CN-121985984-A - Water purification system and method

Abstract

Embodiments provided herein relate to a water purification system and method that utilizes a filter cartridge comprising a plurality of stacked filter sheets to form a plurality of channels for unfiltered water to flow through for purification. The water purification system is configured to utilize the exclusion zone phenomenon to separate impurities from water using a hydrophilic surface and a tri-furcation structure, thereby diverting pure water from impurities. A filter cartridge comprising a plurality of filter discs may be received by the water container to provide a low energy consumption water purification system.

Inventors

• Kostubu Chihuawal

Assignees

• 奇尔科公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240807

Priority Date

20240731

Claims (20)

1. 1. A system for purifying water, comprising: A plurality of filter discs, wherein the filter discs comprise: a plurality of first channels extending from a proximal end of the filter disc toward a distal end of the filter disc, each of the first channels including a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and A plurality of tri-furcation structures, wherein a tri-furcation structure is disposed at a distal end of each of the first channels, each tri-furcation structure dividing the first channel into a second channel, a third channel, and a fourth channel, wherein the fourth channel is parallel to the first channel, and wherein the second channel and the third channel are disposed through the body of the filter sheet, Wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth channels includes a hydrophilic surface, and wherein unfiltered water enters the plurality of first channels of the plurality of filter sheets, and purified water is split from each first channel into the second and third channels.
2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of filter sheets are anodically bonded together to form a filter stack via at least one of hermetically sealing a hydrophilic adhesive, annealing using sputtered titanium, direct silicon fusion bonding, or thermocompression bonding.
3. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a bottom cover disposed on a bottom of the filter stack, and wherein the bottom cover comprises a cutout that receives purified water from the plurality of second and third channels of the filter stack.
4. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of second channels and the third channels of each filter form a purified water channel through the filter stack, and wherein the purified water channels are arranged orthogonally relative to the plurality of first channels.
5. 5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a top cap disposed on top of the filter stack.
6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the bottom cap and the top cap are anodically bonded to the filter stack to form a filter cartridge via at least one of hermetically sealing a hydrophilic adhesive, annealing using sputtered titanium, direct silicon fusion bonding, or thermocompression bonding.
7. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of filters, the top cover, and the bottom cover comprise at least one of a silicon wafer or a glass substrate.
8. 8. The system of claim 2, wherein the filter stack is hermetically sealed using a hydrophilic adhesive, using sputtered titanium annealing, direct silicon fusion bonding, or thermocompression bonding.
9. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the contaminated water is diverted from the first channel into the fourth channel.
10. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the contaminated water is discharged from a contaminated water outlet formed by a plurality of distal ends of the fourth channels.
11. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the tri-bifurcation structure includes a first diversion channel in fluid communication with the second channel and a second diversion channel in fluid communication with the third channel.
12. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second shunt channels each form an angle with the first channel of at least one of 1 to 30 degrees, 30 to 60 degrees, 60 to 90 degrees, 90 to 120 degrees, 120 to 150 degrees, or 150 to 179 degrees.
13. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second shunt channels comprise a width of at least one of about 1 to 10, 10 to 60, 60 to 100, or 100 to 200 microns.
14. 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first channel comprises a width of about 200 to 600 microns.
15. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the fourth channel comprises a width of about 140 to 500 microns.
16. 16. A system for purifying water, comprising: A plurality of filter discs, the filter discs comprising: a plurality of first channels extending from a proximal end of the filter disc toward a distal end of the filter disc, each of the first channels including a first sidewall and a second sidewall, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall include hydrophilic surfaces, and A plurality of tri-furcation structures, wherein a tri-furcation structure is disposed at a distal end of each of the first channels, each tri-furcation structure dividing the first channel into a second channel, a third channel, and a fourth channel, wherein the fourth channel is parallel to the first channel, and wherein the second channel and the third channel are disposed through the body of the filter sheet, Wherein unfiltered water enters the plurality of first channels of the plurality of filter sheets, purified water is split from each first channel into the second and third channels, and A water reservoir for receiving the plurality of filter discs and directing the unfiltered water to the plurality of first channels of the plurality of filter discs.
17. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the water container provides the unfiltered water to the plurality of first channels with a pressure head of at least 15 cm to 2 meters.
18. 18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a bottom cover disposed on a bottom of the plurality of filter discs, wherein the bottom cover comprises a cutout providing an outlet for purified water received from the plurality of second and third channels, and wherein the outlet is disposed outside a body of the water container when the plurality of filter discs are received by the water container.
19. 19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a top cover disposed on top of the plurality of filter discs, wherein the plurality of filter discs, the bottom cover, and the top cover are anodically bonded via at least one of hermetically sealing a hydrophilic adhesive, annealing using sputtered titanium, direct silicon fusion bonding, or thermocompression bonding to form a filter cartridge, and wherein the water container receives the filter cartridge.
20. 20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a top cover disposed on top of the plurality of filter sheets, wherein the plurality of filter sheets, the bottom cover, and the top cover are hermetically sealed using a hydrophilic adhesive, annealing using sputtered titanium, direct silicon fusion bonding, or thermocompression bonding.

Description

Water purification system and method Technical Field The present invention relates generally to a water purification system for removing impurities from water. Background With the growing population and increasing scarcity of water as a resource, low cost, near zero energy consumption filtration of drinking water may become increasingly important to municipalities and the general public. Previous water filtration systems, including reverse osmosis and distillation, require significant energy and/or expensive filters to remove impurities from the water. There is a need to provide a lower cost, near zero energy consumption water filtration system that can be affordable to municipalities and the general public. Furthermore, it may be desirable to provide a low cost, low energy consumption desalination system so that large amounts of water obtained from the ocean can be utilized as water resources without concern for the energy/electricity infrastructure to support the purification function. In addition, there is a need for systems with little or no fouling, or without frequent replacement of modules due to clogging, especially for desalination purposes, so that seawater can be relied upon as a fresh water source without concern over energy infrastructure to support purification functions, fouling, and continual replacement of modules due to clogging. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements and enhancements to water purification systems of known water purification system designs. Examples of new and useful water purification systems are discussed below in connection with the need in the art. Disclosure of Invention This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further disclosed in the detailed description of the embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key inventive concepts or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to identify the scope of the claimed subject matter. Embodiments provided herein relate to a system and method for water purification. In some embodiments, a system for purifying water includes a plurality of filter discs (FILTER WAFER), wherein a filter disc includes a plurality of first channels extending from a proximal end of the filter disc toward a distal end of the filter disc, each of the first channels including a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a plurality of tri-furcation structures (trifurcation) disposed at the distal end of each of the first channels, each tri-furcation structure dividing the first channels into a second channel, a third channel, and a fourth channel, wherein the fourth channel is parallel to the first channels, and wherein the second channel and the third channel are disposed throughout a body of the filter disc, wherein each of the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel includes a hydrophilic surface, and wherein unfiltered water enters the plurality of first channels of the plurality of filter discs, and purified water is shunted from each of the first channels into the second channels and the third channels. In some embodiments, the plurality of filter sheets are anodically bonded together to form a filter stack (FILTER STACK). In some embodiments, the system further comprises a bottom cover disposed on a bottom of the filter stack, and wherein the bottom cover comprises a cutout that receives purified water from the plurality of second and third channels of the filter stack. In some embodiments, the plurality of second channels and the third channels of each filter form a purified water channel through the filter stack, and wherein the purified water channel is orthogonally arranged relative to the plurality of first channels. In some embodiments, the system further comprises a top cap disposed on top of the filter stack. In some embodiments, the bottom cap and the top cap are anodically bonded to the filter stack to form a filter cartridge. In some embodiments, the plurality of filters, the top cover, and the bottom cover comprise a silicon wafer or a glass substrate. In some embodiments, the filter stack is hermetically sealed using a hydrophilic adhesive, using sputtered titanium annealing, direct silicon fusion bonding, or thermocompression bonding. In some embodiments, the impurity water is split from the first channel into the fourth channel. In some embodiments, the contaminated water is discharged from a contaminated water outlet formed by a plurality of distal ends of the fourth channels. In some embodiments, the tri-bifurcation structure includes a first diversion channel in fluid communication with the second channel and a second diversion channel in fluid communication with the third channel. In some embodiments, the first and second shunt channels each form an angle with the first channel of 1 to 30 degrees, 30 to 60 degrees, 60 to 90 degrees, 90 to 120 degrees, 120 to 150 degrees, or 150 t