A control valve (10) includes a valve body with a plurality of ports (A, B, C, D, E, F) and a plurality of annular flow passages (53, 55, 57). A piston (34) which includes a plurality of annular flow passages and a longitudinal flow passage is selectively movable within a bore (32) within the valve body through operation of a valve controller (70). The valve controller is selectively operative to control the position of the piston so as to enable liquid flow through a plurality of flow paths. The valve controller further includes a installable and removable valve controller housing (74) which is releasably engageable with a valve base (72). The valve may include a changeable piston and changeable injector and plug components to adapt the valve to different flow and fluid mixing requirements.

A water softening device includes a filter configured to decrease hardness of a first stream of raw water to produce a second stream of water with decreased hardness, a first sensor that measures an electrical property of the first stream, a second sensor that measures an electrical property of the second stream, and optionally, a third sensor that detects a water flow through the filter, wherein the filter includes an ion exchange resin operated in H.sup.+-mode, and the filter is buffered with at least one salt selected from the group of a potassium salt (K.sup.+), a sodium salt (Na.sup.+) and a lithium salt (Li.sup.+).

The present disclosure relates to an onshore lithium-recovering device for a lithium ion adsorption and desorption process including a supply unit for supplying lithium-containing water in which lithium is dissolved, a composite unit, a washing unit, a desorbing liquid unit, an extract liquid unit, a pressure adjusting unit, a discharge unit, and a control unit. Therefore, the lithium adsorption means is moved onshore so it is possible to significantly reduce the plant installation cost and the operating cost as compared to the lithium recovery process that operates the conventional offshore plant.

The present disclosure relates to an onshore lithium-recovering device for a lithium ion adsorption and desorption process including a supply unit for supplying lithium-containing water in which lithium is dissolved, a composite unit, a washing unit, a desorbing liquid unit, an extract liquid unit, a pressure adjusting unit, a discharge unit, and a control unit. Therefore, the lithium adsorption means is moved onshore so it is possible to significantly reduce the plant installation cost and the operating cost as compared to the lithium recovery process that operates the conventional offshore plant.

A control valve (10) includes a valve body with a plurality of ports (A, B, C, D, E, F) and a plurality of annular flow passages (53, 55, 57). A piston (34) which includes a plurality of annular flow passages and a longitudinal flow passage is selectively movable within a bore (32) within the valve body through operation of a valve controller (70). The valve controller is selectively operative to control the position of the piston so as to enable liquid flow through a plurality of flow paths. The valve controller further includes a installable and removable valve controller housing (74) which is releasibly engageable with a valve base (72). The valve may include a changeable piston and changeable injector and plug components to adapt the valve to different flow and fluid mixing requirements.

A water softener apparatus comprises two water softener tanks one of which is always operating, valves controlling the flow of water and a flow-meter, wherein, after a set volume of water has passed through one tank, water is passed through the other tank. The apparatus uses ion-exchange tanks which may be regenerated by brine when not softening hard water. The flow-meter preferably comprises an actuator which moves in a cyclic movement in response to the flow of a set quantity of water and actuates two service valves which send pressured water signals to a drain shuttle valve. The drain shuttle valve then diverts hard water from one tank to another and initiates regeneration of the first tank. A regeneration meter terminates the alternate regeneration of the two tanks. The regeneration meter is positioned in the apparatus of a point where brine for regeneration of the two water softener components is received into the apparatus.

A water softening device includes a filter configured to remove hardness from a first stream of raw water to produce a second stream of softened water. The filter includes an ion exchange material which is loaded with a first cationic ion species deriving from a tracer salt and with a second cationic ion species deriving from a regenerant salt. The IEX material shows a lower affinity to the first cationic ion species than to the hardness. At the same time the IEX material shows a higher affinity to the first cationic ion species than to the second cationic species. An electrical property of the second stream is monitored by a sensor. A change in the monitored electrical property can be used as an indicator for the exhaustion state of the filter.

A water softening device includes a filter configured to remove hardness from a first stream of raw water to produce a second stream of softened water. The filter includes an ion exchange material which is loaded with a first cationic ion species deriving from a tracer salt and with a second cationic ion species deriving from a regenerant salt. The IEX material shows a lower affinity to the first cationic ion species than to the hardness. At the same time the IEX material shows a higher affinity to the first cationic ion species than to the second cationic species. An electrical property of the second stream is monitored by a sensor. A change in the monitored electrical property can be used as an indicator for the exhaustion state of the filter.

A tankless water heater including a water inlet, a water outlet, a conductivity sensor, a temperature sensor, and a heating chamber connected to the water inlet and the water outlet wherein the heating chamber is configured to heat a flow of water received from the water inlet and output the flow of water to the water outlet. The water heating system can further include a controller communicably coupled to the conductivity sensor and the temperature sensor, where the controller calculates an adjusted conductivity of a flow of water through the water heater.

Embodiments of the invention provide a valve controller configured to network with one or more other valve controllers in a water condition system, providing on-board communication between valves. The valve controller can provide, among other features, improved demand recall, user settings protection, dynamic addressing and automatic master unit selection, network settings push capabilities, and/or descriptive error log displays.