A water treatment system is provided that provides desalination of water for aquifer recharge, agricultural, mining or industrial use. The water treatment system comprises: an input, for receiving contaminated water to be treated; an output, for providing treated water, wherein a level contamination of a contaminant i s lower in the treated water than in the contaminated water; and a hydrophilic membrane between the input and the output. The hydrophilic membrane configured to allow water to pass from the input to the output, and to at least partly impede the passage of the contaminant from the input to the output. In use, a low pressure is applied to the output to cause the water to flow across the membrane.

A gas separation system includes: first, second, and third gas separation membrane units. A first retentate gas line connects a retentate gas discharge port of the first unit and gas inlet port of the second unit. A first permeate gas line connects a permeate gas discharge port of the first unit and gas inlet port of the third unit. A feed gas mixture supply line is connected to a gas inlet port of the first unit, and provided with first compression elements. The first permeate gas line is provided with second compression elements. The permeate gas discharge port of the second unit is connected by a second permeate gas line to the suction side of the first compression elements in the feed gas mixture supply line. A retentate gas discharge port of the third unit is connected by a third retentate gas line to the first retentate gas line.

Described is a gas exchanger with a restriction element or elements to reduce gas exchange as desired to avoid hypo-capnia and hyper-oxygenation in small patients. The gas exchanger includes a gas exchanger housing with an outer wall and a core which defines an inner wall and having a blood inlet for receiving a blood supply and a blood outlet. The gas exchanger also includes: a hollow fiber bundle disposed within the housing between the core and the outer wall; and a gas inlet compartment for receiving an oxygen supply and directing the oxygen supply to first ends of the hollow fiber bundle, wherein the gas inlet compartment includes at least one restriction element configured to allow the oxygen supply to reach only a portion of the hollow fiber bundle.

A gas exchanger with a restriction element or elements to reduce gas exchange as desired to avoid hypo-capnia and hyper-oxygenation in small patients. The gas exchanger includes a gas exchanger housing with an outer wall and a core which defines an inner wall and having a blood inlet for receiving a blood supply and a blood outlet. The gas exchanger also includes a hollow fiber bundle disposed within the housing between the core and the outer wall, and a gas inlet compartment for receiving an oxygen supply and directing the oxygen supply to the first ends of the hollow fiber bundle, wherein the gas inlet compartment includes at least one restriction element configured to allow the oxygen supply to reach only a portion of the hollow fiber bundle.

A hollow fiber membrane blood purifying device including a cylindrical container, a hollow fiber membrane bundle, a potting resin fixing portion embedding and fixing the hollow fiber membrane bundle at each end of the cylindrical container, headers having nozzles, and ports further has the structure in which each header and the cylindrical container are welded in at least two regions over the circumference. The inside face of the header is in contact with a potting resin fixing portion cut face that is formed by cutting an outer side portion of the potting resin fixing portion in the length direction of the cylindrical container than the end face of each end of the cylindrical container, and the potting resin fixing portion cut face is in a compressively deformed state.

The disclosure relates to devices and methods for extracorporeal conditioning of blood. Extracorporeal blood oxygenators and blood oxygenator components, such as conditioning modules, are described. An extracorporeal blood oxygenator includes a conditioning module having an external frame, an inlet cover, an outlet cover, and an internal chamber. A fiber assembly is disposed within the internal chamber and a potting material on the fiber assembly creates a circumferential seal that defines a passageway through the fiber assembly having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. A fluid inlet is in fluid communication with the passageway, has a lumen that extends along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the fiber assembly, and has an internal curvilinear surface adjacent the fiber assembly. A fluid outlet on the opposite side of the fiber assembly also has a lumen that extends along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the fiber assembly.

Provided is a hollow fiber degassing module which includes a hollow fiber membrane bundle obtained by bundling a plurality of hollow fiber membranes in a cylindrical shape and a cylindrical body receiving the hollow fiber membrane bundle and extending in an axial direction and degasses a liquid by supplying the liquid to a gap between the hollow fiber membranes from a hollow portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle and depressurizing the inside of the hollow fiber membrane, the hollow fiber degassing module including a support body which contacts an inner peripheral surface of the hollow fiber membrane bundle.

Disclosed are a bundle of hollow fiber membranes to improve use efficiency of the hollow fiber membranes and a method of manufacturing the same. The bundle of hollow fiber membranes includes a plurality of yarns to form fluid channels and serve as spacers disposed between the hollow fiber membranes to create a bundle. The method includes spinning including supplying a spinning dope to a nozzle and conducting spinning to form a plurality of hollow fiber membranes, coagulating the hollow fiber membranes formed during spinning, and yarn feeding including inserting a plurality of yarns between the hollow fiber membranes to form a bundle. The method is effective in uniformly distributing a fluid through fluid channels formed between the hollow fiber membranes and maximizes usage efficiency of the hollow fiber membranes.

A portable or personal water filtration apparatus comprising upstream and downstream removable reservoirs and a back-washable filter interposed therebetween. The back-washable filter comprises an upstream housing and a downstream housing, inside of which are fitted a membrane cartridge and a slidable plunger. The downstream housing is rotatable relative to the upstream housing between two or more positions, including, for example, an open flow position, a closed flow position, and a back-wash position. In the back-wash position, the downstream housing and plunger are axially extendable relative to the upstream housing and membrane cartridge in order to obtain a charge of clean water in the plunger that may then be forced backward through the filter by returning the plunger to its starting position. This dislodges accumulated debris from the membrane and reverses the slowing of flow observed through repeated use of the filter.

A CO.sub.2 adsorption and recovery system including an intake unit, a first purification/adsorption/regeneration unit, a second purification/adsorption/regeneration unit, a three-way valve switching unit, a vacuum drawing unit and an exhaust unit is provided. The first and second purification/adsorption/regeneration units have a hollow fiber bundle impurity adsorption column, a hollow fiber bundle CO.sub.2 adsorption column and two heating devices. One set of adsorption columns performs purification and adsorption procedures to the inlet gas in a normal or high pressure condition, and the other set of adsorption columns performs desorption and regeneration procedures in a high temperature condition when the adsorption columns are heated by the heating devices. The three-way valve switching unit exchanges the purification and adsorption procedures with the regeneration procedure to the first and second units. The vacuum drawing unit draws CO.sub.2 desorbed from the CO.sub.2 adsorption columns alternatively. The exhaust unit drains a purified product gas out.