PuriTech - Model ION-IX -Multiport Distribution Valve

Realising the growing market potential of ion exchange, PuriTech has taken CCIX system design to a new level. It sought solutions to problems that have restricted the development and broader use of current systems.
Our company has efficiently reversed a tried and tested approach to distributing fluids to ion exchange cells, or chambers, used by companies, to create a cleverly conceived system. This elegant solution not onlyimproves liquid-resin contact efficiency, but alsoreduces plant operation costs and requires asmaller investment in capital equipment.

Because the system`s only moving part sits internally of the ION-IX valve body, the valve and ion exchange vessels can be easily accessed and therefore simplifies maintenance procedures. This also provides the possibility to use rigid pipes between the valve and the ion exchange vessels, instead of flexible hoses.

The ion exchange vessels can be positioned in any desired pattern, providing maximum installation flexibility and making it possible to build compact systems.

The use of smaller and shorter resin beds allow maximum resin usage. The mass-transfer zone in a standard ion exchange plant is typically a small section of the actual operating bed length. This small production section, where mass transfer takes place, passes as a transfer zone through the bed. Using conventional methods this results in a large amount of saturated non-active resin while adsorption still takes place. Counter-current contacting on a continuous basis does not suffer these limitations as the mass transfer zone is maximized over several ion exchange vessels at the same time and saturated resin is continuously replaced by fresh, active resin.

This efficiency results in an economical advantage reducing the resin inventory and together with high levels of fluid-recovery, reduces the chemical/water usage drastically.

In some applications the capital investment on specific projects can be reduced by 20–40%.

For example, a like-for-like comparison of an ION-IX unit and a typical carousel system — both rated at 40 m3/h — reveals that by using PuriTech`s ION-IX technology, the investment cost can be reduced by about 35%.

ION-IX is targeted at a wide range of industries, and plants based on the technology are set to displace some fixed-bed units.

Even existing countercurrent systems have been switched over to the ION-IX technology due to being more cost-effective and requiring a smaller investment.