Importance

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Abstract

A reverse osmosis water purification system for providing potable water from a municipal water or other source containing undesired impurities. A motor driven pump supplies a feed stream to a reverse osmosis unit resulting in the creation of a product water stream and a concentrate or brine stream. The inclusion of a product water holding tank may be optionally omitted by routing the product water outlet stream directly to the tap via a branched line. A pressure sensor causes a solenoid valve to open when the withdrawal of water from the tap is terminated, opening a valve in the branch line leading back to the pump. The pump then continues to run, recirculating the product water stream to a mixing unit where it is blended with a major part of the concentrate stream that is being recycled and with make-up fresh water to create a composite feed stream. As the system continues to run in this recirculation mode, the composite feed stream entering the purification unit becomes gradually purer, and once the quality reaches a desired level, the system is placed in shutdown mode. Because of the high quality of the water on the feed side of the membrane in the reverse osmosis unit, little contamination of the purified water on the product side occurs during shutdown.

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First Claim