Packing elements

• US 5,783,069 A
• Filed: 03/06/1996
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mass Transfer International Limited
• Original Assignee: Mass Transfer International Limited
• Inventors: Frank, Charles Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): MILES, TIM
• Application Number:
  US08/611,623
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 261/DIG. 72, 261/94, 261/98, 210/150
• US Class Current: 210/150
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/30 Loose or shaped packing elements, e.g. Raschig rings or Berl saddles, for pouring into the apparatus for mass or heat transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/30223 Cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/30466 Plastics
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/10 Packings; Fillings; Grids packing elements in general B01J19/30, B01J19/32
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/72 Packing elements

Abstract

A packing element for use as a biofilm support in the biological processing of liquids. The packing element has a hollow cylindrical body having a plurality of helical blade members extending generally radially from the cylindrical body. A plurality of such packing elements are placed in a vessel. When liquid and/or gas flows over them, they tend to rotate causing local turbulence with resulting improvement in diffusion of gas and/or substrate to and from the biofilm, giving enhanced rates of liquid processing.

Claims

1. A biological fluid processing apparatus comprising:

a vessel for containing a flow of a biological fluid; and

a plurality of packing elements disposed in the vessel for being in the contained flow of biological fluid and the packing elements being so disposed as to be rotatable in and with respect to the vessel, each packing element comprising a hollow cylindrical body having a plurality of blade members extending generally radially from the cylindrical body, the blade members being shaped and sized to impart rotational movement to the packing element by the flow of the biological fluid over the blade members.

2. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packing elements are constructed of a material having a density which permits the packing elements to float in the biological fluid.

3. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packing elements are constructed of a material having a density which permits the packing elements to be entrained by the flow of the biological fluid.

4. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blade members lie at an angle to the central axis of the cylindrical body.

5. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overall diameter of the packing elements is more than 10 mm and less than 150 mm.

6. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the packing elements are constructed of polymeric material.

7. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blade members extend a radial distance which is more than 0.25 and less than 1.0 times the diameter of the cylindrical body.

8. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each packing element includes more than four and less than twelve blade members.

9. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the blade members extends generally radially outward from the cylindrical body.

10. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the blade members extends generally radially inward from the cylindrical body.

11. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vessel is a bioreactor.

12. The biological fluid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a biofilm grows on the packing elements while the packing elements are in the biological fluid.

13. A biological fluid processing apparatus comprising:

a vessel containing a flow of a biological fluid; and

a plurality of packing elements disposed in the biological fluid in the vessel so as to be rotatable in and with respect to the vessel, each packing element comprising a hollow cylindrical body having a plurality of blade members extending generally radially from the cylindrical body, the blade members being shaped and sized to impart rotational movement to the packing element by the flow of the biological fluid over the blade members.