Aqualife AquaClave® - Water Treatment System

For Medical-Dental Autoclaves

$ 1195.00 Inc. GST* 

The AquaClave RO P5 avoids the administrative inefficiency and high cost of purchasing bottled distilled water in dental,medical, hospital and veterinarian surgeries.

This Australian developed process produces up to 50 litres per day of water with less than 1ppm in total dissolved solids - a higher purity than required by AS 2182-1998 Appendix C.**

Furthermore the system may be plumbed direct into the steam sterilisation equipment. This allows the water to be diverted to a separate faucet providing abundant water for the thorough rinsing of instruments prior to their placement into the autoclave.

The AquaClave RO P5 is a multistage system relying on a number of technologies to deliver water in autoclave sterilization equipment. The system provides for manual flushing of the membrane to ensure production consistency in high water quality.

Careful attention to pretreatment of the water prior to entering the reverse osmosis membrane is provided. This critical process removes suspended solids, dissolved organic matter and chlorine.

Reverse Osmosis - The reverse osmosis membrane has been engineered scientifically to produce exceptionally high quality water. The AquaClave is supplied with a Total Dissolved Solids meter to check that the treated water meets the required high quality.

A water polishing system is provided to remove residual organic and non-organic elements thereby generating water at less than 1ppm total dissolved solids at flow rate of 4 litres per minute.

Please note that this system is only suitable for use on disinfected potable water supplies from your local water authority.

To achieve the water quality indicated above the system must be operated in accordance with the operating and maintenance instructions. On site verification of the water quality is required.

**Water for steam generation in AS 2182-1998 Appendix C.
*Price does not include Installation. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the AquaClave water treatment system?

The AquaClave® water treatment system is a scientifically controlled Reverse Osmosis instrument designed to separate very high percentages of dissolved minerals and salts that are either naturally occurring elements or introduced contaminants within water. The system has been specifically engineered to consistently produce feed water suitable for steam sterilization equipment used in medical, dental or veterinary surgeries that standard systems cannot provide.

Q. What makes the AquaClave® system different from every standard Reverse Osmosis system?

From inlet water treatment to the outlet every stage has been meticulously engineered to ensure a consistent quality of feed water suitable for the use in steam sterilization equipment. The three carbon cartridges used all have different specifications targeting specific aspects for changing the chemical analysis of the water in preparation for the following task.

The patented automatic flushing feature provides the customer with the capacity to clear the membrane of suspended solids at any time. This ability is especially beneficial after installation and the change of cartridges to optimise the performance of the membrane.

The plumbing flow of a conventional RO system has been amended to provide a comprehensive polishing process within the AquaClave® system. The incorporation of a low voltage diaphragm pump provides a constant pressure against the membrane which is critical as water pressure can have extremely wide fluctuations over a 24 hour period on the one site.

The selection of the membrane is unique so as to achieve high rejection results to minimise the work or stress on the final polishing processes. The AquaClave® system has as a standard included item a TDS meter which gives the customer a constant measure of performance. Any reading above zero will ring alarm bells for urgent service.

Q. How does the AquaClave® system differ from the distillation process?

The AquaClave® system uses water pressure against a semipermeable membrane to achieve molecular separation whereas distillation uses heat to produce purified water through evaporation and condensation.

Q. What are the advantages of the AquaClave® technology over the distillation process?

Field results confirm that the AquaClave® system will provide higher quality water than small distillers.

The main advantage is that the AquaClave process is more capital cost effective than generating steam. The AquaClave system is reliant on water pressure alone and is not subject to the comparatively short life of equipment that is subjected to continuous power or heat generated from high cost and environmentally challenging energy sources.

Furthermore the Aqualife AquaClave system enables the surgery to have a convenient and continuous supply of water on tap without the penalties of either buying high cost bottled distilled water or the purchase of low production distilling equipment.

Q. How does Reverse Osmosis differ from standard water filtration equipment?

Ordinary water filters rely heavily on screen or mechanical separation of suspended solids such as dirt and rust from water. Carbon technology uses adsorption technology effective in only reducing not eliminating chlorine and organic elements. Reverse Osmosis employs a semipermeable membrane that not only rejects suspended particles but also removes a high percentage of dissolved minerals and salts - molecule by molecule from the feed water.

Q. What is the membrane and how does it work?

The membrane consists of many thin layers or sheets of film that are bonded together and rolled in a spiral configuration around a plastic tube. This is what is known as a thin film composite or TFC membrane. The material of the membrane is semipermeable because it allows water molecules to pass through while acting as a barrier to dissolved solids. When the feed water passes across the surface of the membrane, the pure molecules penetrate the membrane surface, work their way around the spiral film and collect in the centre tube. The remaining concentration of unwanted contaminants are collected and washed from the surface of the membrane down the drain.

Q. Can you explain osmosis?

Assume a membrane is semipermeable allowing water to pass through while being closed to dissolved salts. Place a membrane between two compartments in a container. Then place a salt solution in one half of the container and pure water in the other half. Now a fundamental scientific principle comes into play. The two different concentrations of liquids will try to reach equilibrium on both sides of the membrane. The only way for this to occur is for the pure water to pass through the membrane to the salt-water side in an attempt to gain equilibrium. This is called osmosis.

Q. What is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse Osmosis is the reversal of the natural flow of osmosis. It is a technology where the goal is not to dilute the salt solution but separate the pure water from the salt and other unwanted contaminants. When the natural osmotic flow is reversed, water from the salt solution is forced through the membrane in the opposite direction by application of pressure and consequently the term REVERSE OSMOSIS has been created.

Q. What are the actual processes of the AquaClave® system?

The feed water initially passes through a two stage pre-treatment system. The cartridges are specifically selected for the quality of the granular activated carbon to reduce the highest level of chlorine as well as suspended solids from the water. The cartridges are similar but not the same specification. The technology of the pre-treatment system is critical to the effective life and performance of the membrane.

The third stage of the system involves the carefully engineered and selected high rejection and low production membrane. This stage is the engine of the system and is regulated or controlled with the incorporation of an efficient diaphragm pump that guarantees a constant water pressure against the membrane.

The fourth stage once again involves the use of granular activated carbon but in this stage the carbon has been selected for its capacity to remove residue organics.

The final or fifth stage is another polishing process for the removal of remaining inorganic molecules in the treated water.

Q. Will the AquaClave® system remove parasites such as Giardia & Cryptosporidium?

Yes. However the system is not a sanitation process and should not be used on untreated water supplies. It should be remembered that the system has been designed to produce feed water suitable for steam sterilisation equipment and usage in other applications is not recommended by Aqualife Products (Australia) Pty Ltd. Usage in other applications is only undertaken with due diligence from the customer.

Q. Where can the AquaClave® system be installed?

The system is compact enough to fit under most benches or within surgery cupboard facilities. It can be wall mounted but if mounted externally it is desirable to enclose the unit from direct sunlight. It is important to install the system in a location which provides easy access for servicing.

Q. Can the AquaClave® water supply be turned off?

Yes. The pump is protected by a low pressure switch which prevents the pump from failure when a disruption occurs to the water supply. Conversely, the pump is also protected with a high pressure switch so that when the tank is full the pump will stop working.

Q. What factors affect the quantity and the quality of the water produced?

There are four major variables to consider.

Total dissolved solids (TDS) will impact on the performance of the membrane because the higher the level of dissolved contaminants in the feed water the lower the production of product water. A high TDS can be controlled through an increase in water pressure.

The greater the water pressure the better the quality of water produced. A pressure of approximately 400 kPa is ideal.

The production of RO water is affected by the temperature of the feed supply. A water temperature of 28ºC is ideal whereas at a water temperature of 10°C the production will be reduced by approximately 50%

Ultimately the quality and quantity of the water produced is heavily influenced by the technical specification of the membrane. Membranes are manufactured with many characteristics. Some have higher production capacity than others, while some will achieve higher rejection of contaminants and others offer greater resistance to chemical abrasion giving longer life. The in-house technical resources of Aqualife have enabled the company to specify the most appropriate specification to achieve the required stringent chemical analysis of water. 

*Prices listed on this site do not constitute a quotation and are subject to change without notice, they do not include freight, insurance or installation.