As a leader in commercial and industrial water treatment
systems, Res-Kem is pleased to provide this glossary of terms relating to our
business.
The purpose of this glossary is to familiarize users of
water treatment equipment with the language that industry people commonly use.
We often take for granted that our customers know what we're talking about when
they may not. Some of the alternate terms can be considered water treatment
slang; for example, some people refer to a distributor tube as a "spear" because
it is shaped like one. Sometimes customers bring us new words as a description
for the part they are trying to replace, such as calling a cartridge a capsule.
In this day and age most cartridges are the things we put in printers, not the
water treatment cartridges all of us in the industry think of when we hear that
word.
If you know of a word that we've missed we'd be happy to add it to our list.
| Term |
Alternate Terms |
Definition and or Use * |
| Activated Carbon |
GAC, carbon, activated coal, charcoal, activated charcoal |
A widely used water treatment medium commonly used for dechlorination,
organics removal and other specialty processes. Base products include but
not limited to bituminous coal, coconut and lignite. |
| Adsorption |
Adsorbent, Adsorb, absorb, Absorbtion |
A physical process that occurs when liquids, gases or suspended matter
adhere to the surfaces or in the pores of an adsorbent media such as
activated carbon. |
| Alkalinity |
Dealkalizer, Alkaline Water, M-alkalinity, P-Alkalinity |
The quantitative capacity of water to neutralize an acid; that is, the
measure of how much acid can be added to a liquid without causing a
significant change in pH. Alkalinity is not the same as pH because water
does not have to be strongly basic (high pH) to have high alkalinity. In
the water industry, alkalinity is expressed in mg/L of equivalent calcium
carbonate. |
| Anion Resin |
White Stuff, SBA, Strong Base Anion, WBA, Weak Base Anion, tannin resin,
Type 1 Anion, Type II Anion, Type 2 Anion, organic scavenger resin |
An ion with a negative charge. Anion Exchange is an ion exchange process in
which anions in solution are exchanged for other anions from an ion
exchanger. |
| Anthracite |
Coal, filter coal, Anthrafilt(r), Philtrkol |
A filter medium produced from crushed anthracite and screened to specific
mesh sizes. |
| Backwash |
|
The upflow or countercurrent flow of water through a filter medium or ion
exchange medium for the purpose of thoroughly expanding the media bed to
remove foreign particulate matter accumulated during the service cycle and
to flush it down the drain. |
| Bed |
Resin Bed, Filter Bed, Softener Bed, Softner Bed |
The mass or volume of ion exchange resin or other media through which the
water passes in the process of water treatment. |
| Bed Depth |
|
The height of the resin or other media (excluding support material) in a
bed, usually expressed in inches or centimeters. |
| Bed Volume |
BV |
A term used as a measurement of a volume of incoming (feedwater) in gallons
or liters, equal to (in cubic feet or liters) the volume of ion exchange or
filter media in a tank-including voids. Example: one bed volume for a cubic
foot bed would be equal to 7.48 US gallons or 28.3 liters. |
| Birm |
|
The trade name for a manganese dioxide-coated volcanic aluminum silicate (pumicite)
used as an oxidizing-cayalyst filter for iron and manganese reduction. |
| Breakthrough |
Silica Breakthrough, Sodium Breakthrough, Hardness Breakthrough, Chlorine
Breakthrough, Organics Breakthrough |
The first appearance in the product water of an amount of the contaminant
which exceeds the design performance criteria. |
| Brine |
Salt Solution, Saturated Brine |
A strong solution of salt(s), usually sodium chloride and other salts
too...Potassium or sodium chloride brine is used in the regeneration state
of cation and or anion exchange water treatment equipment. Sodium chloride
brine saturation in an ion exchange softening brine tank is about 26 percent
NaCl by weight at 60 degrees F. |
| Brine Collector |
Brine Distributor, Interface Collector, Brine Valve, Brine Well |
A device used to gather and retrieve brine from a brine tank or ion exchange
bed. |
| Brine Tank |
Trash Can, Salt Bale, Brine Keeper, Salt Tank, Brine Maker, Brine Holding
Tank, Brine Measuring Tank, |
A Brine Tank hold the brine solution used in conjuntion with water treatment
equipment. The brine is used to regenerate the resin. |
| Brine Tank Grid |
Brine Shelf |
A perforated platform in the bottom section of a brine tank of a water
softener which creates a zone where water can come in contact with the lower
side of the dry salt stored above. As the water reaches up to the salt
layer, it creates the brine makeup for regeneration. |
| Calcium |
Scale |
One of the principal elements making up the earth's crust. Calcium
compounds, when dissolved, make water hard. The presence of calcium in
water is a factor contributing to the formation of scale and insoluble soap
curds, which are a means of clearly identifying hard water. |
| Calcium Carbonate |
Calcite, GA Marble, Georgia Marble, Limestone |
A chemical coumpound found in nature as calcite (in limestone, marble and
chalk) and aragonite (in pearls) and in plant ashes, bones and many shells.
Used to raise the pH reading (reduce the acidity) of low pH (acidic) water
and to filter out sediment. |
| Cartridges |
Capsules, Element, Filter Tubes, String Filter, Pleated Filter, Big Blue (r)
Filter |
Any removable preformed or prepackaged component containing a filtering
medium, ion exchange, membrane, or other treatment material which fits
inside a housing to make up a cartridge filter. |
| Catalyst |
Catalytic |
A substance that changes the speed or yield of a chemical reaction without
being consumed or chemically changed by the chemical reaction. |
| Catalyst Media |
|
Those filter media which can cause certain reactions to occur in water
treatment, such as activated carbon, calcite, manganese greensand, magnesium
oxides, and dissimilar metal alloys. |
| Cation Resin |
SAC, Strong Acid Cation, Softener Resin, WAC, Weak Acid Cation, Zeolite,
Softener Beads, Softner Beads, Softner Resin |
An ion with a positive charge. Cation Exchange is an ion exchange process
in which cations in solution are exchanged for other cations from an ion
exchanger. |
| Channelling |
|
The higher and unbalanced flow of water or regenerant through a limited
number of passages in a filter or ion exhanger bed, as opposed to an evenly
distributed flow through all passages in the bed. Channeling results in the
greater flow of liquid through passages of lower resistance which can occur
in fixed beds or columns of media particles due to nonuniform packing,
irregular sizes and shapes of the particles, gas pockets, wall effects,
fouling of the bed and resulting plugging of many passages, poor distributor
design, low flow rates, faulty operations procedures, insufficient backwash
and other causes. |
| Clumping |
Resin Clumping, Mixed Bed Clumping |
The formation of media agglomerations or resin clumps within an operating
filter or ion exchange bed due to organic fouling or electrostatic charges.
May occur in mixed beds as a result of improper conditioning of the resin
prior to installation |
| Condensate |
Boiler Water Condensate |
Condensed excess or waste steam which is returned to the boiler. Often
treated with a condensate polisher for conditioning prior to re-use. Also,
water otbained by condensation of steam or water vapor. |
| Conductivity |
Conductance, Microsiemens, Micromho |
The property of a substance to conduct (carry) heat or electricity; the unit
of measure is the siemens (formerly called mho), which is the reciprocal of
resistivity (1 divided by resisitivity). |
| Contact Time |
Retenetion, EBCT, Empty Bed Contact Time |
1. The time in minutes the water is in contact with an ion exchange medium
or filter medium such as activated carbon. 2. The time the brine or other
ion exchange regenerant is in intimate contact with the resin. 3.
(Disinfection) The time the water is allowed to contain the disinfectant to
assure potability. |
| Core Sample |
|
A sample of the medium obtained to represent the entire bed depth when the
bed is being analyzed for capacity or usefulness. A hollow tube is sent down
through the bed to extract the sample. |
| Decationize |
Descationized Water |
The exchange of cation for hydrogen ions by a strong acid cation exchanger
operated in the hydrogen form. |
| Degasifier |
Degasify, Degassing, Decarbonator, Forced Draft Degasifier, VOC Tower, Air
Stripper |
The removal of dissovled gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen
sulfide, and oxygen by: 1) subjecting the water to a pressure below
atmospheric pressure (vacuum degassing) or 2) passing large amounts of air
thoroughly through the water at atmospheric pressure (air stripping) |
| Deionizer |
Demineralizer, Demin, DI |
The removal of all ionized minerals and salts (both organic and inorganic)
from a solution by a two-phase ion exchange procedure: First, positively
charged ions are removed by a cation exchange resin in exchange for a
chemically equivalent amount of hydrogen ions. Second, negatively charged
ions are removed by an anion exchange resin for a chemically equivalent
amount of hydroxide ions. The hydrogen and hydroxide ions introduced in
this process unite to form water molecules. This process is also called
demineralization by ion exchange. |
| Desilicizer |
|
An ion exchange process designed for reduction of silica from a water
supply. Typically a strong base anion exchanger operated in the OH- form is
used. |
| DI Exchange Tanks |
DI Bottles, SDI, Service DI, PE, Portable Exchange, PEDI, Exchange Bottles |
Tanks that are leased or rented to a facilty lacking the means to regenerate
the medium, usually ion exchange resin. |
| Distributor |
Distributor Tube, Spear, Stand up Tube, Riser, Riser Pipe, Distributors,
Diffuser |
A fitting, usually installed at the top and bottom of the tank in a loose
media system, which is designed to produce even flow through all sections of
an ion exchanger or filter media bed and to function as a retainer of the
media in the tank. |
| Effective Size |
Mesh Size, Average Size |
A measure of the diameter of particles in a media bed or resin bed.
Effective size is that mesh size which will permit 10 perscent of the bed's
particles to pass and will retain the remaining 90 percent; in other words,
that size for which 10 percent of the media grains or particles are smaller
and 90 percent are larger. |
| Ejector |
Eductor, Venturi, Injector, Inductor, Educator (sic) |
A device used to disperse a chemical solution into water being treated. |
| Endpoint |
Desired Endpoint, Breakpoint, Regeneration Point |
The point at which a process or cycle is completed because a predetermined
measurable value has been reached. Example: When the hardness in the
product water reaches a set endpoint showing excessive hardness leakage, the
resin bed is considered to be exhausted and in need of regneration; when a
certain predetermined color endpoint is reached during chemical titration,
the process is complete. |
| Exhaustion |
Exhausted resin, Spent Resin, Spent Carbon, Depleted Bed |
The state of an ion exchanger or other adsorbent that is no longer capable
of useful ion exchange due to the depletion of the initial supply of
available exchangeable ions. A unit that is "exhausted" requires
regeneration to restore its capacity to treat water. |
| Feedwater |
Boiler Feedwater, Makeup Water, Boiler Makeup Water |
The water to be treated that is fed into a given water treatment system. |
| Ferric Iron |
Precipitated Iron |
Small solid iron particles containing trivalent iron, usually as gelatinous
ferric hydroxide [Fe(OH)3], which are suspended in water and visible as
"rusty water". Ferric iron can normally be removed by filtration. |
| Ferrous Iron |
Clear Water Iron |
A divalent iron ion, usually as ferrous bicarbonate [Fe(HCO3)2] which, when
dissolved in water, produces a clear solution. It is usually removed by
cation exchange water softening. |
| Filter Sand |
Torpedo Sand, Fine Sand, Washed Sand, Filter Sand, Silica Sand, Pool Sand |
Sand particles between 0.05 and 2.0 mm in diameter. Used in two or more
grades for turbidity removal in sand or multi-media filters |
| Fine Mesh |
|
The smaller end of the size spectrum for water treatment media such as ion
exchange resin beads. Fine mesh typically is 30-50 mesh (0.3-0.6
millimeters). Fine mesh media contains a higher percentage of reaction
sites (e.g., for ion exchange or adsorption) on the media surface or closer
to the surrounding water, therefore, fine mesh media or resins
characteristically exhibit faster water treatment kinetics and lower
necessary water contact times. Fine mesh media, however result in higher
pressure drop for equivalent bed depth. |
| Fines |
Particulate, Particles |
Extremely small particles which are smaller than the specified size (in
millimeters) for the medium. Fines may be formed in the manufacturing
process, may result from breakdown of medium particles (ion exchange resins
or activated carbon) during service, or may result from the dissolving of a
medium such as calcite. An excess of fines in a filter, softener, or
deionizer can create undesirable qualities in the filter effluent. |
| Flowrate |
GPM, Gallons Per Minute, M3/Hr, Feet Per Second |
The quantity of water or regenerant which passes a given point in a
specified unit of time, often expressed in US gpm (orL/min). In filters,
flow rate is usally measured in gpm/sq.ft. of bed area. In ion exchangers,
it is expressed in gpm/cu.ft. of resin. Flow rate is a critical design
parameter by which the effectiveness of the water treatment unit is
measured. |
| Fouling |
Foulant, Dirty Resin, Contaminant, Contaminated Resin |
The accumulation of undesireable foreign matter in a filter or ion exchange
media bed causing clogging of pores or coating of surfaces and inhibiting or
limiting the proper operation of the bed and the treatment system. |
| Freeboard |
Void Space, Backwash Space, Backwash Void |
The vertical distance between the top of a filter media bed (or ion exchange
resin bed) and the overflow or collector. This space allows for bed
expansion during backwashing. The distance may be expressed in linear
meaurement or as a percent of the bed depth. |
| Garnet |
|
A group of hard, reddish, glassy, mineral sands made up of silicates of base
metals (calcium, magnesium, iron, and maganese). Garnet has a higher
density than sand. |
| Grain |
Grains Per Gallon, GPG |
A unit of weight equal to 0.0648 grams or 0.000143 pounds or 1/7000th of a
pound. Grain per gallon is a common method of reporting water analysis
results in the United States and Canada. One grain per gallon equals 17.1
parts per million (ppm) or 17.1 milligrams per liter. Grains per Imperial
gallon equals 14.3 mg/L (or ppm). |
| Gravel |
Pea Gravel, Rock, Flint, Pebbles, Stone, Coarse Sand, Filter Gravel, Gravel
Support Bed |
Various layers of different sized gravel and/or coarse sand are placed above
the uderdrain network to support filter media or ion exchange resin beds.
The gravel support bed contributes greatly to the distribution and
collection of product water and the even dispersal of the backwash water
flow. |
| Groundwater |
Well Water |
Water found beneath the surface of the ground. Groundwater is primarily
water which has seeped down from the surface by migrating through the
interstitial spaces in soils and geologic formations. |
| Hardness |
Hard Water |
A common quality of water which contains dissolved compounds of calcium and
magnesium and, sometimes, other divalent and trivalent metallic elements.
The term hardness was originally applied to waters that were hard to wash
in, referring to the soap wasting properties of hard water. Hardness
prevents soap from lathering by causing the development of an insoluble
curdy precipitate in the water; hardness typically causes the buildup of
hardness scale (such as seen in cooking pans and in boilers). Dissolved
calcium and magnesium salts are primarily responsible for most scaling.
Hardness is usually expressed in grains per gallon (or ppm) as calcium
carbonate equivalent. |
| Hydrogen Sulfide |
H2S, Sulfur, Rotten Egg Smell, Sulfur Water, Sulphur |
A corrosive and flammable gas often found dissolved in well water and often
accompainied by iron and low pH values. The odor of water with as little as
0.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of hydrogen sulfide concentration is
detectable by most people. Concentrations less than one mg/L gives the
water a "musty" or "swampy" odor. Over one mg/L hydrogen sulfide
concentration gives the water a very disagreeable "rottne egg" odor and
makes the water corrosive to plumbing. |
| Inert Media |
Inert Beads, Buffer Beads, Poly Beads |
Synthetic resin beads or water treatment materials that are nonreactive.
Inert media are used as a neutral nonreactive layer to more effectively
separate the cation resin from the anion resin in mixed bed deionizers in
order to regenerate each separately. |
| Internals |
Nozzles, Strainers, Laterals, Distributors, Hub & Laterals, Interface,
Internal Pipping, Header Lateral, Collectors, underdrains, Distribution
Nozzles, Diffusers, Filter Nozzles, Backwash Collectors, Backwash
Distributor, Inlet Distributor, Air Scour, Sub-surface Wash |
A term that encompasses the various internal means used to collect and
disperse the processed product water, regenerant or backwash water. |
| KDF |
Redox Alloy |
A trade name for a patented medium composed of high purity copper and zinc
granules. KDF is capable of removing chlorine, soluble heavy metals, and
other inorganic contaminants from water through the chemical
reduction/oxidation (redox) process. |
| Leakage |
Slippage |
The presence in the effluent of the type of ions, present in the feedwater
to be treated, which the ion exchange process was supposed to remove.
Incomplete removal of the ions may be caused by incomplete regeneration,
excessive service rates, low temperatures, high concentrations of sodium, or
interfering TDS in the water being treated, and other factors. |
| Makeup Water |
Boiler Makeup Water |
Treated water added to the water loop of a boiler circuit or cooling tower
to make up for the water lost by steam leaks or evaporation. |
| Manganese Greensand |
Greensand |
Greensand which has been processed to incorporate the higher oxides of
manganese into its pores and onto its surface. Manganese greensand has a
mild oxidizing power and is often used in the oxidation, precipitation and
removal of iron, manganese, and/or hydrogen sulfide. It is regenerated by
solutions of potassium permaganate (KmnO4). |
| Mineral |
|
Term used in the water treatment industry to refer to naturally-occurring
inorganic cation exchangers formerly used in water softeners-as opposed to
the synthetic organic resins used today for water softening. |
| Mixed Bed |
Mixed Bed Resin, Mix Bed, Dual Layer, |
The intermix of two or more filter or ion exchange products in the same
vessel during a service run. |
| Neutralizer |
Neutralize |
An alkaline sustance such as calcium carbonate (calcite) or mangnesium oxide
(magnesia) used to neutralize acidic waters or an acidic substance such as
acetic acid or dilute hydrochloric acid used to neutralize alkaline waters.
The term "neutralizer" is commonly used to refer to calcite or magnesia
acid-neutralizing filters used to neutralize acidity and/or reduce free
carbon dioxide in water and thereby raise the pH of acidic water. |
| Operating Cycle |
Service Cycle |
The cycle of service run, backwash and regeneration, slow rinse, fast rinse
and return to service. |
| Organic Iron |
Heme Iron, Tannin, Complexed Iron, Pink Iron |
Iron that is bound or complexed with organic coumpounds, such as naturally
occurring humic and fulvic acids. In waters laden with a high level of
these vegetation decay products, iron is sometimes present in an organic
form. The decaying process of vegetation produces humic and fulvic acids.
Iron will react with these naturaly complexation or chelating agents to form
either an insoluble colloid with humic acid and humin, or a soluble complex
chelate with fulvic acid and tannin. Organic iron can be present in a
colorless form, but most often occurs as a yellow, yellowish-brown, or pink
color. The humic acid and humin colloids developing the color seem to be
permanently suspended in the water due to their particle size, normally less
that 0.1 micron. |
| Polisher |
Polishing Bottle, Polishing Tank, Condensate Polisher |
A treatment stage placed at the end of other treatment to bring the water to
a more highly conditioned and more perfect state. For example, a mixed bed
of ion exchange media installed as the final treatment step in the
deionization process to remove last traces of undesirable ions. |
| Re-bed |
Rebed, changeout , Media Change Out, Resin Change Out |
Complete removal and replacement of the media or resin from a tank is
considered a rebed. Adding to a resin bed that may have lost resin is
considered "topping off". |
| Regeneration |
Regenerant, Salt dosage, Rejuvinate, Rejuvination, Condition, Recharging |
The use of a chemical solution (regenerant) to displace the contaminant ions
deposited on the ion exchange resin during the service runs and replace them
with the kind of ions neccessary to restore the capacity of the exchange
medium for reuse. |
| Resin |
Rosin, IX Resin, Zeolite, Zeolithic, beads, white stuff, ball bearings, ion
exchange, Stratified bed, Dual Bed, Multi-layered Bed, Monobed, Packed Bed,
Stratabed (r), Macroporous, Macro, Softner resin, Softener Resin |
As used in the water processing industry, this term refers to ion exchange
resin products which are usually specifically-manufactured organic polymer
beads used in softening and other ion exchange processes to remove dissolved
salts from water. |
| Rinse |
Slow Rinse, Fast Rinse, Flow Rate |
The step in the regeneration process in which fresh water is passed through
the bed of resin to remove any excess or spent regenerant prior to placing
the system into service. |
| Service Run |
Run Length |
That portion of the operating cycle of a water processing system during
which the water is actually being treated. The other portion of the cycle
is regeneration. For example, that portion of the cycle in which the hard
water supply is passed through a regenerated and rinsed bed of ion exchange
material, thereby producing soft water. |
| Side Stream |
Side Stream Filter |
Filtration system used to filter just part of a total stream rate and
capacity. For instance, in the case of a cooling tower with a recycle flow
rate of 700 gpm and a 100,000 gallon capacity, a typical side stream filter
is used to filter just 10 percent of the flow rate. With a 100,000 gallon
capacity in the system, the water will be turned over in approximately 24
hours. |
| Support Bed |
Subfill |
Material of a specific graded particle size (such as gravel) used as subfill
to support the primary medium bed. In larger diameter systems (tanks), this
bed improves the collection of processed water and promotes more uniform
distribution of the backwashing water. |
| Tank |
Vessel, Column, Bottles, Mineral Tank, Portable Exchange (PE) Tank, Softener
Tank, Softner Tank |
That part of a water treatment system that contains the filter medium or ion
exchange resin. |
| Tannin |
|
Any group of water soluble, natural organic phenolic compounds that are
produced by metabolism in trees and plants, and are part of the
degradation-resistant fulvic acid materials formed during the decomposition
of vegetation. Tannins occur in water in almost any location where large
quantities of vegetation have decayed. Tannins can impart a faintly
yellowish to brown color to water. Tannin molecules tend to form anions in
water above pH 6 and can then be treated with anion exchange resins. Below
pH 5, tannins are better treated with activated carbon. |
| UV Light |
Ultraviolet Light, UV |
Radiation (light) having a wavelength shorter than 3900 angstroms, the
wavelengths of visible light, and longer than 100 angstroms, the wavelengths
of x-rays. This wavelength puts ultraviolet light at the invisible violet
end of the light specturm. Ultraviolet light is used as a disinfectant. |
| Water Softener Salt |
Solar Salt, Salt Pellets, Salt Block, Bay Salt, Marine Salt, Sodium
Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Rock Salt, Water Softner Brine Tank |
Water treatment sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl) both of
which are used in solution form to regenerate cation exchange resin water
softeners and sometimes dealkalizers. |
| Water Softener |
Water Softner, Softner, Resin Water Softner |
The reduction/removal of calcium and magnesium ions, which are the principal
cause of hardness in water. The cation exchange resin method is most
commonly used for residential and commercial water treatment. In municipal
and industrial water treatment, the process can be lime softening or
lime-soda softening. |
| Zeolites |
|
Hydrated sodium, alumina silicates, either naturally-occurring mined
products or synthetic products, with ion exchange properties. Zeolites were
formerly used extensively for residential and commercial water softening but
have been largely replaced by synthetic organic cation resin ion exchangers
of polysytrene divinylbenzene substrate. Modified zeolites such as
manganese greensand and synthetic mnaganese zeolites are still used as
catalyst/oxidizing filters for the removal of iron, hydrogen sulfide, and
manganese. |
Technical Resources
