A liquid filtration system according to the present invention comprises a bioreactor; a filter configured to filter liquid passing therethrough; a perfusion pump configured to move liquid between the bioreactor and the filter; a liquid line providing fluidic communication between the bioreactor, perfusion pump and filter; and a bleed outlet provided on the liquid line, the bleed outlet configured to provide means to remove liquid selectively from the system under the action of the perfusion pump. With the liquid filtration system according to the present invention, both the filtering and bleed functions may be performed under the action of a single pump, thereby significantly reducing the complexity and cost of the components required.

A filtration system comprising: a housing defining an air inlet, an air outlet, a first filter receptacle, and an airflow pathway extending from the inlet to the outlet through the first filter receptacle; a first pair of electrodes in communication with the first filter receptacle configured to define a first conductive pathway across the first filter receptacle; a second pair of electrodes in communication with the first filter receptacle configured to define a second conductive pathway across the first filter receptacle; a controller in communication with the first and second pair of electrodes configured to measure a first electrical property across the first filter receptacle using the first pair of electrodes and a second electrical property across the first filter receptacle using the second pair of electrodes; and an interface in communication with the controller configured to report a filter element status based on the first and second electrical property.

A fluid filtration system comprising a cross-flow filter is arranged to permit a first pump to recirculate part of the retentate of the filter to the inlet of the cross-flow filter and a second pump to return part of the permeate to the inlet of the cross-flow filter. A third pump is configured supply source fluid to the inlet of the filter. The flow path between the second pump and the cross-flow filter inlet may include an adsorption filter that may selectively remove contaminants, toxins, or pathogens in the permeate. A controller may control the first, second and third pumps to provide predetermined flow ratios among the fluid flow paths of the system in order to achieve a desired filtration level. This system may be applicable to the removal of harmful substances from blood, by first separating the plasma from the blood and then removing harmful substances from the plasma.

A fluid filtration system comprising a cross-flow filter is arranged to permit a first pump to recirculate part of the retentate of the filter to the inlet of the cross-flow filter and a second pump to return part of the permeate to the inlet of the cross-flow filter. A third pump is configured supply source fluid to the inlet of the filter. The flow path between the second pump and the cross-flow filter inlet may include an adsorption filter that may selectively remove contaminants, toxins, or pathogens in the permeate. A controller may control the first, second and third pumps to provide predetermined flow ratios among the fluid flow paths of the system in order to achieve a desired filtration level. This system may be applicable to the removal of harmful substances from blood, by first separating the plasma from the blood and then removing harmful substances from the plasma.

A system, method and apparatus for monitoring and providing maintenance updates for irrigation filters. According to a first preferred embodiment, the present invention includes one or more load cells at one or more of the mounting feet of an in-line filter to actively measure the increased weight of the filter during irrigation operations. According to a further preferred embodiment, the weight sensor of the present invention may transmit its data to a processing unit, where the weight is compared to one or more stored weight values. Preferably, when the detected weight exceeds a threshold level, the system may trigger notices and/or remedial actions.

The present invention relates to a bacteriostatic filter system for an antibody drug production process, and to a method of operating same, in which devices are configured and the system is designed so as to enable, through a control unit, the in-lining of a bacteriostatic filter cartridge and in-situ integrity testing of a bacteriostatic filter, wherein according to a result value of the integrity testing, media or buffer are transferred to a storage tank from a preparation tank, or the media or buffer transferred to the storage tank are transferred back to the preparation tank. Accordingly, the present invention can reduce the time required for filter cartridge replacement and integrity testing and implement a system having automated the transferring and backfeeding of media and buffers as well as processing liquids, and can thus reduce the amount of labor needed and shorten the processing time.

A method of detecting clogging of a fluid filter is disclosed. The method includes measuring, at successive sampling instants, the pressure difference ΔP from upstream to downstream across the filter, calculating the first time derivative {ΔP}′ of the pressure difference ΔP at different instants, and then sending a clogging signal S.sub.C representative of the filter being clogged when the first derivative {ΔP}′ is equal to zero.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a chemical liquid supply system including a chemical liquid supply apparatus and a monitoring apparatus. The chemical liquid supply apparatus includes a nozzle, a filter, a first pressure gauge, and a second pressure gauge. The first and the second pressure gauge are disposed on the pipeline, respectively at a chemical liquid supply-source side and chemical liquid delivery side of the filter. The monitoring apparatus is configured to determine a state of the filter based on first differential pressure time information in which a differential pressure is acquired in a period until a time point of a lapse of a predetermined time since a start of pneumatic feeding of the chemical liquid to the nozzle. The differential pressure is a difference between a first pressure value measured by the first pressure gauge and a second pressure value measured by the second pressure gauge.

An apparatus and method for filtering molten metal, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy includes at least one ceramic foam filter or any other type of filtration media such as porous tube or alumina balls disposed in a receptacle for the molten metal. A vibrator vibrates at least one of the filter, the receptacle or the metal and may be used to induce priming, filtering and/or drainage of the filter. The vibrator may be retrofitted to an existing filter system and may be adjustable in frequency and amplitude. The vibration may be continuous over a given period or produced in a single shock.

A method and apparatus are provided for controlling a fuel delivery system to limit acidic corrosion. An exemplary control system includes a controller, at least one monitor, an output, and a remediation system. The monitor of the control system may collect and analyze data indicative of a corrosive environment in the fuel delivery system. The output of the control system may automatically warn an operator of the fueling station of the corrosive environment so that the operator can take preventative or corrective action. The remediation system of the control system may take at least one corrective action to remediate the corrosive environment in the fuel delivery system. One or more sensors may be employed to signal proper operation of the remediation system.