A cassette integrated system. The cassette integrated system includes a mixing cassette, a balancing cassette, a middle cassette fluidly connected to the mixing cassette and the balancing cassette and at least one pod. The mixing cassette is fluidly connected to the middle cassette by at least one fluid line and the middle cassette is fluidly connected to the balancing cassette by at least one fluid line. The at least one pod is connected to at least two of the cassettes wherein the pod is located in an area between the cassettes.

The present invention relates to a membrane-based piston pump (400) for pumping a liquid product. The pump is provided with a device (426) for maintaining a pre-defined hydraulic fluid volume in the pump. The device comprises an axle element (440) and a bushing element (432). The invention further relates to a method for pumping a liquid product in a pump. Furthermore, the invention relates to a homogenizer provided with a membrane-based piston pump.

Membrane pump device, wherein the membrane pump device comprises a housing, and the housing contains a first and a second chamber, wherein the first chamber is separated from the second chamber by a movable membrane, while a liquid being pumped can be introduced in the first chamber, and a drive liquid can be introduced into the second chamber, wherein the second chamber has an outlet opening, and the outlet opening is present on an outer side of the housing. The membrane pump device is characterized in that the membrane pump device comprises a valve, while the valve is arranged at the outlet opening and closes off the second chamber from the outside.

The present invention generally relates to hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems, including a variety of systems and methods that would make hemodialysis more efficient, easier, and/or more affordable. One aspect of the invention is generally directed to new fluid circuits for fluid flow. According to one aspect, a blood pump is configured to pump blood to a dialyzer of a hemodialysis apparatus, the blood pump comprising a pneumatically actuated or controlled reciprocating diaphragm pump. In an embodiment, the diaphragm of the pump comprises a flexible membrane formed or molded to generally conform to a curved inner wall of a pumping chamber or control chamber of the pump, wherein the diaphragm is pre-formed or molded to have a control side taking a convex shape, so that any elastic tension on the diaphragm is minimized when fully extended into a control chamber of the pump. In another aspect, a system for monitoring the adequacy of blood flow in a blood line of the hemodialysis apparatus allows a controller to suspend dialysate pumping operations if the adequacy of blood flow in the blood line is sub-optimal, and to present information on a display on the quality of blood flow in the blood line.

Implementations described herein relate to apparatus and methods for using a membrane pump to establish fracking pressure. Apparatus described herein includes, in place of mechanical pumps such as piston and impeller pumps, one or more membrane pumps are employed in a fluid circuit to increase the pressure of the fracking fluid. In operation of this system, a clean fluid circuit is used to pressurize clean fluid, transfer that pressure into the dirty fluid, and then return the clean fluid to a storage, and a dirty fluid circuit flows the dirty fluid from a storage, to the membrane pump to be pressurized, and then into a well bore to pressurize a formation penetrated by the well bore.

A cassette integrated system. The cassette integrated system includes a mixing cassette, a balancing cassette, a middle cassette fluidly connected to the mixing cassette and the balancing cassette and at least one pod. The mixing cassette is fluidly connected to the middle cassette by at least one fluid line and the middle cassette is fluidly connected to the balancing cassette by at least one fluid line. The at least one pod is connected to at least two of the cassettes wherein the pod is located in an area between the cassettes.

Automated control mechanisms and methods for controlling fluid flow in a hemodialysis apparatus are described. The methods can involve a controller receiving information from a pressure sensor in a control chamber of a reciprocating diaphragm-based blood pump and causing the application of a time-varying pressure waveform on a diaphragm of the blood pump during a fill-stroke of the blood pump. The controller can be configured and programmed to monitor a pressure variation in the control chamber measured by the pressure sensor and to compare the measured pressure variation to a pre-determined value. Based on such comparison, the controller can initiate a procedure to pause or stop a dialysate pump of the hemodialysis apparatus if the magnitude of the measured pressure variation deviates from the pre-determined value.

Hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems including a variety of systems and methods that make hemodialysis more efficient, easier, and/or more affordable, and include new fluid circuits for fluid flow in hemodialysis systems and a reciprocating diaphragm pump for pumping fluids. The reciprocating diaphragm pump includes a flexible diaphragm, a first rigid body having a curved pumping chamber wall, a second rigid body having an opposing curved control chamber wall. The diaphragm is interposed between the pumping chamber wall and the control chamber wall to define a pumping chamber and a control chamber. The diaphragm of the pump has a peripheral bead arranged to locate the diaphragm between the first rigid body and the second rigid body and a diaphragm body having a curved, semi-spheroid or domed shape. The diaphragm is pre-formed or molded so that during a delivery stroke of the pump, the elastic force of the diaphragm resisting its deployment into the pumping chamber prevents a peripheral portion of the diaphragm body from fully contacting the pumping chamber wall.

Systems for monitoring fluid flow in an extracorporeal blood circuit are described. The blood circuit of such systems can include plod pump having a pumping chamber of the blood pump separated from a control chamber of the blood pump by a flexible diaphragm. The control chamber can be configured to transmit positive or negative pressure to operate the diaphragm. The system can include a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure in the control chamber of the blood pump, and a controller configured to receive information from the pressure sensor and to control the delivery of pressure to the control chamber of the blood pump. The controller can also be configured to cause the application of a time-varying pressure waveform on the blood pump diaphragm during a fill-stroke of the blood pump, and to monitor a pressure variation in the control chamber measured by the pressure sensor. When so configured, such controller can transmit a value representing a magnitude of the measured pressure variation to a display associated with the extracorporeal blood circuit.

An automated fluid transfer system and method allows a person to pour fluid, such as used motor oil, into a collection pan which automatically pumps the fluid to a bulk storage tank, without secondary containment in the collection pan. The system utilizes an air powered pump, thereby eliminating the use of electricity which creates fire and explosion hazards. A float rises and falls in response to fluid in the pan, so as to automatically turn on and turn off the pump. An alternative manual mode is provided to allow fluid to be sucked by the pump from a container directly into the bulk storage tank, while bypassing the collection pan.