A renal therapy apparatus includes a blood filter, a blood pump, a treatment fluid pump, and a control unit configured to control at least one of the blood pump or the treatment fluid pump during a filter cleaning sequence. In a first phase of the filter cleaning sequence, a first fluid including a blood-compatible and physiologically safe fluid is transferred back and forth across the insides and/or outsides of the blood filter. After the first phase, a second fluid is formed by mixing the first fluid with air. In a second phase of the filter cleaning sequence, the second fluid is transferred across the insides and/or outsides of the blood filter at least one time.

A control method and system for controlling the operation of a seawater injection system comprising at least one water treatment line in which seawater is forced through one or more coarse filtration unit(s), ultrafiltration unit(s) and at least one of a reverse osmosis unit and/or a nanofiltration unit to a water injection pump, and wherein the flowrate required to create differential pressure across membrane(s) of the ultrafiltration unit(s) is obtained by a boosting pump. A controller C implemented operation control is applied to adjust automatically the outlet pressure and flow of the boosting pump such that an average flowrate through the ultrafiltration units is maintained and determined as boosting pump flow divided by the number of active ultrafiltration units. A proportional-integral-derivative control mechanism is preferably applied to all adjustable flow/pressure regulating units in the seawater injection system.

A peritoneal dialysis apparatus includes a filter and a dialysis fluid circuit in fluid communication with the filter. The peritoneal dialysis apparatus also includes a pump for pumping fresh dialysis fluid to a peritoneum of a patient via the dialysis fluid circuit and pumping used dialysis fluid from the peritoneum of the patient through the dialysis fluid circuit and the filter. The peritoneal dialysis apparatus further includes a selective air access in fluid communication with the dialysis fluid circuit and a control unit configured to control the pump during a peritoneal dialysis treatment and a filter cleaning sequence. The control unit forms a fluid mixture during a filter cleaning sequence by opening the selective air access to mix air with a physiologically safe fluid. The fluid mixture is transferred across insides and/or outsides of the filter at least one time.

A filter system (100) for biopharmaceutical processes includes: at least one filter unit (10); and at least one distributor plate (200), against which the filter unit rests. A tubeless distributor unit (202) is arranged within the distributor plate and is fluidically connected to the filter unit. The distributor unit guides the fluid to be filtered to the filter unit and/or receives and discharges the filtered fluid from the filter unit. The distributor unit includes at least one active control element (232; 238), with which a fluid flow (14) through the distributor unit) and the filter unit is controlled in an open loop flow or a closed loop flow. The fluid connection between the filter unit and the distributor plate is tubeless. Also provided are a distributor plate (200) for a filter system (100) for biopharmaceutical processes and a method for producing a filter system (100) for biopharmaceutical processes.

A method for degassing a cross-flow diafiltration unit, a cross-flow diafiltration method and a cross-flow diafiltration unit. The degassing method includes (i) providing a cross-flow diafiltration unit having a diafiltration channel, a retentate channel and a permeate channel, a first filter material that delimits the diafiltration channel from the retentate channel, and a second filter material that delimits the retentate channel from the permeate channel; and thereafter (ii) feeding a liquid into the retentate channel so that the liquid flows in a flow direction through the retentate channel and penetrates through the first filter material into the diafiltration channel, whereby the retentate channel and the diafiltration channel are filled with and degassed by the liquid.

The invention relates to a virus filter membrane which can be used for the removal of virus particles including parvovirus. The invention further relates to a method for producing the membrane. The membrane comprises polyacrylonitrile and polyvinylpyrrolidone.

The invention provides a blood purifier which shows a decreased amount of hydrogen peroxide extracted from its selectively permeable separation membranes, and thus is highly reliable in its safety in use for hemecatharysis. The blood purifier comprises selectively permeable separation membranes as a main component and is characterized in that the amount of hydrogen peroxide which is extracted from the selectively permeable separation membrane removed from the blood purifier after 3 months or longer has passed since the sterilization of the blood purifier by exposure to a radioactive ray and/or an electron ray is not larger than 10 ppm.

A method for cleaning a blood filter includes: (i) pumping a physiologically safe fluid back and fourth through the insides and/or the outsides of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes of the blood filter to remove or loosen blood residuals, such as blood clots, proteins and/or biological fluid; (ii) injecting air into the physiologically safe fluid to form an air/fluid mixture; (iii) pumping the air fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the plurality of the hollow fiber membranes of the blood filter to further or remove or loosen blood residuals therefrom; and (iv) removing the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture along with the removed or loosened blood residuals to drain.

The present invention provides a separation membrane for blood processing, comprising a polysulfone polymer, a hydrophilic polymer and a polymer having a hydroxy group in a side chain and having a solubility of 0.5 g or less in water (100 g) at 20? C., in which the content of the polymer falls within a specific range, and a blood processing apparatus having the membrane installed therein.

Disclosed herein is a water purification apparatus capable of being cleaned at a point of care, and methods for cleaning the water purification apparatus at the point of care. The water purification apparatus and the methods provide an efficient use of a heater for heat disinfection the water purification apparatus, e.g. by recirculating heated fluid to further heat the fluid. Several different cleaning programs are provided that may be utilized for cleaning different parts of the water purification apparatus.