Softened water equipment

1. Equipment introduction

The main working principle of water softening equipment is to utilize anions and cations to soften the water. Raw water passes through an anion and cation converter to remove calcium, magnesium, and sodium ions. The resulting water is composed solely of water molecules, free of other molecules, effectively preventing scale buildup.

When the incoming water is from a deep well or is extremely hard, water softening equipment is used to remove calcium and magnesium ions from the water, reducing their concentration. Without a water softener or if the softener fails, calcium and magnesium salts can form insoluble precipitates on the reverse osmosis membrane surface due to their rapidly increasing concentration. This can clog the membrane pores, shorten the membrane's lifespan, and increase equipment maintenance costs.

2. Workflow

The working process of a water softener generally consists of the following five steps: backwash, salt absorption (regeneration), slow flush (displacement), and fast flush. All the processes of different water softening equipment are very similar, but due to actual process differences or control needs, there may be some additional processes. Any water softening equipment based on sodium ion exchange is developed based on these five processes. Automatic softener operation program:
A. Operation (Working)

Under a certain pressure (0.2-0.6 MPa) and flow rate, raw water passes through the controller valve chamber and enters a container (resin tank) containing ion exchange resin. The Na+ contained in the resin exchanges with cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, etc.) in the water, bringing the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ion content of the water out of the container to the specified level, thus softening the hard water.

B. Backwashing

After resin failure, before regeneration, it is backwashed from bottom to top with water. The purpose of backwashing is twofold: first, it loosens the resin layer that has been compressed during operation, facilitating full contact between the resin particles and the regeneration solution; second, it allows suspended matter accumulated on the resin surface to be discharged along with the resin and the backwash water, thereby minimizing the increasing flow resistance of the exchanger.

C. Regeneration Salt Absorption

Regeneration salt solution, at a specific concentration and flow rate, flows through the depleted resin layer to restore its original exchange capacity.

D. Replacement (Slow Cleaning)
After the regeneration solution has been fully introduced, salt solution remaining in the exchanger that has not participated in the regeneration exchange is cleaned with clean water at a flow rate less than or equal to the regeneration solution (slow cleaning) to fully utilize the regeneration effect of the salt solution and reduce the load of the forward cleaning.
E. Forward Cleaning (Fast Cleaning)

This is used to remove residual regeneration waste solution from the resin layer. Cleaning is usually performed at a normal flow rate until the water output is acceptable.

F. Regeneration Tank Filling

Inject the regeneration tank with the amount of water required for one regeneration of the solution.

3.Application areas

Water softening equipment can be widely used to soften feed water for steam boilers, hot water boilers, exchangers, evaporative condensers, air conditioners, direct-fired engines, and other systems. It can also be used to treat domestic water in hotels, restaurants, office buildings, apartments, homes, and other industries, as well as soften water in the food, beverage, brewing, laundry, printing and dyeing, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.