Air separator

• US 6,053,967 A
• Filed: 08/25/1994
• Issued: 04/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fresenius AG (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius AG (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Knierbein, Bernd, Heilmann, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): TESKIN, FRED M
• Application Number:
  US08/295,430
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 95/260, 95/261, 95/262, 95/267, 95/269, 96/206, 96/208, 96/216, 96/204, 210/188, 210/512.1, 210/787, 55/463
• US Class Current: 96/208
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3627 Degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/16 Rotating swirling helical flow, e.g. by tangential inflows
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 19/0057 the centrifugal movement being caused by a vortex, e.g. using a cyclone, or by a tangential inlet

Abstract

An air separator for liquid containing gas bubbles having an essentially cylinder-shaped chamber through which liquid, such as blood, flows essentially in helical flow paths, with the result that air bubbles are driven in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the chamber because of pressure differences produced by centrifugal forces. The inlet and outlet of the chamber of the air separator are coaxial relative to each other in the longitudinal axis of the chamber. The air separator also includes a flow-deflection component or influx distributor, which includes a rotation-symmetrical base body element whose outer surface faces inflowing liquid as a first deflection surface, which is geometrically defined by rotation of a curve section about the longitudinal axis of the chamber. The first deflection surface has deflection surface deflector vanes, which are curved in planes perpendicular relative to the longitudinal axis of the chamber, with the result that axially inflowing liquid is deflected so that desired helical flow development is induced.

Claims

1. An air separator for liquid containing gas bubbles comprising a chamber, said chamber comprising an inlet and an outlet arranged in a longitudinal axis of the chamber, and a flow-deflection component arranged downstream from the inlet, wherein said flow-deflection component comprises a rotational-symmetrical base body having an outer deflection surface facing inflowing liquid, said outer deflection surface being geometrically defined by rotation of a curved section about the longitudinal axis of the chamber, and deflector vanes, which are curved in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chamber, arranged on said outer deflection surface.

2. The air separator according to claim 1, wherein the curved section is concavely curved.

3. The air separator according to claim 1, wherein the curved section comprises a substantially straight-line section, and the base body of the flow-deflection component is substantially conical.

4. The air separator according to claim 1, comprising a second flow-deflection surface arranged at a distance parallel to the outer deflection surface.

5. The air separator according to claim 4, wherein the deflector vanes comprise a height so dimensioned that the deflector vanes extend transversely to a direction of flow from the outer deflection surface to the second deflection surface.

6. The air separator according to claim 2, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the top downwards.

7. The air separator according to claim 3, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the bottom upwards.

8. The air separator according to claim 3, comprising a dip tube which extends inside of a frustoconical flow-deflection component connected to the outlet.

9. The air separator according to claim 4, wherein the outer wall of the essentially circular cylinder-shaped chamber comprises an adjoining conical area comprising an inside forming the second deflection surface.

10. The air separator according to claim 6, wherein the second deflection surface comprises part of a surface of a flange integral with a cover component.

11. The air separator according to claim 2, wherein the curved section is an ellipse section.

12. The air separator according to claim 8, wherein a dip tube secures an influx distributor.

13. The air separator according to claim 2, comprising a second flow-deflection surface arranged at a distance parallel to the outer deflection surface.

14. The air separator according to claim 3, comprising a second flow-deflection surface arranged at a distance parallel to the outer deflection surface.

15. The air separator according to claim 13, wherein the deflector vanes comprise a height so dimensioned that the deflector vanes extend transversely to a direction of flow from the outer deflection surface to the second deflection surface.

16. The air separator according to claim 14, wherein the deflector vanes comprise a height so dimensioned that the deflector vanes extend transversely to a direction of flow from the outer deflection surface to the second deflection surface.

17. The air separator according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the top downwards.

18. The air separator according to claim 3, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the top downwards.

19. The air separator according to claim 4, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the top downwards.

20. The air separator according to claim 5, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the top downwards.

21. The air separator according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is designed for a through flow from the bottom upwards.

22. The air separator according to claim 2, wherein the chamber is designed for a through flow from the bottom upwards.

23. The air separator according to claim 4, wherein the chamber is designed for a through flow from the bottom upwards.

24. The air separator according to claim 5, wherein the chamber is designed for a throughflow from the bottom upwards.

25. The air separator according to claim 7, comprising a dip tube which extends inside of a frustoconical flow-deflection component connected to the outlet.

26. The air separator according to claim 7, wherein the outer wall of the essentially circular cylinder-shaped chamber comprises an adjoining conical area comprising an inside forming the second deflection surface.

27. The air separator according to claim 8, wherein the outer wall of the essentially circular cylinder-shaped chamber comprises an adjoining conical area comprising an inside forming the second deflection surface.