Ion Exchange Water Softener Diagram

An expert explanation and diagram of how a conventional water softener softens hard water.

Ion exchange water softener diagram. Ion exchange usually describes a processes of purification of aqueous solutions using solid polymeric ion exchange resin more precisely the term encompasses a large variety of processes where ions are exchanged between two electrolytes. This video uses animation techniques to show you how ion exchange works. The exchange medium can be natural zeolites or synthetic resin beads that resemble wet sand. Aside from its use to purify drinking water the technique is widely applied for purification and separation of a variety of industrially and medicinally.

In the ion exchange process sodium ions are used to coat an exchange medium in the softener. In the resin the hardness ions are exchanged with the sodium and the sodium diffuses into the bulk water solution. An ion exchange water softener exchanges the hardness minerals calcium and magnesium dissolved in water for sodium. In zeolite softening water containing scale forming ions such as calcium and magnesium passes through a resin bed containing sac resin in the sodium form.

The ion exchange process is based on the fact that like charges repel one another and opposite charges attract. Sodium zeolite softening is the most widely applied use of ion exchange. The exchange is made possible because the minerals are ionic in nature which means they have an electrical charge. A standard whole house water softener works on the principle of ion exchange called cation exchange it conditions or softens hard water by substituting sodium chloride salt for hard minerals such as calcium magnesium and iron.