Air separator including forced circulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10625012-B2
Application number	US-201815874089-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2018
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

An air separator of an extracorporeal blood treatment machine is disclosed in which a flow conducting element is arranged directly downstream of a fluid inlet of an air separator opening into an air separating chamber, the fluid inlet forcing the inflowing fluid into a flow direction at least along/tangential to the chamber periphery.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air separator of a fluid-handling machine comprising:
an air separating chamber having a longitudinal chamber axis and including an upper fluid inlet and a lower fluid outlet;
a flow conducting element arranged directly downstream of the upper fluid inlet of the air separating chamber for generating or increasing a circulating movement of the fluid flowing into the air separating chamber and flowing toward the lower fluid outlet of the air separating chamber, wherein at least a portion of the flow conducting element has a cross-sectional shape of a groove extending downwardly from an upper segment along the longitudinal chamber axis in spiral shape along a peripheral wall of the air separating chamber toward the lower fluid outlet, and ending at a runout that is oriented upwardly at an angle relative to the longitudinal chamber axis.

2. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein the upper segment extends parallel to the fluid inlet.

3. The air separator according to claim 2 , wherein the upper segment extends parallel to the longitudinal chamber axis, the longitudinal chamber axis comprising a central cylindrical axis of the air separating chamber.

4. The air separator according to claim 3 , wherein the upper segment is adjacent to the fluid inlet.

5. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein the groove at the runout is oriented upwardly at an angle of about 30° relative to the longitudinal chamber axis.

6. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein the flow conducting element and the air separating chamber are separate components.

7. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein the flow conducting element is integrated in a wall of the air separating chamber.

8. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein the flow conducting element follows the peripheral wall of the chamber in spiral shape at least by about 30°.

9. The air separator according to claim 8 , wherein the flow conducting element follows the peripheral wall of the chamber in spiral shape by about 90° to about 180°.

10. The air separator according to claim 8 , wherein the flow conducting element follows the peripheral wall of the chamber in spiral shape by a maximum of 360°.

11. The air separator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a deflector wall extending in a direction of a periphery of the chamber, the deflector wall arranged on a side of the fluid inlet facing away from the flow conducting element and, when viewed from the periphery of the chamber, creates a smooth transition between a wall of the chamber and the fluid inlet.

12. The air separator according to claim 11 , wherein the smooth transition forms a nozzle protruding in an axial direction of the chamber.

13. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the groove substantially corresponds, at least in an upper segment of the groove, to a diameter of the fluid inlet and widens or narrows in the direction of a lower segment of the groove.

14. The air separator according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid-handling machine is an extracorporeal blood treatment machine.

15. The air separator according to claim 14 , wherein the extracorporeal blood treatment machine is a dialysis machine.

16. An air separator of a fluid-handling machine comprising:
an air separating chamber having a longitudinal chamber axis comprising a central cylindrical axis of the air separating chamber, and including an upper fluid inlet and a lower fluid outlet;
a flow conducting element arranged directly downstream of the upper fluid inlet of the air separating chamber for generating or increasing a circulating movement of the fluid flowing into the air separating chamber and flowing toward the lower fluid outlet of the air separating chamber, wherein at least a portion of the flow conducting element has a cross-sectional shape of a groove including a runout oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal chamber axis;
wherein the upper segment extends parallel to the fluid inlet and the longitudinal chamber axis.

17. An air separator of a fluid-handling machine comprising:
an air separating chamber having a longitudinal chamber axis and including an upper fluid inlet and a lower fluid outlet;
a flow conducting element arranged directly downstream of the upper fluid inlet of the air separating chamber for generating or increasing a circulating movement of the fluid flowing into the air separating chamber and flowing toward the lower fluid outlet of the air separating chamber, wherein at least a portion of the flow conducting element has a cross-sectional shape of a groove including a runout oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal chamber axis; and
a deflector wall extending in a direction of a periphery of the chamber, the deflector wall arranged on a side of the fluid inlet facing away from the flow conducting element and, when viewed from the periphery of the chamber, creates a smooth transition between a wall of the chamber and the fluid inlet;
wherein the smooth transition forms a nozzle protruding in an axial direction of the chamber.

Assignees

• Braun Avitum Ag

Inventors

• Ritter Kai-Uwe

Classifications

• B04C5/00

  Apparatus in which the axial direction of the vortex is reversed {(combined with other devices B04C9/00)} · CPC title

• A61M2206/16

  Rotating swirling helical flow, e.g. by tangential inflows · CPC title

• A61M2202/0413

  Blood · CPC title

• A61M2206/20

  having means for promoting or enhancing the flow, actively or passively · CPC title

• A61M1/3627 Primary

  Degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters · CPC title