.
Claims20
A water purification apparatus for producing purified water, the water purification apparatus comprising:
- a reverse osmosis device arranged to produce a purified fluid flow and a reject fluid flow, the reverse osmosis device comprising a feed inlet, a permeate outlet, and a reject outlet;
- a feed fluid path arranged with a reverse osmosis pump to pump feed fluid to the feed inlet;
- a heater arranged to heat purified fluid produced by the reverse osmosis device downstream from the reverse osmosis device;
- a purified fluid path arranged to transport the heated purified fluid;
- a polisher device arranged in the purified fluid path;
- a second fluid path arranged to bypass the polisher device and to transport the heated purified fluid past the polisher device;
- a valve arrangement arranged to direct the heated purified fluid into the purified fluid path or into the second fluid path;
- and
- a control unit configured to control cleaning of the water purification apparatus, the control unit being configured to cause the water purification apparatus to:
- control heating, with the heater, of the purified fluid in the purified fluid path in order to fulfill a first temperature dependent disinfection criterion for the polisher device,
- re-direct the valve arrangement to bypass the polisher device in response to the first temperature dependent disinfection criterion for the polisher device being fulfilled, and
- control heating, with the heater, of the purified fluid in the second fluid path in order to fulfill a second temperature dependent disinfection criterion for the second fluid path.
A method for cleaning a water purification apparatus configured to produce purified water, the water purification apparatus including a reverse osmosis device configured to produce a purified fluid flow and a reject fluid flow, the method comprising:
- controlling, via a control unit, heating of purified fluid produced by the reverse osmosis device downstream from the reverse osmosis device;
- directing, via the control unit, the heated purified fluid in a first fluid path through a polisher device;
- re-directing, via the control unit, the heated purified fluid into a second fluid path to bypass the polisher device in response to a first temperature dependent disinfection criterion for the polisher device being fulfilled, and
- controlling, via the control unit, heating of the re-directed purified fluid in order to fulfill a second temperature dependent disinfection criterion for the second fluid path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.