Container Having Magnetic Impeller Assembly With Hood

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018229192-A1
Application number	US-201815954779-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 17, 2018
Priority date	Nov 29, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A disposable container, such as a deformable bag, for a fluid, having one or more inlets and one or more outlets and an impeller assembly within the container to cause mixing, dispersing, homogenizing and/or circulation of one or more ingredients contained or added to the container. The impeller assembly has a protective hood surrounding at least a portion of the moveable blades or vanes of the impeller assembly and being above at least a portion of the blades or vanes. The hood surrounds the blades or vanes and arcs over the height of the blades or vanes. The hood is shaped in a dome shape or semi-spherical shape that is around and above the impeller blades and acts as a protector for the container surface against the impeller assembly both during shipping and storage as well as when in use, particularly at lower liquid levels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of mixing fluid within a container, comprising:
providing a container for a fluid comprising a closed volume formed of a flexible material, one or more inlets, one or more outlets, and an impeller assembly mounted at least partially within said closed volume, said impeller assembly comprising at least one moveable blade and a hood positioned over and around said at least one blade, said impeller assembly sealed to said container; introducing fluid to be mixed in said container; and actuating said at least one moveable blade.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the flexible material is capable of being folded.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said at least one movable blade is actuated magnetically.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hood comprises a top surface having plurality of apertures through which the liquid can flow.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hood comprises a first ring of spaced apertures, a second ring of spaced apertures, and a third ring of spaced apertures.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is pulled into side openings of the hood and propelled out a top surface of the hood, promoting mixing efficiency.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said hood is dome-shaped or semi-spherical shaped.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning of said hood over and around said at least one blade is such that said at least one blade does not contact said hood.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning of said hood over and around said at least one blade is such that said at least one blade does not contact said container.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said impeller assembly is magnetically driven.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container of claim 1 is in fluid communication with a fluid processing system having a tangential flow filtration unit and conduits to effect flow from said container to said tangential flow filtration unit and back to said container.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hood increases a mixing efficiency and/or turbulence.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hood protects the container during processing of low liquid levels.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is protected from the impeller assembly whether said container is a pillow bag, a two-dimensional or a three dimensional bag.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the impeller assembly further comprises a base to which the hood is coupled.

Assignees

• Emd Millipore Corp

Inventors

• Morrissey Martin
• Pereira Brian

Classifications

• B01F13/0827

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F13/0872

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F7/00241 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F7/1635

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F15/0085

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic