pi;blished properti organraation june publication i pc t ... · wo 2019/115490 pct/ep2018/084274...

(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PI;BLISHED I. NDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)

(19) World intellectual PropertiOrganraation

International Bureau

(33) International Publication Date20 June 2019 (20.06.2019)

llIIlIIlllIlIlllIlIllIllIllIIlIlllIlIlIllllllIlllIIlllIIlIllllIlIlIlIlllIIllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

(10) International Publication Number

WO 2019/115490 AlI 4 P Cl I P C T

(25) Filing Language:

(26) Publicatiun Language

L'nglish

Enghsh

(30) Priority Data:17290lrii 9 lt December 2017

& IS 12 2017) EP

(71) Applicant: MERCK PATENT GMBH IDE/DE]. Frmtk-furter Strasse 230. GS293 Dmmstadt (DE)

(51) International Patent Classification:C02F /132 (2006 01) C'02F l &&69 (200G 01)C'02F l03 0/ (2006.01) C'02F l 00 (200G 01)

(21) International Application Number:pcT/EF2018/t)83273

(22) International Filing Date:11 December 2018 (11.12. 2018)

(72) Inventors: MOREAU, Laurent. 32 his me d'angivillcr,78000 Versailles (FR) KANO, Ichiro. St rnc dc laTarentaisc, 78180 MONTIGNY LE BRETONNEUX (FR)MEYER, Didier, SSB nic Saint Didici. 7511G Paris (FR)ROITEL, Pascak 27 me Clmrlcs dc Foucault. G7000STRASBOURG (FR)

(81) Designate(l States (unless vllrnru uv vuh&ale&l, /«.r everulorn( v/ uraumal prvlenu&u aua&fahh i. AE, AG. AL. AM,AO, AT, AU, AZ. BA, BB. BG, BI I, BN, BR, BW, BY, BZ,CA, CIL CL, CN, CO. CR, CU, CZ, DE. DJ, DK, DM, DO,DZ, EC. L'E, EG. ES, Fl, GB, GD. GE. Gll, GM. GT. IIN,IIR, IIU, ID, IL, IN, IR, IS. JO, JP, KE, KG, Kli, KN, KP,KR, KW, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LU, LY, MA, MD. ME,MG, MK. MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, Nl, NO, NZ,OM, PA. PE, PG, PI I, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS. RU. RW. SA,SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV. SY. TII, TJ, TM, TN,TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ. VC, VN. ZA, ZM ZW

(54) Title: WATER PL'RIF[CATION AND DISPENSING SYSTEM AND METIIOD OF OPERATING SUCII SYSTEM

L

Fig. 1

COCh&'gpI/i

Ch&

CO

(57) Abstract: The nu en»on proi ides a ivater pu»ficat ion and dispensmg si stem, preferably for produeng ultnpure ivater and offenngthe punfied water at dispensing sites. The si stem &1&)0) compnses a first punfication stage & I ) for pu»fying ivater to a fn st ivater pu»Bgrade. a it ster remrculation loop (2) includmg a second pu»iication stage (3) for purify mg ivater to a second it ster puruy grade lngherthan the fnst punti gnde mid a dispensmg portion (5) for the punfied ivater, and a reservoir (s) anunged to store the ivater pu»fiedat the fimt punfication stage (I) through a first connecung flowpath &7a) and to dehier the stored ivater to the stater recirculationloop &2) through a second connectmg

floii

pat (7h) A 3 way vah e (8) is provided m the floivpath beta een the first punfication stage(I) mid the resets oir &1) to selecuvely block the floiv of pn»fied ivater to the resets oir (-1) and to draui the pu»fied ivater from thetint pnnfication stage (I) A tlurd cotmectmg flowpath (15) is hnnched from said dispensmg portion (5) mtd is connected to the firstconnectmg floivpath (7a) upstream of an L'V radiation treatment dei ice (11)

/C vulva&ed &m aevi/&age/

WO 2019/115490 A1 llIlllIIlIlIiIlllllIlllllIIlIlllIlIlIllllllIlllIlllllIlIllllIlIlIlIlllIIllIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

(IIS) Designated States (vnles& nthe&s&ue &nC&cated, Ji&r everyl&ud nf &ug&anal prntect&nn ava&lahlet'RIPO (BW. GII.GMI. KE. LR. LS. MW. MZ. 1&IA. RW. SD. SL. ST, SZ. TZ.UG. ZM. ZW). Eurus&uu (AM, AZ. BY. KG. KZ. RU. TJ.TM). Europetu& (AL. AT. BE, BG. CII. CY, CZ. DE. DK.EE. ES, F(. FR. GB. GR. IIR. IIU. IE, IS. IT. LT. LL. LV.

SIC, VIK. MT, KL. 1&O. PL. PT. RO. RS, SE. SL SK. SMI.

TR). OAP( (BF. BJ. CF. CG. CL CVI. GA. GK. GQ. GW.KM). ML. MR. KE. SK. TD. TG)

Puhltshed:u ah &nternat&anal &enrich repart ( irt. ZJ(3&t

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2010/004274

WATER PURIFICATION AND DISPENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF

OPERATING SUCH SYSTEM

This invention concerns a water purification and dispensing system,

5 preferably for producing ultrapure water and offering the purified water at

one or more dispensing sites in a desired volume, and a method of

operating such system.

10

Prior art

A water purification system of the type to which the present invention

pertains aims at producing from tap water preferably ultrapure water and

offering the purified water at one or more dispensing sites in a desired

volume. Ultrapure water can be defined as the highest quality reagent

15 grade water (ASTM D5127) that exceeds ASTM D1193 type I standards

and has a specific resistance of more than 18.0 MQcm at 25'C and a total

organic carbon (TOC) content of less than five parts per billion (ppb).

Many applications require the use of ultrapure water, in particular in

20 biological and chemical analysis laboratories. The components for purifying

water in such a system according to the desired purity level are known as

such. An integral water purification system that is designed to purify water

from the tap water comprises various water purification means like pre-

filtration (sediment filter, activated carbon), reverse osmosis, electro

25 deionization, UV radiation treatment in combination. In order to achieve the

purification of tap water to the ultrapure water grade the system typically

comprises a first purification stage that is arranged to purify the water from

the tap grade to a first purity grade like ASTM D1193 type 2 or lower and a

second water purification stage that is arranged to purify the pre-purified

30 water further to a second purity grade that is typically higher than the first

purity grade, i.e. a type 1 (ultrapure) water grade. The flow rates through

the first water purification stage are typically small, that is why purified

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

water is generally temporarily stored in a reservoir or tank to be dispensed

at a higher flow rate afterwards to the second water purification stage

according to demand. The second water purification stage can operate at a

higher flow rate than the first stage so that the water purified by the second

5 stage can be dispensed for use by the user at a higher flow rate than the

production flow rate of the first stage.

Depending on the volume of water required by the respective application or

user the purification systems are required to distribute the purified water at

10 or near a maximum treatment capacity and throughput of the second water

purification stage, which can be for example, two or three litres per minute,

or at a throughput that is lower than the maximum treatment capacity down

to a drop-by-drop dispensing rate.

15 Water purification is a challenge at the ultrapure level. Therefore, the first

stage shall be inter alia properly rinsed to avoid contaminants to be

released to the reservoir. If contamination occurs this could require a

significant time to return to the required high water quality on the ultrapure

stage by dispensing larger amounts of water through the second or

20 ultrapure stage or by recirculating the water through the ultrapure stage

purification means in a recirculation loop.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic example of a typical integral water purification

system and circuitry to which the invention pertains and which is formed of

25 a first purification stage A1 and a second purification stage A2, wherein the

second purification stage A2 is included in a water recirculation and

dispensing loop B including a dispensing portion with one or more outlet(s)

E for the purified water downstream of the second purification stage A2 in

the circulation flow direction through the loop. The system example also

30 includes a storage section C with a reservoir arranged to receive and

temporarily store the water purified at the first purification stage A1 through

a first flowpath for supplying the water from the first purification stage A1 to

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

the reservoir and to deliver the stored water to the water recirculation and

dispensing loop B through a second connecting flowpath.

In the example shown in Fig. 2 a reverse osmosis (RO) module and an

5 electro deionization (EDI) module are provided in the first purification or

pre-treatment stage (RO/EDI stage). Reverse osmosis is a purification

technology that uses a semi-permeable membrane. The typical water

quality conductivity is above 5-25 pS/cm when fed by tap water. In the

normal way of operation, the purified water flows from the RO module to the

10 EDI module and further to the reservoir.

15

Common pre-treatments including EDI modules and RO membranes are

known to be "dirty" when new. The RO and EDI module may be replaced in

long system life span.

Since any contaminants must not been released into the recirculation and

dispensing loop B as they will be very difficult to remove, a first valve V1 is

provided to enable a flush sequence to dump the contaminant of the

upstream side of the RO membrane to a drain. A second valve V2 is

20 provided to enable a rinsing sequence to dump the contaminant of the

downstream side of the RO membrane to the drain. After these sequences,

the first purification stage is ready to operate. During normal operation, a

reservoir filling sequence is generally necessary after a stand-by period.

During that stand by period stagnant water at the downstream side of the

25 RO membrane can be soiled (with ions or organics). A rinsing sequence is

done prior to a reservoir filing sequence to dump soiled water to the drain

through the second valve V2.

However, any water in the system downstream from the second valve V2

30 cannot be dumped to the drain. Contaminants on this side of the circuitry

will be released into the reservoir.

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

Further, unless the water purification system is used frequently, i.e. on a

daily basis, and in sufficient dispensing volume, the highest water quality

cannot be guaranteed after a certain period of idle time because water is

not renewed into the reservoir if no water is delivered through the

5 dispensing sites (user consumption) and the first stage of the water

purification process does not operate without an additional accessory like a

"lab close" accessory that can be implemented and connected to an outlet

of the second or ultrapure stage to dump produced water to the drain. The

stagnant water can be soiled and will be released to the reservoir when

10 consumption commences again. On the other hand, the optional "lab close"

kit is an additional and non-automatic feature that is not convenient to use

and can be simply forgotten.

Further, the system is typically installed by a field service engineer (FSE)

15 who should check the complete tightness of the system before releasing

the system to the user. Rinsing of the RO membrane in the first purification

stage is a long-time process (several hours). During this process water

tightness downstream of the second valve V2 cannot be checked. To save

time, the rinsing process is often interrupted to check water tightness but

20 soiled water is then released to the reservoir in the meantime.

The second purification stage A2 included in the recirculation and

distribution loop B is sometimes referred to as a "polishing stage". In the

example this stage includes a deionization (Dl) module which can be made

25 with ion exchange materials (beads, textile, polymers etc.) that retain ions

and is usually a consumable, and an UV radiation treatment module. The

UV radiation treatment module uses a wave length from 170 to 190 nm and

is implemented for total organic carbon (TOC) reduction purposes.

30 Mercury UV technologies can generate wave lengths effective for TOC

reduction. However, since for existing reactors having mercury based UV-

light sources the handling, manufacturing, repair and disposal of the reactor

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

is subject to strict requirements and to environmental concern, the use of

UV-light sources employing Excimer technology in such an UV radiation

treatment module is preferred. Further, there is a trend in ultrapure water

dispensing systems to arrange the outlet(s) E for the purified water (i.e. the

5 points of dispense) distant from a base unit so that the dispensing and

distribution loops are longer and the water quality from a microbial point of

view can be hardly guaranteed.

10

Object of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a water

purification and dispensing system and a method of operating a water

purification and dispensing system that can solve or provide relief with

respect to at least some of the above problems and deficiencies and can

15 secure a constant quality of ultrapure water dispensed from the system.

Solution

To solve this problem the invention provides a water purification and

20 dispensing system with the features of claim 1 and a method of operating a

water purification and dispensing system including the features of claim 10

or 12. Preferred embodiments of the system and of the method are defined

in the dependent claims.

25 The invention thus provides a water purification and dispensing system

comprising a first purification stage for purifying water to a first water purity

grade; a water recirculation loop including a second purification stage for

purifying water to a second water purity grade that is higher than the first

purity grade and a dispensing portion including one or more outlet(s) for the

30 purified water downstream of said second purification stage in the

circulation flow direction; and a reservoir arranged to receive and

temporarily store the water purified at the first purification stage through a

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

10

15

first connecting flowpath for supplying the water from the first purification

stage to the reservoir and to deliver the stored water to the water

recirculation loop through a second connecting flowpath, wherein a first

valve arrangement is provided in the flowpath between the first purification

stage and the reservoir and is arranged to selectively block the flow of

purified water between (from) the first purification stage and (to) the

reservoir and to drain the purified water from the first purification stage. The

first purification stage comprises at least an electro-deionisation module for

purifying the water and the first valve arrangement is provided downstream

of the outlet of the electro-deionisation module. The first valve arrangement

is a 3-way valve and an UV radiation treatment device is arranged in the

first connecting flowpath for purifying the water downstream of the first

valve arrangement and upstream of the reservoir. A third connecting

flowpath is branched from said dispensing portion of said water

recirculation loop at a position downstream of the one or more outlet(s) in

the circulation flow direction and is connected to the first connecting

flowpath upstream of the UV radiation treatment device.

20

25

30

The first valve arrangement which is the 3-way valve that is provided in the

flowpath between the first purification stage and the reservoir, preferably

downstream of the outlet of an EDI module of the first purification stage,

enables the water purification means of the first purification stage upstream

of the valve arrangement to be active independent from the actual

dispensing demands on the recirculation and dispensing loop by producing

purified water, preferably automatically, and discharging it directly to the

drain. Thus, while the second purification (ultrapure) stage is kept fully

operational with its built-in periodic recirculation, the water purification

system (from tap to the drain of the first purification stage) can be

independently operated, for example in order to "refresh" the first

purification stage by producing water to the drain in a situation where the

system as such is not used for dispensing ultrapure water for a certain

period of time.

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

In particular, the valve arrangement can be also used to selectively block

the communication between the first purification stage and the reservoir so

that rinsing operations of the first purification stage to the drain, i.e. prior to

5 a reservoir filling sequence (because of the stagnant water in the RO/EDI

devices) and/or in case of a first installation of purification means like the

RO device or the EDI module and/or replacements during maintenance,

can be performed independent from the operation and/or work on the

recirculation and dispensing loop and without the risk that contaminants

10 enter the reservoir.

Although the provision of the first valve arrangement downstream of the first

purification stage solves some of the problems leading to a potential

transport of contaminants to the reservoir as described above, the water

15 stored in the reservoir is not renewed and that could be an issue after a

long period of time and/or distant point(s) of dispense.

The provision of the third connecting flowpath between the first connecting

flowpath (connecting the first purification stage with the reservoir) upstream

20 of the reservoir, upstream of the UV radiation treatment device and

downstream of the first valve arrangement in addition to the connecting

flowpath for discharging the water stored in the reservoir into the

recirculation and dispensing loop and in combination with the capability of

the first valve arrangement to block the flow further upstream towards the

25 first purification stage allows a "refreshing" of the tank content by

recirculation through the UV radiation treatment device upstream of the

reservoir and through the polishing device including the radiation treatment

device of the second purification stage of the recirculation loop, for example

at times where the dispensing frequency and/or volume is not sufficient to

30 prevent stagnation of purified water in the system and/or reservoir. This

circulation — either alone or in combination with the refreshing of the first

purification stage by producing water to the drain - will enable to keep the

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

water quality at its best level in terms of ion/organic and bacteria

concentration even if the system is not used daily. The two different

operations can be performed automatically by the system as needed in that

the respective valves are operated to create the desired flow patterns

5 through the system.

Since the UV radiation treatment device, preferably in the form of the

mercury free UV-C LED radiation treatment device, is provided in the first

connecting flowpath downstream of the position where the third connecting

10 flowpath connects to the first connecting flowpath, the circulation of the

water from the reservoir and of the water in the recirculation and dispensing

loop can be selectively routed through this UV radiation treatment device.

Thus, the potential bio contamination due to the distant point(s) of dispense

is counterbalanced.

15

With the provision of the third connecting flowpath and the first valve

arrangement as described above two effects can be realized that allow the

whole purification system (first stage (pure) / reservoir / second stage

(Ultrapure)) to be kept fully operational, preferably automatically, even if not

20 used frequently. The two effects can be combined by implementing the

corresponding features in the system together. During installation and

maintenance of the system the field service engineer (FSE) can more

effectively check and evaluate the global tightness of the system without

interrupting the rinsing sequence by simultaneously performing:

25 - an EDI rinsing in the first purification stage (i.e. creating a water flow from

tap to the drain by switching the valve arrangement to block the flow to the

reservoir and to open the flow to the drain); and

- a recirculation in the recirculation and dispensing loop (without having to

interrupt the first or pure stage rinsing to perform this check).

30 With the implementation of the UV radiation treatment device downstream

of the first valve arrangement and downstream of the connection between

the third connecting flowpath and the first connecting flowpath the UV

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

radiation treatment device can typically operate in three different process

phases:- pure water production (from tap to the reservoir — for example from 3 to 15

I/h);

5 - ultrapure recirculation (from the connection between the second

connecting flowpath coming from the reservoir through the second

purification stage and the third connecting flowpath to the reservoir — for

example about 40 I/h);

- a combination of pure water production and ultrapure recirculation (for

10 example from about 43 to 55 l/h).

Although the most advantages can be obtained by implementing the two

effects described above in the same system, the two effects can be used

independently and partially by implementing only the corresponding

15 features in a system as desired. The water purification and dispensing

system has, as the UV radiation treatment device, preferably a mercury free

UV-C radiation treatment device, more preferably an UV-C LED radiation

treatment device arranged to emit light in the wavelength range of 260-

290nm, in the first connecting flowpath for purifying the water downstream

20 of the first valve arrangement and upstream of the reservoir. The UV

emission power of the UV-C radiation treatment device is preferably

adjustable according to the flow rate of water through the UV-C radiation

treatment device. With this feature the current applied on the LED light

source can be controlled and adapted to the flow rate passing through the

25 UV radiation treatment device depending on the system process:

production or recirculation / production and recirculation. This enables an

optimal UV dose applied on the water while maximizing the UV light source

(LED) life time because the UV emission power is directly linked to the

current applied to the UV LED and the UV LED life time is directly

30 correlated to the photon emission surface temperature, which is directly

linked to the applied current and thus is directly linked to the flow rate to

pul Ify.

WO 2019/115490

-10-PCT/EP2018/084274

The second purification stage preferably comprises at least a polishing filter

device and a radiation treatment device for purifying the water, and the

radiation treatment device preferably is a radiation treatment device using a

5 xenon dimer Xe2 to give stimulated main emission at 172nm wavelength.

Preferably a second valve arrangement is arranged to selectively control,

preferably allow or block, the flow through the third connecting flowpath.

10 In order to provide an automatic operation of the first effect realized by the

provision of the first valve arrangement the water purification and

dispensing system may further comprise a controller arranged to operate

the system in a mode in which the first valve arrangement is set to block the

flow of purified water from the first purification stage to the reservoir and to

15 drain the purified water from the first purification stage while operating a

pump in the first purification stage to drive the water through the first

purification stage.

In order to provide the automatic operation of the second effect realized by

20 the provision of the third connecting flowpath the water purification and

dispensing system may comprise a controller arranged to operate the

system in a recirculation mode in which the first valve arrangement (three-

way valve) is set to block the flow of purified water from the first purification

stage to the reservoir, and the second valve arrangement is set to allow the

25 flow through the third connecting flowpath while a circulation pump in the

water recirculation loop is operated to circulate water through the water

recirculation loop and the reservoir.

To automate the operation the controller can be arranged to automatically

30 operate the system in the recirculation mode depending from a detected

idle time of the dispensing of water from the dispensing portion and/or a

detected dispensing quantity and/or a detected contamination.

WO 2019/115490

-11-PCT/EP2018/084274

Corresponding detectors and/or timer circuits can be implemented in the

system to detect the relevant parameters to be evaluated by the controller

to activate the elements of the system (valves/pumps) accordingly.

To realize the first effect described above the invention also provides a

method of operating a water purification and dispensing system which

comprises a first purification stage for purifying water to a first water purity

grade; a water recirculation loop including a second purification stage for


10 purity grade and a dispensing portion including one or more outlet(s) for the

purified water downstream of said second purification stage in the

circulation flow direction; and a reservoir arranged to receive and

temporarily store the water purified at the first purification stage through a

first connecting tlowpath for supplying the water from the first purification

15 stage to the reservoir and to deliver the stored water to the water

recirculation loop through a second connecting flowpath, wherein the

method comprises: blocking a flow of purified water from the first

purification stage to the reservoir and draining the purified water from the

first purification stage while operating a pump in the first purification stage20 to drive the water through the first purification stage.

The method of operating a water purification and dispensing system may

further comprise stopping the draining of purified water from the first

purification stage and stopping operating of the pump in the first purification

25 stage; and branching water from said dispensing portion of said water

recirculation loop at a position downstream of said one or more outlet(s) in

the circulation flow direction, and supplying the branched water to the first

connecting flowpath upstream of an UV radiation treatment device arranged

in the first connecting flowpath upstream of the reservoir while operating a

30 circulation pump in the water recirculation loop to circulate water through

the water recirculation loop, the UV radiation treatment device and the

reservoir.

WO 2019/115490

-12-PCT/EP2018/084274

To realize the second effect described above the invention also provides

an independent method of operating a water purification and dispensing

system which comprises a first purification stage for purifying water to a first

5 water purity grade; a water recirculation loop including a second purification

stage for purifying water to a second water purity grade that is higher than

the first purity grade and a dispensing portion including one or more

outlet(s) for the purified water downstream of said second purification stage

in the circulation flow direction; and a reservoir arranged to receive and

10 temporarily store the water purified at the first purification stage through a

first connecting flowpath for supplying the water from the first purification

stage to the reservoir and to deliver the stored water to the water

recirculation loop through a second connecting flowpath, wherein the

method comprises: blocking the flow of purified water from the first

15 purification stage to the reservoir, branching water from said dispensing

portion of said water recirculation loop at a position downstream of said one

or more outlet(s) in the circulation flow direction, and supplying the

branched water to the first connecting flowpath upstream of an UV radiation

treatment device arranged in the first connecting tlowpath upstream of the

20 reservoir while operating a circulation pump in the water recirculation loop

to circulate water through the water recirculation loop, the UV radiation

treatment device and the reservoir.

The treating of the branched water in the UV radiation treatment device

25 upstream of the reservoir is preferably made by UV-C radiation, preferably

in the wavelength range of 260-290nm.

In order to automate the operation, the circulating of the water through

the water recirculation loop and the reservoir can be performed depending

30 from an idle time of the dispensing of water from the dispensing portion

and/or a dispensing quantity and/or the detection of a contamination.

WO 2019/115490

-13-PCT/EP2018/084274

Brief description of the drawings

In the following the invention will be described on the basis of one preferred

embodiment using the attached drawing as reference.

Figure 1 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a water purification

and dispensing system according to the invention; and

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a typical water purification and

dispensing system known in the prior art.

10 Detailed description of the invention

The water purification and dispensing system 100 of the invention shown

in figure 2 comprises a first purification stage 1 for purifying water to a first

water purity grade and a water recirculation and dispensing loop 2 which

15 includes a second purification stage 3 for purifying water to a second water

purity grade that is higher than the first purity grade and a dispensing

portion 5 including one or more outlet(s) 6 for the purified water

downstream of said second purification stage 3 in the circulation flow

direction D. The recirculation and dispensing loop 2 will be described in

20 further detail below.

A reservoir 4 is arranged to receive and temporarily store the water purified

at the first purification stage 1 through a first connecting flowpath Ta for

supplying the water from the first purification stage 1 to the reservoir 4 and

25 to deliver the stored water to the water recirculation loop 2 through a

second connecting flowpath lb.

The first purification stage 1 comprises at least an electro-deionisation

(EDI) module 9 for purifying the water and a RO module 19 upstream of the

30 EDI module 9. Further purification means, for example a pre-filter device

17, can be included if required to achieve the desired purity grade at the

outlet of the first purification stage using the tap water fed into the stage. A

WO 2019/115490

-14-PCT/EP2010/004274

pump 19 is provided in the first purification stage 1 to drive the water

through the first purification stage 1.

A first valve arrangement 8 is provided downstream of the outlet of the

5 electro-deionisation module 9 in the flowpath between the first purification

stage 1 and the reservoir 4 and it is arranged to selectively block the flow of

purified water between (from) the first purification stage 1 and (to) the

reservoir 4 and to drain the purified water from the first purification stage 1

to a drain (not shown).

10

The first valve arrangement 8 is a 3-way valve that is preferably

configured to be remotely activated in interaction with a controller to be

described later. The first valve arrangement 8 can also be implemented by

an arrangement of different valves providing the same or a similar

15 functionality as the 3-way valve.

The water purification and dispensing system 100 further comprises an UV

radiation treatment device 11, preferably a mercury free UV-C LED

radiation treatment device generating 260-290 nm UV radiation to reduce

20 the bacteria level, in the first connecting flowpath Ta for purifying the water

downstream of the first valve arrangement 8 and upstream of the reservoir

The UV emission power of the UV-LED radiation treatment device is

25 preferably adjustable according to the flow rate of water through the UV-

LED radiation treatment device. The system may include a controller

arranged to perform such adjustment of the UV emission power by

automatically controlling the current applied to the UV LED depending on a

detected or set flow rate, wherein a low energy level of the radiation may be

30 chosen when the water is not produced, i.e, not recirculated or dispensed,

to save energy and to increase the lifetime of the UV-LED radiation

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2010/004274

treatment device, and a high energy level of the radiation may be chosen

during production and distribution according to the water flow rate.

The recirculation and dispensing loop 2 of the water purification and

5 dispensing system 100 of the invention shown in figure 1 is, in its basic

layout and components, similar to the one disclosed in the document EP

1814007 A1.

The recirculation and dispensing loop 2 accordingly includes a water inlet

10 21 for introducing water to be purified into the loop 2, a pumping means or

pump 18, preferably a motorized pump, for example in the form of a

positive displacement type pump, for pumping water through the water

recirculation loop 2, thereby defining a preferred flow direction D in the loop,

and water purification means forming the second water purification stage 3

15 for purifying the water downstream of the water inlet 21. The second water

purification stage 3 as shown in figure 1 includes at least a polishing filter

device 12 and an radiation treatment device 13, preferably a radiation

treatment device using a xenon dimer Xe2 to give stimulated main emission

at 172nm wavelength capable of reducing the TOO level.

20

A dispensing portion 5 of the water recirculation loop 2 includes one or

more outlet(s) 6 for purified water which are respectively branched off from

the water recirculation loop 2 (i.e. from the dispensing portion 5 thereof)

downstream of the water purification means of the second water purification

25 stage 3 and, for each of the outlets, a dispensing valve 22 is arranged

between each outlet 6 and the water recirculation loop 2 for controlled

dispensing of the purified water from the recirculation loop 2 through the

respective outlet 6 by operating the respective dispensing valve 22.

The structure of the outlets 6 can be preferably similar to the one disclosed

30 in the document EP 1814007 A1.

WO 2019/115490

-16-PCT/EP2010/004274

The dispensing valve(s) 22 is a solenoid valve of the type with a normally

closed (NC) flowpath.

The water recirculation loop 2 shown in figure 1 thus differs from the one

5 disclosed in EP 1814007 A1 inter alia by the provision of a bypass passage

23 branched from the water recirculation loop 2 and bypassing the

dispensing portion 5 of the water recirculation loop 2 including the

dispensing valve(s) 22. The bypass passage 23 also includes a valve 19 in

the form of a three-way valve for controlling the flow rate through the

10 bypass passage 23 and for controlling the flow rate into the dispensing

portion 5 of the water recirculation loop, preferably such that the flow rates

are simultaneously controlled in opposite directions by a single activation,

i.e. if the flow rate through the bypass passage 23 is increased then the

flow rate to the dispensing portion 5 is decreased, preferably in

15 corresponding amounts. The three-way valve 19 of such structure is

preferably motorized to allow a precise setting and a remote operation by a

controller. Thus, the incoming stream of the recirculation loop 2

downstream of the second water purification stage 3 is split into two

streams, one through the bypass passage 23 and one through the

20 dispensing portion 5, and the split ratio can be selectively set by the valve

The water purification and dispensing system 100 shown in figure 1

further comprises a third connecting flowpath 15 branched from the water

25 recirculation loop 2 at a position upstream of the position where the second

connecting flowpath 7b connects to the recirculation loop 2 in the circulation

flow direction D. More precisely, the third connecting flowpath 15 is

branched from the dispensing portion 5 of the water recirculation loop 2 at a

position downstream of the one or more outlet(s) 6 in the circulation flow

30 direction D and provides a connection to the first connecting flowpath 7a at

a position 15a upstream of the reservoir 4 and downstream of the first valve

arrangement 8, and more precisely upstream of the UV radiation treatment

WO 2019/115490

-17-PCT/EP2010/004274

device 11 which is thus provided in the first connecting flowpath 7a

downstream of the position where the third connecting flowpath 15

connects to the first connecting flowpath 7a.

5 A second valve arrangement 16, preferably in the form of a valve that can

be operated by remote control in conjunction with a controller, for example

a solenoid valve of the type with a normally closed (NC) flowpath, is

arranged to selectively control, preferably allow or block, the flow through

the third connecting flowpath 15. In case the second valve arrangement 16

10 is operated to allow the flow of water from the circulation loop 2 through the

third bypass flowpath 15 to the first connecting flowpath 7a while the first

valve arrangement 8 is operated to block the flow of purified water from the

first purification stage 1 to the reservoir 4, a closed recirculation flowpath is

created that allows a circulation of pure water stored in the reservoir 4 and

15 of pure/ultrapure water contained in the recirculation and dispensing loop 2

through the second purification stage 3 without the need to dispense water

from the outlet(s) 6.

The system comprises a controller (not shown) for controlling the respective

20 valves and the pumping means and the controller is arranged to perform

the various control settings based on predefined programming.

Such controller can be arranged to operate the system in a mode in which

the first valve arrangement 8 is set to block the flow of purified water from

25 the first purification stage 1 to the reservoir 4 and to drain the purified water

from the first purification stage 1 while operating a pump 19 in the first

purification stage 1 to drive the water through the first purification stage 1.

Such a controller can be also arranged to operate the system in a

30 recirculation mode in which the first valve arrangement 8 is set to block the

flow of purified water from the first purification stage 1 to the reservoir 4,

and the second valve arrangement 16 is set to allow the flow through the

WO 2019/115490

-18-PCT/EP2010/004274

10

15

20

25

30

third connecting flowpath 15 while a circulation pump 18 in the water

recirculation loop 2 is operated to circulate water through the water

recirculation and dispensing loop 2 and the reservoir 4. The controller can

be arranged to automatically operate the system in the recirculation mode

depending from a detected idle time of the dispensing of water from the

dispensing portion (5) and/or a detected dispensing quantity and/or a

detected contamination. Corresponding detectors and/or timers can be

provided in the system to detect the parameters and feed the information to

the controller as an input.

In a more general aspect the invention can be applied to any water

purification and dispensing system 100 comprising a first purification stage

1 for purifying water to a first water purity grade, a water recirculation loop 2

including a second purification stage 3 for purifying water to a second water

purity grade that is higher than the first purity grade and a dispensing

portion 5 including one or more outlet(s) 6 for the purified water

downstream of said second purification stage 3 in the circulation flow

direction D, and a reservoir 4 arranged to receive and temporarily store the

water purified at the first purification stage 1 through a first connecting

flowpath 7a for supplying the water from the first purification stage 1 to the

reservoir 4 and to deliver the stored water to the water recirculation loop 2

through a second connecting flowpath 7b, wherein the invention also

comprises a method for operating such a water purification and dispensing

system. The method includes, in order to obtain the above described

effects and improve the water quality produced by the system by preventing

the discharge of contaminants from the first purification stage to the

reservoir and allowing simultaneous rinsing of the first purification stage

and tightness checks of the recirculation loop after installation and/or

maintenance of the system the blocking of a flow of purified water from the

first purification stage 1 to the reservoir 4 and the draining the purified water

from the first purification stage 1 while operating a pump 19 in the first

purification stage 1 to drive the water through the first purification stage 1.

WO 2019/115490

-19-PCT/EP2010/004274

To improve the water quality in case of extended idle times of the system

and/or small dispensing amounts and/or long lengths of distribution piping

or tubing in the dispensing portion 5 (i.e. where the points of use are distant

5 from a main unit where the components of the purification stage 3 are

accommodated) the method further comprises stopping the draining of

purified water from the first purification stage 1 and the operation of the

pump 19 in the first purification stage 1, and branching water from the

dispensing portion 5 of the water recirculation loop 2 at a position

10 downstream of the of the one or more outlet(s) 6 or points of use in the

circulation flow direction D, and supplying the branched water to the first

connecting flowpath Ta downstream of the first valve arrangement 8 and

upstream of the UV radiation treatment device 11 (which is provided

upstream of the reservoir 4) while operating a circulation pump 18 in the

15 water recirculation loop 2 to circulate water through the water recirculation

loop 2 (including the radiation treatment device 13 thereof), the UV

radiation treatment device 11 and the reservoir 4. This method aspect can

be utilized in combination with the rinsing of the first purification stage and

independent therefrom.

20

In the method of operating a water purification and dispensing system

the circulating of the water through the water recirculation loop 2 and the

reservoir 4 can be performed depending from an idle time of the dispensing

of water from the dispensing portion 5 and/or a dispensing quantity and/or

25 the detection of a contamination in the pure or ultrapure water.

30

WO 2019/115490

-20-PCT/EP2010/004274

Claims

10

15

1. A water purification and dispensing system (100) comprising:

a first purification stage (1) for purifying water to a first water purity

grade;

a water recirculation loop (2) including a second purification stage (3) for


purity grade and a dispensing portion (5) including one or more outlet(s) (6)

for the purified water downstream of said second purification stage (3) in

the circulation flow direction (D); and

a reservoir (4) arranged to receive and temporarily store the water purified

at the first purification stage (1) through a first connecting flowpath (7a) for

supplying the water from the first purification stage (1) to the reservoir (4)

and to deliver the stored water to the water recirculation loop (2) through a

second connecting flowpath (7b),

wherein a first valve arrangement (8) is provided in the flowpath between

the first purification stage (1) and the reservoir (4) and is arranged to

selectively block the flow of purified water from the first purification stage (1)

to the reservoir (4) and to drain the purified water from the first purification

20 stage (1),

wherein the first purification stage (1) comprises at least an electro-

deionisation module (9) for purifying the water and the first valve

arrangement (8) is provided downstream of the outlet of the electro-

deionisation module (9),

25 wherein the first valve arrangement (8) is a 3-way valve,

wherein an UV radiation treatment device (11) is arranged in the first

connecting flowpath (7a) for purifying the water downstream of the first

valve arrangement (8) and upstream of the reservoir (4), and

wherein a third connecting flowpath (15) is branched from said dispensing

30 portion (5) of said water recirculation loop (2) at a position downstream of

the one or more outlet(s) (6) in the circulation flow direction (D) and is

WO 2019/115490

- 21-

PCT/EP2010/004274

connected to the first connecting flowpath (7a) upstream of the UV radiation

treatment device (11).

2. The water purification and dispensing system (100) according to claim 1,

5 wherein the second purification stage (3) comprises at least a polishing

filter device (12) and a radiation treatment device (13) for purifying the

water.


10 wherein the radiation treatment device (13) is a radiation treatment device

using a xenon dimer Xe2 to give stimulated main emission at 172nm

wavelength.

4. The water purification and dispensing system (100) according to one or

15 more of claims 1 to 3, wherein the UV radiation treatment device (11) is an

UV-C radiation treatment device, more preferably an UV-C LED radiation

treatment device, and wherein the UV emission power of the UV-C

radiation treatment device is preferably adjustable according to the flow rate

of water through the UV-C radiation treatment device.

20


wherein the UV-C LED radiation treatment device is arranged to emit light

in the wavelength range of 260-290nm.

25 6. The water purification and dispensing system (100) according to one or

more of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a second valve arrangement (16)

arranged to selectively control, preferably allow or block the flow through

the third connecting flowpath (15).

30 7. The water purification and dispensing system (100) according to one or

more of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a controller arranged to operate

the system in a mode in which the first valve arrangement (8) is set to block

WO 2019/115490

-22-PCT/EP2010/004274

the flow of purified water from the first purification stage (1) to the reservoir

(4) and to drain the purified water from the first purification stage (1) while

operating a pump (19) in the first purification stage (1) to drive the water

through the first purification stage (1).


further comprising a controller arranged to operate the system in a

recirculation mode in which the first valve arrangement (8) is set to block

the flow of purified water from the first purification stage (1) to the reservoir

10 (4), and the second valve arrangement (16) is set to allow the flow through

the third connecting flowpath (15) while a circulation pump (18) in the water

recirculation loop (2) is operated to circulate water through the water

recirculation loop (2) and the reservoir (4).

15 9. The water purification and dispensing system (100) according to claim 8,

wherein the controller is arranged to automatically operate the system in

the recirculation mode depending from a detected idle time of the

dispensing of water from the dispensing portion (5) and/or a detected

dispensing quantity and/or a detected contamination.

20

10. A method of operating a water purification and dispensing system

(100) comprising;

a first purification stage (1) for purifying water to a first water purity

grade;

25 a water recirculation loop (2) including a second purification stage (3) for



for the purified water downstream of said second purification stage (3) in


30 a reservoir (4) arranged to receive and temporarily store the water purified



WO 2019/115490

-23-PCT/EP2010/004274


second connecting flowpath (Tb),

wherein the method comprises:

blocking a flow of purified water from the first purification stage (1) to the

5 reservoir (4) and draining the purified water from the first purification stage

(1) while operating a pump (19) in the first purification stage (1) to drive the

water through the first purification stage (1).

11. The method of operating a water purification and dispensing

10 system (100) according to claim 10, further comprising

stopping the draining of purified water from the first purification stage (1)

and stopping operating of the pump (19) in the first purification stage (1);

and

branching water from said dispensing portion (5) of said water recirculation

15 loop (2) at a position downstream of said one or more outlet(s) (6) in the

circulation flow direction (D), and supplying the branched water to the first

connecting flowpath (Ta) upstream of an UV radiation treatment device (11)

arranged in the first connecting flowpath (7a) upstream of the reservoir (4)

while operating a circulation pump (18) in the water recirculation loop (2) to

20 circulate water through the water recirculation loop (2), the UV radiation

treatment device (11) and the reservoir (4).

12. A method of operating a water purification and dispensing system

(100) comprising:

25 a first purification stage (1) for purifying water to a first water purity

grade;

a water recirculation loop (2) including a second purification stage (3) for



30 for the purified water downstream of said second purification stage (3) in


WO 2019/115490

-24-PCT/EP2010/004274

a reservoir (4) arranged to receive and temporarily store the water purified




5 second connecting flowpath (7b),

wherein the method comprises:

10

15

blocking the flow of purified water from the first purification stage (1) to the

reservoir (4), branching water from said dispensing portion (5) of said water

recirculation loop (2) at a position downstream of said one or more outlet(s)

(6) in the circulation flow direction (D), and supplying the branched water to

the first connecting flowpath (7a) upstream of an UV radiation treatment

device (11) arranged in the first connecting flowpath (7a) upstream of the

reservoir (4) while operating a circulation pump (18) in the water

recirculation loop (2) to circulate water through the water recirculation loop

(2), the UV radiation treatment device (11) and the reservoir (4).


system (100) according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising treating the

branched water in the UV radiation treatment device (11) upstream of the

20 reservoir (4) by UV-C radiation, preferably in the wavelength range of 260-

290nm.


system (100) according to claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein the circulating of the

25 water through the water recirculation loop (2) and the reservoir (4) is

performed depending from an idle time of the dispensing of water from the

dispensing portion (5) and/or a dispensing quantity and/or the detection of a

contamination.

30

WO 2019/115490 PCT/EP2018/084274

1/2

Fig. 1

WO 2019/115490 POT/EP2018/084274

2/2

r —'y—

I

Fig. 2

INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT

A. CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER

INV. C02F1/32ADD. C02F163/64 CBZFI/469 C02F1/60

International application No

PCT/EP2018/884274

Accordmg to international Patent Classification (IPC) or to both national classification and IPC

B. FIELDS SEARCMED

Mimmum documentation searched (classification system followed by class ifmation symbols)

C02F

Dooumentation searohed other than minimum documentation to the extent that such documents are included in the fields searched

Electronw data base consulted dunng the international search (name of data base and, where practicable, search terms used)

EPO-Internal, WPI Data

C. DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT

Category" Citation of document, wffh indication, where appropnate, of the relevant passages Relevant to olaim No

WO 2612/176134 A1 (EMD MILLI PORE CORP

[US]; GAIGNET YVES [FR]; MEYER DIDIER[FR]; BOLE JU)27 December 2012 (201Z-12-27)abstract; figure 2page 1 - page 3page 18

WO 2013/640420 A2 (DEKA PRODUCTS LP [US];KENLEY RODNEY S [US]; LAROCQUE RYAN K

[US]; SCH) 21 March 2813 (2813-63-21)abstract; figure 3page 24page 19

US 6 780 328 Bl (ZHANG LI [US])Z4 August 2684 (2684-88-Z4)abstract

1-14

1-14

1-14

1-14

X Further doouments are hated m the continuation of Box C. X See patent family annex

Spemal categories of cced documents

"A" document defimng the general state of the art which is not consideredto be of particular relevance

"E" earlier applwation or patent but pubhshed on or after the mternationelfiling date

"L" document which may throw doubts on p noisy claim(s) or w hah ismted to establish the pub ication date of another mtation or otherspeaal reason (as spenfied)

"0" document refernng to an oral disolosure, use, exhibition or othermeans

"P" document published pnor to the international fihng date but later thanthe pnonty date claimed

Date of the actual completion of the international search

"T" later document pubhs had after the international filmg date or prmntydate and not m conflict with the application but cited to understandthe principia or theory underlying the invention

'X'ocument of partioular relevance, the claimed inventmn cannot beconsidered novel or cannot be considered to involve an inventivestep when the document is taken alone

'Y" document of particular relevance, the claimed invention cannot beconsidered to involve an inventive step when the document iscombined wffh one or more other such documents, suoh oombmabonbeing obvious to a person siuged in the art

'3" document member of the same patent family

Date of maihng of the inta rnatmnal search report

12 February 2819 19/02/2819Name and mailing address of the ISA/

European Patent Office, P B 5616 Patentlaan 2NL-2260 MV Rilswiik

Tel (+31-70) 340-2040,Fax (+31-70) 340-3016

Authorized officer

Mu1der, Lonneke

P POT/ISA/210 is d hect) IAp 120051

page 1 of 2

INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT

C(Contrnuatronh DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT


PCT/EP2018/884274

Category'itation of document, wah indmation, where appropnate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim No

EP 1 431 256 A2 (BARNSTEAO THERMOLYNE CORP

[US]) 23 June 2804 (2864-66-23)abstract; figure 4paragraph [6827] - paragraph t8028]

1-14

F PCT//SA/210 ( i i f s c 0 h ii I/IP 12005I

page 2 of 2

INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORTInformation on patent family members


PCT/EP2018/884274

Patent documentmted in search report

Pubhcationdate

Patent familymember(s)

Pubhcationdate

MO 2812176134 A1 27-12-2012 CN 103608301 A

EP 2723693 A1ES 2614298 T3FR 2976936 A1JP 5782564 B2JP 2014516791 A

TM 201305862 A

US 2014124455 A1I5IO 2012176134 Al

26-82-281430-84-281438-85-201728-12-281224-89-201517-87-201481-82-281388-85-201427-12-2012

WO 2813848428 A2 21-83-2013 US 2013126438 A1IIIO 2013048428 A2

23-85-201321-83-2813

US 6780328

EP 1431258

B1 24-88-2084 NONE

A2 23-86-2084 DE 68302319 T2 13-87-2806EP 1431258 A2 23-86-2004US 2004118788 A1 24-86-2804

F Pcr/ISA)210(p i ii iy ) (Ap 12005)

pi;blished properti organraation june publication i pc t ... · wo 2019/115490 pct/ep2018/084274...

Documents