How Water Softeners Work

The best way to learn about how water softeners work is to book one of our demonstrations, you'll be able to see softened water in action from your own tap.
In brief, water softeners are designed to remove calcium and magnesium (the cause of scale and scum) from hard water. They are intended to treat the whole house, so are installed where the water supply enters the premises.

Ion Exchange

Water softening happens through a process called ion exchange, which uses an ion exchange resin. The resin comprises of tiny polymeric beads which are specially formulated so that they can be charged with certain ions. Calcium and magnesium, the causes of scale and scum from hard water, are referred to as ions, and as water passes through the resin, the calcium and magnesium ions swap places with the sodium ions on the resin. Sodium salts, unlike calcium and magnesium, are highly soluble so sodium does not cause scale or scum. When all the sodium ions have been exchanged for calcium or magnesium, the resin must be regenerated by recharging it with sodium ions. This is done by flushing the resin with salt solution (brine).

01. By means of Absorbing the calcium and magnesium ions in water with resin, since the hardness of water is mainly composed of calcium and magnesium, in general, we adopt cation exchange resin (softener), replace Ca2+, Mg2+ (main ingredients for scale) in water, as the increase of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in resin, removing performance on Ca2+, Mg2+ of resin will gradually reduce.

02. When the resin has absorbed a certain amount of calcium and magnesium ions, it must be regenerated, the regeneration process is that flush resin layer with the salt water in salt box, replace hardness ion out of the resin again, and discharged from the tank with waste liquid of regeneration, then resin resumed the function of softening and exchanging.

03. The principle of sodium ion exchange and softening treatment is to exchange cation in the raw water with resin, hardness constituents Ca2+and Mg2+ in water exchange Na+ in resin, thus absorb the Ca2+and Mg2+ to make the water to be softened.

2RNa + Ca2+ = R2Ca + 2Na+

2RNa + Mg2+ = R2Mg + 2Na+

After the water treated by sodium ion exchanger, the Ca+ and Mg+ were superseded by Na +.

Application scope of softener

Mainly used in industry and civil water softening preparation, such as Boiler feed water make-up water, air conditioning system make up water, heat exchanger, power plant, chemical, textile, printing and dyeing, bio-pharmaceutical, Electronic system and water pretreatment.

Type choice:

Softener equipment applies cation resin for softing raw water,its main target is to use cation resin to adsorp (main parts of ),encreasing the hardness of raw water.

1. Users can choose manual operation control system for saving cost.

2. If users using for 24 hours can accord to water using time choosing for rebirth

3. Uses can according to water quality requirement:first grade multi-media filter,which can remove mud,rust,colloid and suspension in water.Second grade activated carbon filter,which can remove color,olfactory,biochemistry organic in water and encrease the left oxygen value and pollution in water.Third grade equiped softener equipment.

4. Effluent water capacity achieves the water supply of national low-pressure bioler.

5. Time control- type;flow control- type.In working ,apply single-tank,double-tank and multi-tank etc. other varied combination method.When choosing,users can choose as their needs.In operation,it has not only automatic function,but also is manual operation.

Technoloty index and working

Water pressure:0.18-0.6Mpa 

Working temperature:1°c-55°c

Hardness of raw water: <8mmol/L 

Operation method:manual/automatic

Hardness of effluent water: ≤0.03mmol/L 

water flow: 0.3-100 m3/hour

Rebirth method:
Control method: time or flow

Working electric: 220V/50Hz

Usage:
System automatic water softener widely used in steam bioler,heating bioler,exchanger,air conditioner, and other systems water softener,also used in hotel,restruant,office, and other life water treatment and food,drinking,wine,washing,textile,chemical,medicine and other industrial softener water treatment.

Type I : Single-tank and single-valve( flow rate based control) 

Type II.dual-tank and dual-valve, two tanks work simultaneously but regenerate at different time

Type III.:dual-tank and single valve,one work one standby