EP3666153A1 - Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method - Google Patents
Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3666153A1 EP3666153A1 EP18425098.3A EP18425098A EP3666153A1 EP 3666153 A1 EP3666153 A1 EP 3666153A1 EP 18425098 A EP18425098 A EP 18425098A EP 3666153 A1 EP3666153 A1 EP 3666153A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- softener
- water
- valve
- resins
- brine
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title claims abstract description 79
- 238000011017 operating method Methods 0.000 title description 2
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 45
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 45
- 239000012267 brine Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- HPALAKNZSZLMCH-UHFFFAOYSA-M sodium;chloride;hydrate Chemical compound O.[Na+].[Cl-] HPALAKNZSZLMCH-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 230000008929 regeneration Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 238000011069 regeneration method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 claims abstract 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000001172 regenerating effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 description 7
- OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N Calcium Chemical compound [Ca] OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052791 calcium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000011575 calcium Substances 0.000 description 4
- 159000000003 magnesium salts Chemical class 0.000 description 4
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005342 ion exchange Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
- A47L15/42—Details
- A47L15/4214—Water supply, recirculation or discharge arrangements; Devices therefor
- A47L15/4225—Arrangements or adaption of recirculation or discharge pumps
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
- A47L15/42—Details
- A47L15/4229—Water softening arrangements
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L15/00—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware
- A47L15/0076—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware of non-domestic use type, e.g. commercial dishwashers for bars, hotels, restaurants, canteens or hospitals
- A47L15/0078—Washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware of non-domestic use type, e.g. commercial dishwashers for bars, hotels, restaurants, canteens or hospitals with a plurality of fluid recirculation arrangements, e.g. with separated washing liquid and rinsing liquid recirculation circuits
Definitions
- the present invention concerns industrial dishwashers, and in particular a dishwasher with an improved water softening circuit and a relative operating method.
- the wash water is sprayed onto the dishes by a wash pump and during rinsing a part of this water is replaced by rinse water pre-heated in a heater and fed to the rinse circuit by a suitable rinse pump. More specifically, if said machines are provided with a built-in water softening circuit, the water coming from the mains passes through the softener and arrives at the heater, from where it is fed to the wash tank.
- An aspect in common with domestic dishwashers is the water softening process carried out by means of decalcifying resins that remove the calcium and magnesium salts contained in the water. These resins must be periodically regenerated by means of a brine, and the regeneration phase of the resins requires a minimum time of at least 6-7 minutes for the brine to be combined by ion exchange with the calcium and magnesium salts present on the resins, thus removing them.
- the machine may be forced to operate with resins already completely “exhausted", possibly for several cycles, or vice versa, it may be forced to regenerate resins that are still able to treat a lot of water.
- the water is not decalcified so the expected wash results are not achieved and calcium and magnesium salts can damage the machine, while in the second case there is a waste of water and salt.
- a first diverter valve is located upstream of the two softeners to direct the incoming water from the mains to the softener that has to treat the water, while the salt tank is connected to both softeners by two regeneration valves that are opened alternately depending on which resins have to be regenerated.
- the outlets of the two softeners converge upstream of a second diverter valve that directs the water towards the heater, during the normal operation of the softener, or towards the drain during the phase of washing away the brine from the resins.
- a further drawback of conventional dishwashers is when an "air gap" is provided between the water load valve and the rest of the dishwasher's hydraulic circuit, to meet the standards of some countries (e.g. the WRAS standard in the UK) which require a clear separation between the clean water entering from the mains and the contaminated water already present in the dishwasher.
- the presence of the air gap causes a strong pressure drop between the section downstream and upstream of the air gap, which places limits on the discharge capacity of the dishwasher. More specifically, if the outlet of the drain pipe is too high, for example at 100 cm instead of less than 75 cm, the discharge operation is not carried out correctly or does not even take place.
- the purpose of this invention is therefore to provide an industrial dishwasher that overcomes these drawbacks.
- This purpose is achieved by means of an industrial dishwasher provided with an exchange container placed between the softener and the heater, this exchange container being connected directly to the drain through a heater bypass duct, and being provided with an evacuation pump.
- Other advantageous features of this industrial dishwasher are specified in the dependent claims.
- the main advantage of the dishwasher according to the present invention is that of being able to regenerate the resins simultaneously with a wash cycle with a simpler and cheaper hydraulic circuit structure.
- a further advantage of this dishwasher is that the absence of a second softener and the relative additional ducts and valves makes the hydraulic circuit smaller and allows more freedom in the arrangement of the elements that compose it.
- Yet another advantage of this dishwasher is the guarantee that the discharge phase takes place regularly regardless of the height of the outlet of the drain pipe, since this phase always takes place by means of a pump, both from the sump of the wash tank and from the softener.
- an industrial dishwasher conventionally includes a valve 1 for loading the mains water that controls the flow from a tap to a softener 4, containing decalcifying resins, possibly passing through an air gap 2 provided with a first outlet at the bottom of a main chamber 16 and a second outlet at the bottom of an overflow pipe of said chamber 16.
- the water coming from this second outlet of air gap 2 enters softener 4 through an inlet 3 and comes out decalcified through an outlet 5 to reach then a heater 7, outlet 5 being preferably formed at the top of softener 4 so that the water comes out by overflowing.
- a rinse pump 19 takes the heated water from heater 7 and sends it to the rinse sprinklers that spray it into the tank.
- the water is then collected in a bottom sump and used also in the following wash phases, by means of a wash pump 20 that supplies the relative wash sprinklers, while a part is discharged through a drain 11 by means of a drain pump 8 connected to the drain 11 through a drain pipe 18.
- a salt container 15 connected thereto through a regeneration valve 14 that controls the flow of the mains water, possibly passing through the air gap 2 through its first outlet, used to form the brine that then arrives at softener 4 where it combines with the resins to clean them of calcium and magnesium salts.
- a first innovative aspect of this dishwasher is the presence of an exchange container 6 placed between softener 4 and heater 7, this exchange container 6 receiving the water coming from outlet 5 of softener 4 and being in turn connected to the inlet of heater 7.
- a second innovative aspect of this dishwasher is the presence of an evacuation pump 12, which is connected to the exchange container 6 in such a way as to empty it completely by draining the water contained therein through a bypass duct 17 connected to drain 11.
- the evacuation pump 12 is provided with a unidirectional valve 13 and is mounted directly on the exchange container 6, the bypass duct 17 is connected to drain 11 through a fitting 9, and also the drain pipe 18 is connected to said fitting 9 through a unidirectional valve 10.
- the load valve 1 is opened so as to fill in sequence the salt container 15, the main chamber 16 of air gap 2 (valve 14 being closed), softener 4, the exchange container 6 (pump 12 being off), and heater 7 in which the water is heated to the set temperature and transferred into the tank until the correct level is reached.
- heater 7 is filled again and the water contained therein is brought to the rinse temperature.
- the rinse phase begins which uses the water of heater 7, in which the water level must be promptly restored.
- the load valve 1 is opened so that the water arrives at air gap 2, crosses it overflowing from chamber 16, enters through inlet 3 of softener 4 and, after passing through the resins, exits decalcified from outlet 5, crossing the exchange container 6 already full and finally arriving in heater 7 filling it again (the load valve 1 is obviously closed as soon as heater 7 is full).
- the resins of softener 4 must be regenerated.
- the regeneration valve 14 is opened, which connects the salt container 15 with softener 4.
- the water in chamber 16 of air gap 2 can descend into the salt container 15 and, through valve 14, push the brine into the resins until softener 4 is filled with brine (the regeneration valve 14 is closed after chamber 16 is emptied).
- the "resins wash” is carried out, i.e. the brine is washed away from the resins to prevent the arrival of salt water in the tank.
- pump 12 is activated and the load valve 1 is opened so that the mains water, after crossing the air gap 2 upon filling chamber 16, reaches softener 4 washing the resins.
- pump 12 is deactivated and load valve 1 is closed after container 6 and softener 4 have been filled with clean, decalcified water, restoring the normal operating condition illustrated in Fig.1 with all the parts of the hydraulic circuit filled and ready for use.
- the dishwasher according to the present invention can perform a wash cycle that is simultaneous with and completely independent of the resin regeneration phase.
- the wash pump 20 and the rinse pump 19 take the water from the sump and heater 7 respectively, the regeneration of the resins only affects softener 4 and the exchange container 6, from where pump 12 directs the brine and the resins wash water directly to drain 11 through the bypass duct 17.
- heater 7 usually contains about 9 litres of decalcified water
- the tank usually contains about 22 litres of decalcified water and the water consumption per cycle is usually about 3 litres.
- the hydraulic circuit may also not include air gap 2, so that the mains water entering through the load valve 1 would reach directly softener 4 and the salt container 15 through respective ducts that branch out from a diverter valve (not shown), possibly integrated in the load valve 1 itself.
- the evacuation pump 12 is only switched off after closing the load valve 1 or the regeneration valve 14 to ensure that any excess brine that may overflow from outlet 5 into the exchange container 6 does not pollute the water in heater 7.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
- Washing And Drying Of Tableware (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention concerns industrial dishwashers, and in particular a dishwasher with an improved water softening circuit and a relative operating method.
- It is known that industrial dishwashers used in professional sectors (restaurants, bars, etc.) are generally characterized by very simple load and wash circuits, both because they must guarantee the maximum possible reliability, since they are working tools, and because there are no internationally recognized standards requiring compliance with particular performance constraints. These circuits differ from those of domestic dishwashers in various respects, in particular in the presence of two separate wash and rinse circuits, each with its own sprinklers.
- In other words, the wash water is sprayed onto the dishes by a wash pump and during rinsing a part of this water is replaced by rinse water pre-heated in a heater and fed to the rinse circuit by a suitable rinse pump. More specifically, if said machines are provided with a built-in water softening circuit, the water coming from the mains passes through the softener and arrives at the heater, from where it is fed to the wash tank.
- An aspect in common with domestic dishwashers is the water softening process carried out by means of decalcifying resins that remove the calcium and magnesium salts contained in the water. These resins must be periodically regenerated by means of a brine, and the regeneration phase of the resins requires a minimum time of at least 6-7 minutes for the brine to be combined by ion exchange with the calcium and magnesium salts present on the resins, thus removing them.
- However, this is only the time required for the chemical reaction in the softener while the overall time for regeneration is longer. In fact, we must also consider the subsequent emptying of the softener and the complete replacement of the water therein to wash away the brine from the resins, so as to prevent the arrival of salt water to the tank when the softener resumes its function.
- Considering that the duration of a wash cycle of an industrial dishwasher is of the order of 2-4 minutes, routine operations like this which involve a machine stop of more than 5-10 minutes are unacceptable if you want to obtain an adequate exploitation of the machine. Consequently, these operations are carried out during the periods of pause in the use of the machine, but these periods very rarely coincide, depending on the number of wash cycles carried out and therefore the litres of decalcified water, with the moment of the actual need for resin regeneration.
- As a result, the machine may be forced to operate with resins already completely "exhausted", possibly for several cycles, or vice versa, it may be forced to regenerate resins that are still able to treat a lot of water. In the first case it is clear that the water is not decalcified so the expected wash results are not achieved and calcium and magnesium salts can damage the machine, while in the second case there is a waste of water and salt.
- In order to avoid this inconvenience and to avoid breaks in operation, there are also models of industrial dishwashers that are provided with water treatment devices including two softeners mounted in parallel and connected to the hydraulic circuit of the machine through a plurality of ducts controlled by valves. In this way, when the time comes to regenerate the resins of a first softener currently in operation, the task of treating the water is transferred to the second softener, and the machine can continue to operate while the regeneration of the resins is carried out in the first softener.
- More specifically, a first diverter valve is located upstream of the two softeners to direct the incoming water from the mains to the softener that has to treat the water, while the salt tank is connected to both softeners by two regeneration valves that are opened alternately depending on which resins have to be regenerated. Moreover, the outlets of the two softeners converge upstream of a second diverter valve that directs the water towards the heater, during the normal operation of the softener, or towards the drain during the phase of washing away the brine from the resins.
- The presence of these additional valves and ducts implies a clear constructive complication and has a considerable impact on the costs, such a circuit also placing constraints in the arrangement of adjacent components such as, for example, the heater. Moreover, the execution of one or more wash cycles during the resin regeneration phase is only possible with certain limits, since during the above phase of washing away the brine from the resins the second diverter valve must be switched towards the drain, with the consequence that the softener currently in operation cannot supply the heater during this phase.
- From the above it is easy to understand that, although it is possible to carry out a wash cycle simultaneously with the resin regeneration phase, at the time of the brine and resins wash water discharge there is an interference with the wash cycle. It would be possible to avoid such an interference by connecting each softener directly with the heater and the drain pipe through its own specific ducts that branch from its own diverter valve, but this would obviously imply a further increase in construction complexity and costs.
- A further drawback of conventional dishwashers is when an "air gap" is provided between the water load valve and the rest of the dishwasher's hydraulic circuit, to meet the standards of some countries (e.g. the WRAS standard in the UK) which require a clear separation between the clean water entering from the mains and the contaminated water already present in the dishwasher. In fact, the presence of the air gap causes a strong pressure drop between the section downstream and upstream of the air gap, which places limits on the discharge capacity of the dishwasher. More specifically, if the outlet of the drain pipe is too high, for example at 100 cm instead of less than 75 cm, the discharge operation is not carried out correctly or does not even take place.
- The purpose of this invention is therefore to provide an industrial dishwasher that overcomes these drawbacks. This purpose is achieved by means of an industrial dishwasher provided with an exchange container placed between the softener and the heater, this exchange container being connected directly to the drain through a heater bypass duct, and being provided with an evacuation pump. Other advantageous features of this industrial dishwasher are specified in the dependent claims.
- The main advantage of the dishwasher according to the present invention is that of being able to regenerate the resins simultaneously with a wash cycle with a simpler and cheaper hydraulic circuit structure.
- A further advantage of this dishwasher is that the absence of a second softener and the relative additional ducts and valves makes the hydraulic circuit smaller and allows more freedom in the arrangement of the elements that compose it.
- Yet another advantage of this dishwasher, particularly when there is an air gap, is the guarantee that the discharge phase takes place regularly regardless of the height of the outlet of the drain pipe, since this phase always takes place by means of a pump, both from the sump of the wash tank and from the softener.
- These and other advantages and characteristics of the industrial dishwasher according to the present invention will be evident to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description an embodiment thereof with reference to the annexed drawings in which:
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Fig.1 is a schematic view that illustrates the hydraulic circuit of the dishwasher with the water circulation during the wash cycle; -
Fig.2 is a view similar to the previous one showing the water circulation during the water loading in the dishwasher; -
Fig.3 is a view similar to the previous one showing the water circulation during the brine loading in the softener; and -
Fig.4 is a view similar to the previous one showing the water circulation during the washing away of the brine from the softener. - Referring to these figures, there is seen that an industrial dishwasher according to the present invention conventionally includes a
valve 1 for loading the mains water that controls the flow from a tap to asoftener 4, containing decalcifying resins, possibly passing through anair gap 2 provided with a first outlet at the bottom of amain chamber 16 and a second outlet at the bottom of an overflow pipe of saidchamber 16. The water coming from this second outlet ofair gap 2 enterssoftener 4 through aninlet 3 and comes out decalcified through anoutlet 5 to reach then aheater 7,outlet 5 being preferably formed at the top ofsoftener 4 so that the water comes out by overflowing. - During the rinse phase, a
rinse pump 19 takes the heated water fromheater 7 and sends it to the rinse sprinklers that spray it into the tank. Here the water is then collected in a bottom sump and used also in the following wash phases, by means of a wash pump 20 that supplies the relative wash sprinklers, while a part is discharged through adrain 11 by means of adrain pump 8 connected to thedrain 11 through adrain pipe 18. - For the regeneration of the resins of
softener 4 there is asalt container 15 connected thereto through aregeneration valve 14 that controls the flow of the mains water, possibly passing through theair gap 2 through its first outlet, used to form the brine that then arrives atsoftener 4 where it combines with the resins to clean them of calcium and magnesium salts. - A first innovative aspect of this dishwasher is the presence of an
exchange container 6 placed betweensoftener 4 andheater 7, thisexchange container 6 receiving the water coming fromoutlet 5 ofsoftener 4 and being in turn connected to the inlet ofheater 7. - A second innovative aspect of this dishwasher is the presence of an
evacuation pump 12, which is connected to theexchange container 6 in such a way as to empty it completely by draining the water contained therein through abypass duct 17 connected todrain 11. Preferably, theevacuation pump 12 is provided with aunidirectional valve 13 and is mounted directly on theexchange container 6, thebypass duct 17 is connected todrain 11 through afitting 9, and also thedrain pipe 18 is connected to said fitting 9 through aunidirectional valve 10. - In the light of the description above, the simple and effective operation of the industrial dishwasher according to the present invention is readily understood.
- During the initial preparation phase of the machine, the
load valve 1 is opened so as to fill in sequence thesalt container 15, themain chamber 16 of air gap 2 (valve 14 being closed),softener 4, the exchange container 6 (pump 12 being off), andheater 7 in which the water is heated to the set temperature and transferred into the tank until the correct level is reached. Once the load in the tank has been completed,heater 7 is filled again and the water contained therein is brought to the rinse temperature. When the entire circuit, includingair gap 2 and theexchange container 6, is filled and the water temperatures in the wash tank andheater 7 have reached the set values, the machine indicates that it is ready and the user can start washing the dishes. - As previously mentioned, at the end of the wash phase, a predetermined quantity of water is drained from the tank by means of the
drain pump 8, and the rinse phase begins which uses the water ofheater 7, in which the water level must be promptly restored. To this purpose, as shown by the arrows inFig.2 , theload valve 1 is opened so that the water arrives atair gap 2, crosses it overflowing fromchamber 16, enters throughinlet 3 ofsoftener 4 and, after passing through the resins, exits decalcified fromoutlet 5, crossing theexchange container 6 already full and finally arriving inheater 7 filling it again (theload valve 1 is obviously closed as soon asheater 7 is full). - After a certain number of wash cycles, depending on the hardness of the mains water and the quantity of water used, the resins of
softener 4 must be regenerated. When starting the regeneration phase of the resins, it is necessary to activate theevacuation pump 12 of theexchange container 6 in order to empty it completely, through thebypass duct 17 and fitting 9 that connect it to drain 11 (pump 12 is preferably deactivated when thecontainer 6 is empty but could also remain on). - At this point, as shown by the arrows in
Fig.3 , theregeneration valve 14 is opened, which connects thesalt container 15 withsoftener 4. In this way, the water inchamber 16 ofair gap 2 can descend into thesalt container 15 and, throughvalve 14, push the brine into the resins untilsoftener 4 is filled with brine (theregeneration valve 14 is closed afterchamber 16 is emptied). - After an adequate contact time between the brine and the decalcifying resins, the "resins wash" is carried out, i.e. the brine is washed away from the resins to prevent the arrival of salt water in the tank. To this purpose, as shown by the arrows in
Fig.4 ,pump 12 is activated and theload valve 1 is opened so that the mains water, after crossing theair gap 2 uponfilling chamber 16, reachessoftener 4 washing the resins. - The brine and the resins wash water overflowing through
outlet 5 reach theexchange container 6 but, since theevacuation pump 12 is working, they do not proceed towards heater 7 (as shown inFig.2 ) and are rather discharged through thebypass duct 17 connected to fitting 9 (as shown inFig.3 ). - At the end of the above operations illustrated in
figures 3 and4 , which take no more than 8-10 minutes,pump 12 is deactivated andload valve 1 is closed aftercontainer 6 andsoftener 4 have been filled with clean, decalcified water, restoring the normal operating condition illustrated inFig.1 with all the parts of the hydraulic circuit filled and ready for use. - From the above it is easy to understand how the dishwasher according to the present invention can perform a wash cycle that is simultaneous with and completely independent of the resin regeneration phase. In fact, while the wash pump 20 and the
rinse pump 19 take the water from the sump andheater 7 respectively, the regeneration of the resins only affectssoftener 4 and theexchange container 6, from wherepump 12 directs the brine and the resins wash water directly to drain 11 through thebypass duct 17. - It should be noted that even with an intensive use of the machine during resin regeneration (max. 2-3 washing cycles) there are no problems with the amount of water required, since
heater 7 usually contains about 9 litres of decalcified water, the tank usually contains about 22 litres of decalcified water and the water consumption per cycle is usually about 3 litres. - It is clear that the above-described and illustrated embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention is just an example susceptible to numerous variations. In particular, the exact shape and arrangement of the
exchange container 6, theevacuation pump 12, thebypass duct 17 and anyair gap 2 can be freely varied according to specific construction requirements, as long as their relative arrangement within the hydraulic circuit illustrated above is maintained. - In addition, the hydraulic circuit may also not include
air gap 2, so that the mains water entering through theload valve 1 would reach directlysoftener 4 and thesalt container 15 through respective ducts that branch out from a diverter valve (not shown), possibly integrated in theload valve 1 itself. - In this case, at the beginning of the regeneration phase it is necessary to open the
regeneration valve 14 and theload valve 1, after the diverter valve has been switched to direct the water towards thesalt container 15, so as to transfer the brine to softener 4. In addition, theevacuation pump 12 is only switched off after closing theload valve 1 or theregeneration valve 14 to ensure that any excess brine that may overflow fromoutlet 5 into theexchange container 6 does not pollute the water inheater 7. - For the subsequent washing of the resins, before opening the
load valve 1 it is obviously necessary to switch the diverter valve so that the mains water is directed towardssoftener 4.
Claims (9)
- Industrial dishwasher including a load valve (1) that controls the flow of water from the mains, a softener (4) with decalcifying resins that receives the water from the mains to decalcify it, a salt container (15) that receives the water from the mains to form a brine solution that then reaches said softener (4) through a regeneration valve (14), means of transferring the water coming from said load valve (1) to the softener (4) or to said salt container (15), a heater (7) which receives decalcified water coming from the softener (4) and supplies rinse sprinklers by means of a rinse pump (19), and a drain pump (8) connected to a drain (11) through a drain pipe (18) so as to drain water from a bottom sump of the dishwasher wash tank, characterized in that it further includes an exchange container (6) located between the softener (4) and said heater (7), said exchange container (6) receiving the water coming from the softener (4) and being in turn connected to an inlet of the heater (7), an evacuation pump (12) connected to the exchange container (6) in such a way as to empty it completely, as well as a bypass duct (17) connecting said evacuation pump (12) to said drain (11).
- Industrial dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the means of transferring the water coming from the load valve (1) to the softener (4) or to the salt container (15) consist of a diverter valve located between the load valve (1) and the rest of the hydraulic circuit or integrated in the load valve (1).
- Industrial dishwasher according to claim 1, characterized in that the means of transferring the water coming from the load valve (1) to the softener (4) or to the salt container (15) consist of an air gap (2) located between the load valve (1) and the rest of the hydraulic circuit so as to ensure separation between the water entering from the mains and the water already present in the dishwasher, said air gap (2) being provided with a first outlet at the bottom of a main chamber (16) and with a second outlet at the bottom of an overflow pipe of said main chamber (16), said first outlet being connected to the salt container (15) and said second outlet being connected to the softener (4).
- Industrial dishwasher according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the bypass duct (17) is connected to the drain (11) through a fitting (9), to which is also connected the drain pipe (18) preferably through a unidirectional valve (10).
- Industrial dishwasher according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the evacuation pump (12) is mounted directly on the exchange container (6) and is provided with a unidirectional valve (13).
- Method for the regeneration of the decalcifying resins of the softener (4) of an industrial dishwasher according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes the following steps:a) activate the evacuation pump (12) and switch the diverter valve so as to connect the load valve (1) with the salt container (15);b) open the load valve (1) and the regeneration valve (14);c) close the load valve (1) and the regeneration valve (14) after the brine has completely filled the softener (4);d) deactivate the evacuation pump (12);e) wait for a suitable contact time between the brine and the decalcifying resins;f) switch the diverter valve so as to connect the load valve (1) with the softener (4);g) open the load valve (1) in order to wash away the brine from the resins and activate the evacuation pump (12);h) evacuate the brine and the resins wash water through the bypass duct (17) and the drain (11);i) deactivate the evacuation pump (12);j) close the load valve (1) after filling the exchange container (6).
- Method for regenerating the decalcifying resins of the softener (4) of an industrial dishwasher according to claim 3, characterized in that it includes the following steps:a) activate the evacuation pump (12);b) open the regeneration valve (14);c) close the regeneration valve (14) after the brine has completely filled the softener (4);d) deactivate the evacuation pump (12);e) wait for an adequate contact time between the brine and the decalcifying resins;f) open the load valve (1) in order to wash away the brine from the resins and activate the evacuation pump (12);g) evacuate the brine and the resins wash water through the bypass duct (17) and the drain (11);h) deactivate the evacuation pump (12);i) close the load valve (1) after filling the exchange container (6).
- Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the evacuation pump (12) is activated in the first phase and then deactivated only before the last phase in which the exchange tank (6) is filled.
- Method according to any of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that one or more of the phases are carried out during one or more wash cycles.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PL18425098T PL3666153T3 (en) | 2018-12-12 | 2018-12-12 | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method |
EP18425098.3A EP3666153B1 (en) | 2018-12-12 | 2018-12-12 | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP18425098.3A EP3666153B1 (en) | 2018-12-12 | 2018-12-12 | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3666153A1 true EP3666153A1 (en) | 2020-06-17 |
EP3666153B1 EP3666153B1 (en) | 2021-09-08 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP18425098.3A Active EP3666153B1 (en) | 2018-12-12 | 2018-12-12 | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method |
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EP (1) | EP3666153B1 (en) |
PL (1) | PL3666153T3 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
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KR20230077134A (en) * | 2021-11-25 | 2023-06-01 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Dish washer and controllung method thereof |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2005046420A1 (en) * | 2003-11-04 | 2005-05-26 | Meiko Maschinenbau Gmbh & Co. Kg | Integrated reverse osmosis device for dishwashers |
EP1905339A1 (en) * | 2006-09-27 | 2008-04-02 | Bonferraro S.p.A. | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit |
EP2623013A1 (en) * | 2012-02-02 | 2013-08-07 | Bonferraro S.p.A. | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method |
-
2018
- 2018-12-12 PL PL18425098T patent/PL3666153T3/en unknown
- 2018-12-12 EP EP18425098.3A patent/EP3666153B1/en active Active
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2005046420A1 (en) * | 2003-11-04 | 2005-05-26 | Meiko Maschinenbau Gmbh & Co. Kg | Integrated reverse osmosis device for dishwashers |
EP1905339A1 (en) * | 2006-09-27 | 2008-04-02 | Bonferraro S.p.A. | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit |
EP2623013A1 (en) * | 2012-02-02 | 2013-08-07 | Bonferraro S.p.A. | Industrial dishwasher with improved water softening circuit and relevant operating method |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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PL3666153T3 (en) | 2022-01-24 |
EP3666153B1 (en) | 2021-09-08 |
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