A cartridge is provided for dialysis or other blood processing therapy. In the cartridge, fibers may be substantially uniformly distributed near a midplane, but near an end, in the inter fiber space, there may be void flow channels, which may cause fluid flow in the inter fiber space to transition within a short region to uniform flow with minimal stagnation zones. Void flow channels may be be radially oriented, introducing fluid from the outer circumference, or axially oriented, introducing fluid along the axial direction through passageways through the potting material. The fluid flow in the inter fiber space may be perpendicular to the fibers, or radial with respect to a cartridge longitudinal axis. The cartridge may have blood flow in the inter fiber space, and flow of dialysate or ultrafiltrate in the lumens of the fibers, or the opposite situation.

A heat exchanger for a blood circulation circuit includes a hollow fiber membrane layer having a plurality of laminated hollow fiber membranes 31. Each of the hollow fiber membranes 31 has a barrier layer 5 having a hydrogen peroxide barrier property, and the barrier layer 5 has an oxygen permeability coefficient of 6 cc.Math.cm/m.sup.2.Math.24 h/atm or less at 25° C.

A filtration module according to one embodiment of the present invention includes plural hollow fiber membranes held while being aligned in one direction and a pair of holding members that fix both ends of the hollow fiber membranes. In the holding members, an existence region where the hollow fiber membranes exist has a rectangular shape in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the hollow fiber membranes are aligned. The hollow fiber membranes are arranged in a matrix in a long side direction and a short side direction of the existence region. In the existence region, a ratio of an average pitch of the hollow fiber membranes in the long side direction to an average pitch of the hollow fiber membranes in the short side direction is 1.2 or more and 2.5 or less.

A humidifier block and a method for producing a humidifier block are disclosed. The humidifier block may include a plurality of membranes each having a cavity for passing a through-flow and a jacket surrounding the cavity in a circumferential direction. The jacket may be moisture-permeable. At least one strip-shaped carrier may be fitted with the plurality of membranes, and the plurality of membranes may arranged in a longitudinal direction parallel to one another and adjacent to one another on the at least one carrier. The at least one carrier fitted with the plurality of membranes may be shaped into the humidifier block such that the plurality of membranes are arranged adjacent to one another in a transverse direction running transversely to the longitudinal direction and adjacent in a height direction running transversely to the longitudinal direction and transversely to the transverse direction.

A cell culture bioreactor has perfusion membranes and gas transfer membranes or a gas phase in an extra-membrane space in contact with a film on the perfusion membranes. Gas transfer membranes may travel through the perfusion membranes or through the extra-membrane space. Examples with hollow fiber and flat sheet membranes are shown. One or more of the membranes optionally has a responsive surface, for example a thermo-responsive surface. In some examples, membranes are located in X-Y planes while the length of the reactor extends in a Z-direction.

A blood oxygenator includes a housing having a first end opposite a second end with a sidewall extending between the first end and the second end along a longitudinal axis. The housing defines an interior chamber having a liquid inlet at the first end and a liquid outlet at the second end. The oxygenator further includes a gas exchange assembly positioned within the interior chamber. The gas exchange assembly includes a retainer having an upper cap spaced apart from a lower cap by one or more spacers, and a gas exchange medium disposed between the upper cap and the lower cap. The gas exchange medium has a plurality of subunits stacked on top of each other, with each subunit having a plurality of layers of hollow fiber mats.

A blood oxygenator includes a housing having a blood inlet, a blood outlet, a gas inlet, and a gas outlet; and a gas exchange medium having a plurality of hollow fibers in fluid communication with the gas inlet and the gas outlet. Each of the hollow fibers has a roughened outer surface configured to decrease a thickness of a boundary layer at an interface between blood and the roughened outer surface and increase a gas exchange rate at the interface.

An induced symbiotic osmosis system and method for treating produced fluids from a hydraulic fracturing process or system for symbiotic fluids fractionation, salinity power generation, brines and salts solution reverse osmosis. The system includes a reverse osmosis membrane assembly to create potable water from produced water. The membrane assembly includes a hollow fiber or flat sheet membrane and headers to transfer desalinated water therefrom. The system can include an electro coagulation system, an ultra or nano filtration system, and a desalter to treat the produced water or brine. A heat exchanger can be positioned between adjacent reverse osmosis membrane assemblies. An osmotic power generation unit can create electrical power by receiving and utilizing produce water and brine water from a brine storage. The system reduces the release of global warming contributing gases associated with hydraulic fracturing, while producing potable water and power.

A bioreactor is provided which contains cells capable of producing cytokine inhibitors in response to cytokines, in a manner regulated by the local or systemic milieu of an individual patient and predicted by mechanistic computational simulations. The bioreactor transfers the cytokine inhibitors to a patient in need of control of the inflammation process as part of a disease or condition in the patient, such as sepsis, trauma, traumatic brain injury, or wound healing. Related methods also are provided.

A contactor system includes a plurality of contactor panels. Each contactor panel includes a frame member and a membrane array adapted to be received within the frame member. The membrane array defines a first end portion, a second end portion, and a plurality of hollow fibers. The contactor system also includes a first manifold in selective fluid communication with the first end portion of the membrane array of each contactor panel. The contactor system further includes a second manifold in direct fluid communication with the second end portion of the membrane array of each contactor panel. The contactor system includes a controller configured to provide selective fluid communication between the first manifold and the first end portion of the membrane array of each contactor panel.