Adaptive filter flow control system and method
First Claim
1. A fluid flow control system for controlling a flow of filtrate through a filter system having a filter membrane with a predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship when the filter system is operated under nonobstructing operating conditions, the control system comprising:
- means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter membrane including,a flow regulating system coupled to control flows of feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid in the filter system in response to at least one control signal;
a pressure sensor disposed to sense and generate indications of transmembrane pressure in the filter system; and
means for maintaining the transmembrane pressure at an operating point lying upon a particular three dimensional control surface having a shape conforming to the predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship, and a pressure offset from the received pressure indication by a selected pressure difference.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An adaptive filter concentrate flow control system and method includes a filter system, a pumping system driving feed fluid, concentrate and filtrate flowing through the filter system and a flow control system controlling the pumping system to maintain optimum filtrate flow rates or minimum feed flow rates along a control surface in a three dimensional transmembrane pressure--feed fluid rate--filtrate flow rate space. Actual sensed operating point data is used to locate the control surface so as to assure an optimized filtrate flow rate or minimized feed flow rate at which reversible blocking of the membrane has begun to occur without irreversible blocking or plugging. The system is advantageously employed to control and maximize the flow of plasma in a plasmapheresis system or to minimize the rate at which blood is withdrawn from a donor and introduced into the system while achieving a fixed rate of plasma flow.
81 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A fluid flow control system for controlling a flow of filtrate through a filter system having a filter membrane with a predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship when the filter system is operated under nonobstructing operating conditions, the control system comprising:
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means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter membrane including, a flow regulating system coupled to control flows of feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid in the filter system in response to at least one control signal; a pressure sensor disposed to sense and generate indications of transmembrane pressure in the filter system; and means for maintaining the transmembrane pressure at an operating point lying upon a particular three dimensional control surface having a shape conforming to the predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship, and a pressure offset from the received pressure indication by a selected pressure difference. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A fluid flow control system comprising:
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means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter membrane including, a filter system having a filter membrane with a predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship when the filter system is operated under nonobstructing operating conditions; a flow regulating system coupled to control flows of feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid in the filter system; a pressure sensor disposed to sense and generate indications of transmembrane pressure in the filter system; and means for maintaining transmembrane pressure at an operating point lying upon a particular three dimensional control surface having a shape conforming to the predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship and a pressure offset from the indicated transmembrane pressure by a selected pressure difference.
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13. A filter fluid flow control system comprising:
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means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter, including, means for filtering coupled to receive and filter a feed fluid, the filtering means including a porous separator separating filtrate fluid from the feed fluid to produce concentrate fluid, the flow of filtrate fluid through the membrane having a predictable pressure surface characteristic for nonobstructing filtering conditions; means for pumping disposed to control the flow of feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid in the filtering means; means for sensing the indicating pressure differential across the separator; and means for maintaining the pressure across the separator and filtrate fluid flow rate at a point lying upon a flow control surface having a shape conforming to the predictable pressure surface characteristic and a pressure offset relative to at least one nonobstructing filter condition actual system operating point. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A filter fluid flow control system comprising:
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means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter membrane including, means for filtering coupled to receive and filter a feed fluid, the filtering means including a porous separator separating filtrate fluid from the feed fluid to produce concentrate fluid, the flow of filtrate fluid through the membrane having a predictable three dimensional pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate surface characteristic for nonobstructing filtering conditions; means for pumping disposed to control the flow of feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid in the filtering means; means for sensing and indicating pressure differential across the separator; and means for maintaining the pressure across the separator and feed fluid flow rate at a point lying upon a flow control surface having a shape conforming to the predictable surface characteristic and a selected pressure offset relative to at least one nonobstructing filter condition actual system operating point. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. The method of optimizing a flow of filtrate through a filter comprising the steps of:
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providing means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter by, determining a three dimensional flow rate control surface in a three dimensional filtrate flow rate versus transmembrane pressure versus feed flow rate coordinate system, the control surface having a shape conforming to sensed nonobstructing concentrate flow rate versus transmembrane pressure characteristic and a predetermined pressure offset; determining said value; and controlling the filter operating point to produce filter operation at a point which lies upon the flow rate control surface.
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20. A method of optimizing flow of filtrate through a filter comprising the steps of:
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providing means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter by, determining a three dimensional flow rate control surface in a filtrate flow rate versus transmembrane pressure versus feed flow rate coordinate system, the control surface having a shape conforming to a sensed nonobstructing transmembrane pressure characteristic and a selected pressure offset, the control surface being determined by detecting at least one nonobstructing actual filter operating point and using as the know nonobstructing transmembrane pressure characteristic a three dimensional prediction surface passing through the detected at least one nonobstructing actual filter operating point; determining said value; and automatically controlling the filter operating point to produce filter operation at a point which lies upon the flow rate control surface. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An adaptive flow filter system comprising:
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a filter receiving a flow of feed fluid and separating the received feed fluid to produce separate flows of concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid; means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter including, a pumping system coupled to cause the feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid to flow at controlled flow rates; a pressure sensor coupled to sense and indicate any pressure differential between the received feed fluid and filtrate fluid; and means for controlling said pumping system operable in a three dimensional pressure versus feed fluid flow rate versus filtrate flow rate coordinate system to determine at lest one filter system actual operating point and to determine from the at least one actual operating point a control surface having a pressure offset relative to a locus of anticipated nonblocking actual operating points, said means for controlling said pumping system being operable to control the pumping system in response to a pressure difference as indicated by the pressure sensor between an actual sensed pressure at an operating point having known feed and filtrate flow rates and a pressure at a point on the control curve having corresponding feed and filtrate flow rates to tend to reduce the pressure difference, these relationships being scaled linearly with feed fluid flow rates. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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29. An adaptive flow filter system comprising:
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a filter receiving a flow of feed fluid and separating the received feed fluid to produce separate flows of concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid; means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter including, a pumping system coupled to cause the feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid to flow at controlled flow rates; a pressure sensor coupled to sense and indicate any pressure differential between the received feed fluid and filtrate fluid; and means for controlling said pumping system operable in a three dimensional pressure versus feed fluid flow rate versus filtrate flow rate coordinate system to determine at least one filter system actual operating point and to determine from the at least one actual operating point a control surface having a pressure offset relative to a locus of anticipated nonblocking actual operating points, said means for controlling said pumping system being operable to control the pumping system in response to a pressure difference as indicated by the pressure sensor between an actual sensed pressure at an operating point having known feed and filtrate flow rates and a pressure at a point on the control curve having corresponding feed and filtrate flow rates to tend to reduce the pressure difference, these relationships being scaled linearly with filtrate fluid flow rates. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A fluid flow control system for controlling a flow of filtrate through a filter system having a filter membrane with a predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed flow rate relationship when the filter system is operated under nonobstructing operating conditions, the control system comprising:
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means for substantially precluding irreversible blocking of said filter membrane including, a flow regulating system coupled to control flows of feed fluid, concentrate fluid and filtrate fluid in the filter system in response to at least one control signal; a pressure sensor disposed to sense and generate indications of transmembrane pressure in the filter system; and means for maintaining the transmembrane pressure at an operating point lying upon a particular three dimensional control surface having a shape conforming to the predictable transmembrane pressure-filtrate flow rate-feed minus filtrate flow rate relationships, and a pressure offset from the received pressure indication by a selected pressure difference.
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Specification