A hollow-fiber-type blood processing device and methods for its manufacture include a hollow fiber membrane bundle which is obtained by bundling a large number of hollow fiber membranes into a columnar shape. A sheet body is mounted on an outer peripheral portion of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. The sheet body is expandable as a result of being woven from a sheet material. An inner diameter of the sheet body in a natural state where no external force is applied to the sheet body is smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow fiber membrane bundle.

Sterilization is achieved while the filtration performance of membranes is maintained. In a hollow fiber membrane module 1, a hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 is accommodated in a module case 5. In the hollow fiber membrane module 1, both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 3 are integrated with the module case 5 by a potting material. A storage liquid is contained in 90% or more of the pores of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 3. Space inside the module case 5 is filled with a gas free of viable bacteria and the storage liquid.

A reel changing device is described for reeling fiber bundles from a fiber strand exiting a spinning device, including at least a first reel carrier and a second reel carrier on each of which a reel suited for winding up the fiber strand is arranged and which are movably received and guided in at least a first reel guide and a second reel guide so that the reels are adapted to be positioned one after another in an exit direction of the fiber strand so as to enable, in the case of a reel change, the fiber strand to be directly transferred from the first reel arranged on the first reel carrier to the second reel arranged on the second reel carrier. Moreover, a reel changing method in such reel changing device is described.

The present invention relates to a variable-diameter spinning nozzle, processing devices for hollow fiber membrane bundle and membrane module. The variable-diameter spinning nozzle comprises a center round tube, a middle round tube and an external chamber which are sequentially nested, and a first drive mechanism for driving the middle round tube to move vertically upwards and downwards. The bottoms of the center round tube, the middle round tube and the external chamber are leveled. The variable-diameter spinning nozzle provided by present invention obtains membrane fiber by adjusting the location of the middle round tube, and this membrane fiber involves membrane fiber heads with relatively large diameter on both ends and a membrane fiber middle section with relatively small diameter. In the subsequent process of binding and assembly of membrane module, porosity of the membrane fiber middle section can be adjusted by controlling a diameter ratio of the membrane fiber head to the membrane fiber middle section, and thus arbitrary fill density and regular arrangement of membrane module are achieved.

One or more polymeric hollow fiber membranes are pyrolyzed to form one or more hollow fiber CMS membranes by directing a flow of pyrolysis gas through a polymeric membrane cartridge (including a porous center tube around which one or more green, polymeric, hollow fiber membranes is arranged) or a bundle of polymeric membranes (including a plurality of green, polymeric hollow fiber membranes oriented so that their ends are disposed with ends of the bundle) in a direction perpendicular to a length direction of the cartridge or bundle in order to sweep away off-gases that are formed during pyrolysis.

A process for preparing a semi-permeable membrane includes providing an aqueous phase comprising a polyfunctional amine monomer, covering a surface of a porous support membrane with the aqueous phase, applying an organic phase comprising a polyfunctional acyl halide monomer, a phosphorous containing compound and a co-solvent, and allowing the polyfunctional amine monomer and the polyfunctional acyl halide monomer to perform an interfacial polymerization reaction to form a polyamide thin film composite layer.

The presence of the co-solvent together with the phosphorous compound in the organic phase potentiates the effect of the phosphorous compound so that the water flux is increased without substantially sacrificing the salt rejection.

A hollow fiber membrane bundle useful for manufacturing a wide variety of hollow fiber membrane modules having different flow configurations includes hollow fiber membranes arranged around a porous support tube, a cured resin tubesheet formed at first end of the bundle, and either a cured resin nub or a cured resin tubesheet formed at a second end of the bundle. The bore(s) of the hollow fiber membranes are open at a face of the tubesheet adjacent the first end of the bundle. The tubesheet has an annular structure that encapsulates the hollow fiber membranes and the porous support tube at the first end of the bundle but which does not completely block a bore of the porous support tube, wherein the collection tube has a plurality of orifices formed therein at least at positions adjacent the nub.

The present disclosure relates to semipermeable membranes which are suitable for blood purification, e.g. by hemodialysis, which have an increased ability to remove larger molecules while at the same time effectively retaining albumin. The membranes are characterized by a molecular retention onset (MWRO) of between 9.0 kD and 14.5 kD and a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of between 55 kD and 130 kD as determined by dextran sieving curves and can be prepared by industrially feasible processes excluding a treatment with salt before drying. The invention therefore also relates to a process for the production of the membranes and to their use in medical applications.

The present invention relates to a hollow-fiber membrane module including: a hollow-fiber membrane bundle including a plurality of hollow-fiber membranes bundled in a potting part; a housing enclosing the hollow-fiber membrane bundle; and a protective member contacting with an outer surface of the potting part and continuously covering the outer surface, in which the protective member has a notched part through which one end of the protective member communicates with another end in a longitudinal direction of the hollow-fiber membrane bundle.

A hollow fiber membrane bundle configured to be used in an artificial lung and comprised of integrated hollow fiber membranes 31 has hollow portions through which a fluid passes. The hollow fiber membrane bundle is shaped as a cylinder body. In addition, the hollow fiber membrane 31 is tilted with respect to a central axis O of the cylinder body, is wound around the central axis O of the cylinder body, and satisfies the following conditions. An inner diameter d.sub.1 of the hollow fiber membrane 31 is equal to or smaller than 150 m, a tilt angle with respect to the central axis O of the cylinder body of the hollow fiber membrane 31 is equal to or smaller than 60, and a ratio D.sub.1/L of an outer diameter D.sub.1 of the cylinder body to a length L of the cylinder body is equal to or greater than 0.4.