ION EXCHANGE WATER SOFTENER CREATES SOFT WATER
A salt-based water softener uses the process of ion exchange to soften hard water. Only the ion exchange process truly softens water by extracting the minerals that cause lime-scale from hard water.
The ion exchange process involves the exchange of the hardness minerals in water, chiefly calcium and magnesium, for sodium minerals. The exchange is made possible because the minerals are ionic in nature (often called ionised impurities) which means they have an electrical charge. The ion exchange process is based on the fact that like charges repel one another and unlike charges attract.
An ion exchange water softener exchanges the hardness minerals, calcium and magnesium, dissolved in water for the soft mineral, sodium, contained on the softener resin beads, which does far less damage because it does not build up on surfaces as scale deposits.
HOW ION EXCHANGE WORKS
All three minerals (calcium, magnesium and sodium) are positively charged ions called cations. The exchange takes place by passing water containing hardness minerals over man-made ion exchange resin beads in a suitable pressure vessel tank. The resin, polystyrene divinyl benzene, in most modern softeners consists of millions of tiny plastic balls (beads), all of which are negatively charged exchange sites attracting positive cations. When the resin is in the regenerated state, these negatively charged resin beads hold positively charged sodium cations. As the calcium and magnesium contact the resin beads in their travel through the resin tank they displace the sodium ions from the exchange sites. During the ion exchange process relatively small amount of other strongly charged cations such as iron and manganese are also removed along with the calcium and magnesium.
Ion exchange is possible for two reasons:
- All cations do not have the same strength of positive charge, and
- The resin prefers the more strongly charged cations, calcium and magnesium, than it does the weaker sodium cations.
The displaced sodium cations then pass through the resin 'bed' and out the softener outlet, thus the softener delivers 'soft' water. See also drinking softened water.
RECHARGE
Eventually all of the resin exchange sites are occupied by calcium and magnesium and no further softening exchange can take place. The resin is said to be exhausted and must be regenerated. The resin of the softener is regenerated with a dilute solution chloride (common salt) and water – brine. During regeneration the flow of service water from the softener is stopped. Brine is drawn from the brine tank mixing with a separate stream of dilution water. The diluted brine solution flows through the resin contacting the resin beads loaded with calcium and magnesium ions. Even though the calcium and magnesium are more strongly charged than the sodium, the concentrated brine solution contains literally billions of the more weakly charged sodium ions which have the power to displace the smaller number of calcium and magnesium ions. When the calcium and magnesium ions are displaced (exchanged), the positive sodium ions are then attracted to the negative sites. Eventually, sites are taken up by sodium ions and the resin is said to be regenerated and ready for the next softening (service) cycle.
ENVIRONMENTAL “GREEN”
WATER CONDITIONING PROCESS
- Does not release harmful minerals or chemicals into the water system
- Does not waste excessive amounts of water
- Reduced Energy Consumption
- Preserves Beneficial Minerals
Water softeners are commonly used for industrial, municipal and commercial applications such as
- Potable water
- Contact process water
- Boiler & reactor feed and make-up water
- Cooling tower make-up water
- High purity water
- Large laundry and restaurant facilities
- Protection of heat transfer elements and spray nozzles
- Pre-treatment for reverse osmosis or deionizer systems
- Wastewater re-use
- Groundwater remediation
BENEFITS :
- Salt-Free
- Chemical Free
- Maintenance Free
- No Wasted Water
- Vitamins are Preserved
- Environmentally Friendly
- Significant Reduction in Operating Cost
- Eliminates existing scale
- NSF 61 Gold Standard Certification
NG Water Processors
GF-17, Arjun Tower, Nr. C. P. Nagar,
Opp. Payal Party Plot, Ghatlodia, Ahmedabad-380061.
Phone : 079-27453992
Mobile : 93763 88991, 93763 88992
Email : nishant@ngwater.in, jigar@ngwater.in
Web : www.ngwater.in
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