AUTOMATIC WATER SOFTENING EQUIPMENT
1. Overview
Automatic water softening equipment reduces water hardness by removing calcium and magnesium ions. Its core functions include: eliminating hardness ions (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), activating water quality, sterilizing algae, and preventing/removing scale. Note: It does not reduce the total salt content of water.
Widely used in systems such as hot water boilers, heat exchangers, industrial cooling systems, central air-conditioning, washing systems, and other water-using equipment.
2. Working Principle
Water hardness is mainly caused by calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) ions. The equipment uses cation exchange resin (water softener) to replace Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ (primary components of scale) with sodium ions (Na⁺). As Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ accumulate in the resin, its ability to remove hardness ions gradually declines.
Regeneration Process
When the resin absorbs a certain amount of Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺, it must be regenerated:
- Brine (salt water from the brine tank) flushes the resin layer, displacing the trapped hardness ions. These ions are discharged with waste liquid, restoring the resin’s softening capacity.
3. Working Flow
- Water Supply: Untreated water passes through the resin layer, undergoing ion exchange to produce softened water.
- Backwash: Water enters from the bottom of the resin layer, loosening the resin and removing fine debris.
- Brine Regeneration: High-concentration salt water (NaCl) flows through the resin, regenerating exhausted resin back to its sodium-based usable form.
- Rinse: Water flushes the resin to remove excess brine and the Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ exchanged during regeneration.
- Brine Tank Refill: Water is injected into the brine tank to dissolve salt, preparing for the next regeneration.
4. Equipment Selection
① Controller
- Available in automatic or manual control. Both imported and domestic brands are optional.
② Resin Tank
- Tank materials: Fiberglass, carbon steel, or stainless steel.
③ Control Modes
- Flow-controlled: Automatically regenerates when the set water production volume is reached (suits all water supply systems).
- Time-controlled: Regenerates based on a timed schedule (suits stable water supply; minimum cycle: 24 hours).
④ System Configurations
- Single tank (single control): Stops water supply for 2 hours during regeneration (or bypasses raw water).
- Dual tanks (single control): Alternating supply (one in use, one standby).
- Dual tanks (dual control): Simultaneous supply with alternating regeneration.
- Multi-tank system: 3+ resin tanks in parallel (suits large-scale water supply systems).