Single-Bed Regeneration:

The regeneration of a single-bed ion exchanger is a three-step procedure. The first step is a backwash and in that water is pumped into the bottom of the ion exchanger and up through the resin. That fluffs the resin and washes out any entrained particles. Backwash water goes out through the normal inlet distributor piping at the top of the tank, other than the valves are set to direct the stream to a drain so in which the backwashed particles could be pumped to a container for waste disposal.

The second step is the original regeneration step that uses an acid solution for cation units and caustic solution for anion units. A concentrated acid or caustic is diluted to around 10 percent along with water through opening the dilution water valve, and is then introduced by a distribution system instantly above the resin bed. The regenerating solution flows by the resin and out the bottom of the tank to the waste drain.

The last and final step is a rinsing process that erases any excess reproducing solution. Water is pumped within the top of the tank; flows down by the resin bed and out at the bottom drain.

For return the ion exchanger to service, a drain valve is closed, a outlet valve is opened and the ion exchanger is ready for the service.

Single-bed demineralizers are commonly reproduces "in place." The resins are not pumped out to another location for regeneration. A regeneration procedure is the similar for cation beds and for anion beds; just the regenerating solution is dissimilar. It is significant to realize in which if the ion exchanger has been exposed to radioactive materials, regeneration, the backwash, and rinse solutions might be highly radioactive and have to be treated as a radioactive waste.