Combination of a single-user RO device with a hemodialysis machine

Abstract

Combination of a single-station reverse osmosis device (RO device) with a hemodialysis device (HD device), wherein the RO device has a filter with a membrane (4) that separates a primary chamber (10) from a secondary chamber (9), wherein a raw water supply line (49) opens into the primary chamber (10) and the secondary chamber (9) is connected to a water inlet valve (23) and a flushing valve of the HD device (21) via a connecting line (19) containing a conductivity measuring device (29), characterized in that defective permeate that is produced in excess or measured by a conductivity measuring device (20) can flow to the drain (33) at the end of the line (19) via an inserted flushing valve (22) with a pressure maintenance function.

Description

[0001] The aim of this development is to supply consumers, especially hemodialysis machines, with chemically and hygienically high-quality, high-purity permeate at low cost and with the lowest possible installation effort.

[0002] Further applications of this development for other areas such as laboratory, biology or pharmaceutical technology, as a device for the production of high-purity rinsing fluid, or for the production of fluid for the manufacture of medicines, cell cultures and the like are conceivable and practical.

[0003] In particular, in the field of hemodialysis, centralized reverse osmosis systems are typically used, with correspondingly complex permeate supply lines. Serious disadvantages of centralized reverse osmosis systems include the high risk of missing treatment in the event of a device failure, the high installation costs, and the problematic hygiene safety of the installation.

[0004] Single-station reverse osmosis systems are primarily used in intensive care units due to space constraints. For chronic hemodialysis (HD), supplying dialysis machines with permeate using single-station RO systems is currently impractical due to cost constraints.

[0005] Further difficulties in the combination of RO system and HD device are the lack of proof that the permeate supply is free of dead spaces and completely disinfectable due to the risk of germs entering the HD device.

[0006] For this purpose, an integrated chemical or thermal disinfection of the distribution system including the HD devices is carried out in accordance with the state of the art.

[0007] Another serious deficiency is the decreasing efficiency and service life of the reverse osmosis membrane as a result of irreversible deposits, since the supply water for the RO system often contains biomass and poorly soluble salts.

[0008] A device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, for example, from DE 10 2009 057 562 A1. Further prior art is represented by the documents DE 10 2010 048 616 A1, DE 20 203 733 U1, DE 10 2009 031 043 A1, and DE 10 2006 015 673 A1.

[0009] The purpose and aim of the invention is therefore to ensure the permeate supply of an HD device with minimal technical effort, while maintaining consistently high membrane performance and the best microbiological quality.

[0010] This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1. The RO system preferably contains a disposable membrane and is equipped with only minimal technical effort so that the full function only comes into effect when coupled with the HD device. On the one hand, the permeate supply is chemically perfect and free of dead space due to the shared use of functional elements and, on the other hand, the communication between the HD device and the RO system enables resource-saving use of water and energy.

[0011] It is very advantageous to use valves on the HD device to release or flush the high-purity connecting line.

[0012] Preventive disinfection of the high-purity connecting line to the high-pressure device plays a key role. For this purpose, the invention advantageously provides a cleaning chamber in the permeate collection tube of the reverse osmosis membrane.

[0013] It is also advantageous to provide a cleaning chamber on the primary side of the reverse osmosis system.

[0014] The task of the cleaning chambers is, on the one hand, to decontaminate the microorganisms and, on the other hand, to stabilize the hardness-forming substances so that efficiency-reducing deposits on the reverse osmosis membrane are prevented.

[0015] This is achieved by the design of the cleaning chamber, which allows for electrical, magnetic, electromagnetic, electrolytic, sonographic, or a combination of various physical effects on the flowing fluid. Experimentally, it has also been demonstrated that electrolysis occurs using a water irradiation frequency in the VHF frequency range, preferably 13.56 MHz. This type of cleaning chamber can also be used as a decontamination device.

[0016] Microorganisms are either oxidized or prevented from multiplying or reduced by electrical impulses.

[0017] The physical limescale protection function consists in stabilizing the limescale dissolved in the water in such a way that the normally large water molecule clusters with their dipole-like electrical charge are broken up and arranged in such a way that predominantly smallest water molecule clusters are formed, which are not prone to precipitation or are only prone to precipitation to a small extent.

[0018] However, the application and installation location of the cleaning chambers are not limited to the described function.

[0019] Since the disinfection effect of the electrolytically generated oxygen radicals and the stabilization of the lime crystals in the liquid are only temporary after the cleaning chamber is shut down, it is advisable to open the flow resistance of the RO system periodically and / or at the end of an operating cycle using a bypass valve. This abruptly increases the flow in the primary circulation circuit, causing the surfaces of the liquid-carrying components to be flushed out.

[0020] To support the disinfecting effect, the membrane collection tube or the membrane and spacer materials can be coated with antimicrobial agents.

[0021] Since the effect of the cleaning chamber cannot be directly determined by the user due to its physical effect or its effects on crystal formation or contamination, a cleaning sensor can advantageously be provided for both the primary and secondary chambers.

[0022] Components or fluid-carrying lines can be designed with transparent or translucent material in order to check for contamination visually or opto-electronically.

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment, the transmitter-receiver unit is arranged on a single plane. The optical transmitter signal is projected onto an opposite mirror surface and reflected from there to the optical receiver.

[0024] A further embodiment of the contamination sensor is that the sensor determines the deposition of biological dirt layers by reflecting a fluorescent, measurable response signal corresponding to the layer thickness when illuminated, for example, with UV light.

[0025] To improve the time-to-effect ratio and enhance the physical cleaning effects, an additional circulation pump with a cleaning chamber can be connected between the concentrate outlet and the mixed water inlet. This can be an additional cleaning chamber with a different physical effect than the cleaning chamber.

[0026] The flow through the primary chamber in the sense of an optimal overflow of the membrane is guaranteed, largely independent of the activity of the pump used for the mixed water supply, the pressure build-up and the circulation performance.

[0027] This invention enables both a controlled preventive avoidance of biofilm in the primary circuit of the membrane and a cost-saving, dead-space-free disinfection of the permeate feed.

[0028] It is conceivable that, due to the rapid development of selective hollow-fiber membranes, the reverse osmosis membrane mentioned in this invention will soon be replaced by a similar combination of an HD device and an upstream hollow-fiber softening / sterilizing filter membrane, which is cheaper to produce. Provided the process-related tasks are similar, this invention also covers this area.

[0029] The operating principle of reverse osmosis systems is that the water to be treated is passed under pressure along the surface of a semipermeable membrane in a filter module. A portion of the water, known as the permeate, passes through the membrane and is collected on the other side of the membrane and fed to the points of use. The portion of the raw water that does not pass through the membrane and is enriched with retained substances, known as the concentrate, flows out of the membrane module at the end of the flow path of the primary chamber.

[0030] Selective hollow-fiber membranes are also a filtration process in which certain water constituents are retained to filter a fluid suitable for hemodialysis treatment. In this case, the use of oxidizing disinfectants and the use of purification cells on the secondary side require slight adjustments regarding material compatibility and design.

[0031] The following text describes the use of the RO membrane.

[0032] The scheme in Fig. 1 shows the combination of a reverse osmosis (RO) 1 with a hemodialysis machine (HD machine) 21 and the interaction of common functional elements.

[0033] The raw water to be treated flows from the supply line 49 via the valve 18 through a purification chamber 17 into the pressure pipe 3, which is equipped with an RO membrane 4. The primary chamber of the RO membrane or the water supply channels 10 is separated from the secondary chamber 9 or permeate pockets by the semipermeable membrane 11.

[0034] From the permeate pockets 9, the permeate flows through the permeate collection pipe perforations 13 via the permeate collection pipe 5 and connecting pipe 19 to the HD water inlet valve 23 of the HD device 21.

[0035] Excess permeate produced or measured by the conductivity cell 20 can flow to the drain 33 at the end of the line 19 via an inserted HD flushing valve 22 with pressure maintenance function.

[0036] The pressure required for filtration in the primary chamber of the RO filter 2 is generated by a flow resistance 35 inserted into the concentrate line 36 downstream of the RO filter, e.g. in the form of a throttle or pressure holding valve.

[0037] When permeate is requested by the HD device (21), the water inlet valve (18) opens, and after release by the LF cell 20, the HD device is supplied via the HD water inlet valve 23.

[0038] If the permeate quality is not correct or if rinsing programs are necessary, the HD water inlet valve (23) is closed and the rinsing valve (22) of the HD device is opened so that the unused permeate or rinsing liquid flows via the rinsing line (26) to the drain (33).

[0039] In the high-pressure unit 21, the introduced permeate is prepared for high-pressure treatment via the degassing throttle (27), the pump (25) of the high-pressure unit, the heater (29), and the degassing chamber (30). The high-pressure unit includes a circulation line (31) and a concentrate and bicarbonate feed (32).

[0040] The permeate collection tube (5) has a receptacle (8) for a purification cell (16), whose electrodes (40) release oxidizing agents, such as atomic and / or elemental oxygen or ozone or OH hydroxyls or radio waves, into the permeate to generate oxidizing agents.

[0041] The produced oxidizing agent is led with the permeate through the line (19) and the initially opened flushing valve (22) to the drain (33).

[0042] To reduce the flushing flow, the valve (22) can be cycled. It is also possible to add an additional flow resistance (not shown).

[0043] Not shown is a contamination cell for detecting organic or inorganic deposits, both within the concentrate line (36) and in the permeate line (19).

[0044] In order to avoid deposits on the primary side of the membrane, ie on the inside of the pressure pipe (3), the liquid channels (10) and the drain line (36), the cleaning cell (17) can be switched on both during the rinsing and supply process for the HD device 21.

[0045] Preferably, the flushing valve (34) is opened at cyclical flushing intervals and the entire primary chamber 10 is flowed through and flushed out.

[0046] The actuators and sensors shown can be controlled either by the HD device or in combination with the HD device and RO. The spatial arrangement of these functional elements is also possible as part of the HD device.

[0047] Fig. Figure 2 additionally shows a buffer chamber (37), which serves both to accelerate the permeate delivery to the high-pressure device (21) and to generate a negative transmembrane pressure. When a negative transmembrane pressure is generated, the filtration direction is reversed by interrupting the water supply (49) and opening the flushing valve (34). The permeate in the buffer vessel (37) flows back to the primary side (10) via the permeate pockets (19), dissolving the deposits on the membrane surface (11). When the water supply (49) is opened, these deposits are flushed away to the drain (33).

[0048] Pump (39) increases the pressure in the primary chamber and thus improves the filtration performance.

[0049] The circulation pump (38) also contributes to the increase in performance, in particular to water savings, by giving the overflow on the primary side a larger proportion in relation to the permeate performance.

[0050] Fig. 3 schematically shows a cleaning cell with 2 electrodes 40, which can be inserted as an anode, cathode and cation exchange membrane as an electrolysis cell in a form-fitting, sealing manner into the permeate collection tube.

[0051] Fig. 4 shows an example of the structure of a cleaning cell (117) with 3

[0052] Electrodes, wherein the middle electrode (44) is spatially and electrically insulated from the two outer electrodes (43).

[0053] By selecting the material and the type of electrical connection, it is possible to operate the cleaning chamber (17) as an electrolysis cell or as an electromagnetic cell or as a cell with electrode connections for current and voltage - also capacitive.

[0054] Preferably, one pole of the electrical supply is applied to the bridged outer electrodes (43) and the other pole to the middle electrode (44).

[0055] When the cleaning chamber (17) is operated as an electrolysis cell, the two outer electrodes (43) are the cathodes, and the middle electrode (44) is the anode. When used as an electrolysis cell, it is advantageous to separate the anode and cathode compartments by cation exchange membranes to achieve higher efficiency. Due to the low permeability of this membrane, the arrangement of anode, membrane, and cathode must be changed to a flow-optimized design (not shown).

[0056] This electrolysis cell is used to produce oxygen radicals for the inactivation of microorganisms or to reduce limescale deposits.

[0057] Fig. 4 shows the structure of a combined cleaning chamber (17) with 3 electrodes and a coil winding (45).

[0058] The decalcification is carried out via the lines of force of the magnetic field generated by the coil in the liquid.

[0059] The use of Teflon-encapsulated ring magnets in the liquid or ring magnets outside the insulating piece (48) instead of the coil winding (45) is possible.

[0060] In addition to the illustrations shown, various pre-filtration and post-filtration components are possible, such as additional inlet filters, as carbon, ultrafilters, or even as safety filters - sterile filters as post-filters. legend 1 reverse osmosis (RO) 2 RO filters 3 pressure pipe 4 RO membrane 5 Permeate collection tube 6 Connection water supply / pressure pipe 7 Connection concentrate 8 Permeate collection tube intake cleaning cell 9 Secondary side / permeate pockets 10 primary room / side / water supply channels 11 Membran 12 Outer membrane jacket 13 permeate collection tube perforations 14 Permeate pocket bonding 15 Pressure pipe end 16 Permeate cleaning cell 17 Cleaning cell water supply 18 Water inlet valve 19 Connection line HD device (permeate line) 20 Conductivity cell (LF cell) 21 Hemodialysis machine (HD machine) 22 HD flush valve 23 HD water inlet valve 24 HD water inlet tanks with float or level sensors 25 HD pump 26 HD flushing line 27 Degassing throttle 28 Degassing bypass valve 29 HD heating 30 Degassing chamber 31 HD circulation line 32 Concentrate / Bicarbonate Feed 33 Drain 34 Flush valve 35 Flow resistance 36 Concentrate line 37 Buffer chamber 38 Circulation pump 39 Booster pump 40 electrodes 41 Membran 42 combination cleaning cell 43 Outer electrodes 44 Inner electrode 45 coil winding 46 Ultrasound image 47 Sealing ring holder 48 Insulating pipe 49 Supply line

Claims

[1] Combination of a single-place reverse osmosis device (RO device) with a hemodialysis device (HD device), wherein the RO device has a filter with a membrane (4) which separates a primary chamber (10) from a secondary chamber (9), wherein a raw water supply line (49) opens into the primary chamber (10) and the secondary chamber (9) is connected to a water inlet valve (23) and a flushing valve of the HD device (21) via a connecting line (19) containing a conductivity measuring device (29), characterized by that excess permeate produced or faulty permeate measured by a conductivity measuring device (20) can flow at the end of the line (19) via an inserted flushing valve (22) with pressure maintenance function to the drain (33). [2] Combination according to claim 1, characterized bythat the water inlet valve (23) and the flushing valve (22) are controlled in such a way that the permeate, when requested by the HD device (21), flows either via the water inlet valve (23) into the HD device after release by the conductivity measuring device (20) or via the flushing valve (22) of the HD device to an outlet (33). [3] Combination according to claim 1, characterized by that the secondary chamber has a permeate collection pipe (13). [4] Combination according to claim 3, characterized by that the permeate collection tube (B) contains a cleaning chamber (16). [5] Combination according to claim 4, characterized by that the cleaning chamber (16) is installed in the end section of the permeate collection pipe (13) facing away from the connecting line (19). [6] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 5; characterized by that a cleaning chamber (17) is connected to the raw water supply line (49). [7] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the at least one cleaning chamber (16, 17) produces oxidizing agents for combating microorganisms. [8] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the at least one cleaning chamber (16, 17) has means for stabilizing the lime dissolved in the water. [9] Combination according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized by that the at least one cleaning chamber (16, 17) acts on the liquid flowing through with electrical and / or electromagnetic and / or electrolytic means. [10] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by that a recirculation line provided with a pump (38) connects the concentrate line upstream of the flow resistance (35) with the raw water supply line upstream of the cleaning chamber (17). [11] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized bythat the connecting line (19) is provided with a permeate buffer chamber (37). [12] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by that the flushing valve (34) is designed so that it can open the flow resistance (35). [13] Combination according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by that the membrane (4) is a replaceable disposable membrane.

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