Potting apparatus for a gas exchanger

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a casting device for producing a potting for a gas exchanger and a method for producing such a potting. Accordingly, a casting device is proposed for producing a potting for a gas exchanger under the influence of a centrifugal force, comprising a distributor comprising an opening and at least one continuous channel and adapted to receive a fluid potting material via the opening and to guide it via the at least one channel. The casting device further comprises a cassette defining an inner cavity for receiving gas exchanger elements and which is fluidly connected to the at least one channel. The distributor comprises at least two distributor components which, in the assembled state of the distributor, define the opening, are connected to one another in a leak-proof manner, and form the at least one channel between adjacent regions.

Claims

1. A method of producing a potting for a gas exchanger under influence of a centrifugal force, the method comprising: inserting gas exchanger elements into an inner cavity of a cassette; mounting on the cassette a distributor having an opening and at least one continuous channel such that the opening of the distributor is fluidly connected via the at least one channel to the cavity to form a casting device for producing the potting for the gas exchanger, wherein the distributor defines an overflow region which is arranged and shaped such that excess material in the inner cavity flows into the overflow region in an assembled state of the distributor; and feeding a potting material into the opening under influence of a centrifugal force, wherein mounting the distributor on the cassette comprises assembling distributor components to define the opening of the distributor, to define the overflow region, and to form the at least one channel between adjacent regions of the distributor components.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein assembling the distributor components comprises attaching an inner seal and an outer seal on opposite sides of the at least one channel of each distributor component to fluidly seal the at least one channel in the assembled state of the distributor.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising: providing a molded seal which is formed from two couplable molded seal components, wherein the cassette is closable and formed to receive the molded seal, and wherein the cassette is formed of an upper couplable cassette component and a lower couplable cassette component in a direction of a centrifugal axis of the casting device; inserting a first molded seal component of the two molded seal components into the lower cassette component and placing the gas exchanger elements on the first molded seal component; placing a second molded seal component of the two molded seal components on the first molded seal component; and placing the upper cassette component on the second molded seal component so that the molded seal completely encloses the inner cavity and fluidly seals the inner cavity up to the at least one channel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distributor comprises at least two continuous channels.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distributor components are uniformly shaped.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein assembling the distributor components comprises assembling each distributor component adjacent to two distributor components and forming the at least one channel with the adjacent distributor components.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the distributor components comprise three or four uniformly shaped distributor components.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein assembling the distributor components comprises assembling three or four uniformly shaped distributor components, wherein each distributor component, in the assembled state of the distributor, forms the at least one channel with the adjacent distributor components.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising connecting the distributor components in a detachable manner.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a funnel-shaped filling region for the potting material.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the overflow region includes a larger radial distance from a center of the cassette than an inner tolerance range of the potting to be produced.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the opening extends to an outer surface of the cassette and fluidly connects the cassette to an environment, and wherein the opening is concentric with a centrifugal axis of the casting device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least the distributor is reusable.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the opening and the at least one channel with a non-stick coating.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising forming the distributor components of a material comprising aluminum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description of the figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casting device in an assembled state;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the casting device according to FIG. 1 with a missing distributor component;

(4) FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the casting device as shown in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view of the casting device according to FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cassette with a molded seal and a recess;

(7) FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a molded seal component for a cassette with a recess;

(8) FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the molded seal component according to FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 is top perspective view of the molded seal component according to FIG. 6 with an inserted gas exchanger closure;

(10) FIG. 9 is a side view of a molded seal with inserted gas exchanger closures;

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a lower cassette component for the cassette;

(12) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the lower cassette component according to FIG. 10 with inserted molded seal component and gas exchanger closure;

(13) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an upper cassette component for the cassette according to the invention;

(14) FIG. 13 is a perspective sectional view of the upper cassette component as shown in FIG. 12;

(15) FIG. 14 is a perspective sectional view of the cassette according to FIG. 5 with one remaining distributor component;

(16) FIG. 15 is a detailed view of a seal or gasket at an interface or boundary surface of a distributor component;

(17) FIG. 16 is another detailed view of the seal according to FIG. 15; and

(18) FIG. 17 is a detailed view of a sealing of the channel on a cassette surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(19) In the following, embodiments will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. In the Figures, corresponding, similar, or like elements are denoted by identical reference numerals and repeated description thereof may be omitted in order to avoid redundancies.

(20) The individual components of the casting device are described in view of the Figures, wherein the respective components are not shown in all Figures to provide a better overview and wherein optional components may be present in the embodiments.

(21) FIG. 1 shows a casting device 10 in an assembled state in a perspective representation. The casting device 10 comprises a distributor 12 which is adapted to receive a potting material through an opening 26 and to distribute it through one or more channels inside the casting device 10 to a cassette, such that the potting material may form a potting for gas exchanger elements (not shown) contained in the cassette 16.

(22) The distributor 12 is formed of multiple distributor components 14. According to the present embodiment, four distributor components 14 are provided, which together form a cylindrical distributor 12 and define the opening 26. However, an alternative number of distributor components 14 may be provided, such as two or three. The outer shape of the distributor 12 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may also be ellipsoidal or essentially rectangular, for example.

(23) The distributor components 14 are connected to each other by means of a clamping ring 18 so that they are sealed at corresponding boundary surfaces or interfaces 22. As will be further explained below, in this embodiment channels are formed by the boundary surfaces or interfaces 22, which guide or feed the potting material that is received through the opening 26 to the cassette 16. In this embodiment, four channels are correspondingly provided, which are arranged circumferentially and at spacing to each other such that the gas exchanger elements contained in the cassette 16 are surrounded on four sides by the potting material.

(24) Fixing screws 20, which provide a detachable connection, are also provided for fixing the distributor 12 or the distributor components 14 to the cassette 16. Accordingly, the distributor components 14 may be sequentially screwed onto cassette 16 and, after a manufacturing process, may be unscrewed again and separated from cassette 16.

(25) To facilitate the separation of the distributor components 14, recesses 24 are provided which may be engaged with a separating device, such as a wedge-shaped separator, to remove the distributor components 14 from the cassette 16.

(26) FIG. 2 shows the casting device 10 with a missing (not shown) distributor component 14, wherein the boundary surfaces or interfaces 22 and the interior of the distributor 12 are exposed. Accordingly, a part of channel 28 is shown which, in the assembled state of the distributor, forms channel 28 with a corresponding part of channel 28 of an adjacent interface or boundary surface 22 of the respective other distributor component 14. In other words, each interface or boundary surface 22 may define half a channel, which is arranged such that when the distributor is assembled, a channel 28 is formed by adjacent interfaces or boundary surfaces 22 of two distributor components 14.

(27) Channel 28 is also surrounded by a seal to prevent the potting material from escaping to the outside during production due to the centrifugal forces acting on it. The seal is provided by an inner seal 30 and an outer seal 32 which are located on opposite sides of channel 28. Seals 30, 32 extend from opening 26 to the end of channel 28 or to a bore in the cassette (not shown). A flat gasket 34 is also provided at this end, which is inserted in the bore and surrounds the channel. The channel 28 is thus fluidly or fluid-tightly sealed.

(28) The potting material may reach the gas exchanger elements without loss or impairment of production. In order to simplify the filling, the opening 26 upstream of the respective channels 28 is funnel-shaped, such that a filling region 36 is defined. Due to the funnel shape, which may be formed continuously all around, it is also ensured that the potting material may be guided into the channel 28 during rebound.

(29) Furthermore, an overflow 38 is provided above the filling region 36, which is adapted to the geometry of the filling region 36 and the inner space of the cassette 16. Due to the funnel shape of the filling region 36 and its arrangement, the overflow 38 may cause excess potting material to be guided so that the excess potting material runs into the overflow 38 and is collected there, when the potting material has been filled into the inner cavity of the cassette 16 to such an extent that it has reached the edge of the filling region 36 facing the opening 26 in the radial direction. In other words, the filling region 36 and the overflow 38 are shaped in such a way that they include a larger radial distance from the center of the cassette 16 than the inner tolerance range of the potting to be produced.

(30) The opening 26 extends to the outer surface of the cassette 16 or to the top of the cassette 16 and enables, e.g., a cooling from the top of the cassette 16 due to the interaction with its surroundings. This allows the cassette 16 to be evenly tempered so that bubble formation due to irregular or uneven cooling is prevented. The opening may also provide a direct cooling of the gas exchanger elements, as shown by the exemplary closure 40, which is accommodated in a recess in cassette 16.

(31) In the sectional view of the casting device 10 in FIG. 3, the inside of cassette 16 is shown. The cassette 16 comprises two cassette components 50, 52, namely an upper cassette component 50 and a lower cassette component 52, which are interconnected and are formed to be closable. The cassette components 50, 52 may thus be separated from each other or be opened to receive a molded seal 44, which covers the inner space of cassette 16 and is accordingly clamped or sandwiched to allow fluid sealing of an inner cavity to the cassette 16.

(32) This structure is shown further in FIG. 4. The inner cavity 46 of the molded seal 44 is shown. The inner cavity 46 is fluidly connected to the channels 28 via respective bores 42 of the cassette. However, it is prevented that potting material from the channels 28 penetrates into the cassette or into the interior of the cassette, for example, by sealing lips of the molded seal 44, which are arranged in the area of the bores 42. The sealing lips (not shown) are clamped by the assembly of the cassette and form a seal to the bore 42. Thus, potting material from the respective channel 28 passes through the bore 42 only into the inner cavity 46 of the molded seal 44. The gas exchanger elements, in the present embodiment in the form of two oppositely arranged closures of the gas exchanger, are also arranged in the molded seal 44 and are surrounded by the potting material up to the inner diameter of the filling region 36. This prevents the potting material from coming into contact with the cassette, which makes cleaning and separating the cassette components significantly easier. The cassette also includes a centrifuge attachment 48 at a bottom region, which facilitates mounting in a centrifuge and enables stationary fixation.

(33) The cassette 16 is shown in detail in the perspective representation according to FIG. 5, wherein the cassette 16 is shown with a form seal and an opening 58 in the upper cassette component 50. Opening 58 allows a gas exchanger element or closure 40 to protrude from the cassette and be ventilated through the distributor opening.

(34) In addition to the opening 58, the upper cassette component 50 includes a centering device 54 in addition to the bores 42, into which, for example, centering sleeves may be inserted, such that the upper cassette component 50 may simply be attached to the lower cassette component 52 and aligned accordingly. Furthermore, two fixing devices 56 are provided, by means of which the cassette components 50, 52 may be connected to each other, for example via corresponding screws.

(35) Molded seal 44 can be formed from two symmetrical molded seal components 45, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9. Accordingly, the molded seal component 45 has an opening 62 analogous to the cassette, in which, for example, a closure for the gas exchanger may be accommodated. This reduces the complexity of the molded seal component 45. Furthermore, this enables a simplified separation of the molded seal component 45 from the encapsulated gas exchanger elements after curing of the potting material. For example, a gas exchanger may be pressed out of the molded seal component 45 via the protruding closure.

(36) The molded seal component 45 further comprises a number of sealing lips or sprue points 60 corresponding to the number of channels, wherein the sprue or gate points 60 are arranged to overlap with a bore of the cassette and the outlet of the respective channel to provide a fluidic seal to the cassette. Since the molded seal components 45 are symmetrically formed and a fluidic connection for the corresponding lower molded seal component 45 is not provided, the sprue points 60 may initially remain closed and, prior to insertion of the upper molded seal component 45, be pierced, punctured or perforated to provide the fluidic connection between the channels and the inner cavity.

(37) Accordingly, FIG. 7 shows a lower molded seal component 45, wherein the sprue points 60 are not cut out, but wherein a short inlet to the inner cavity is also present.

(38) FIG. 8 also shows the upper molded seal component 45 with a closure 40 inserted in the opening 62, wherein the sprue points 60 have not yet been cut out. The lower molded seal component 45 may be provided with a closure 40, wherein the molded seal components 45, when assembled, together form the molded seal 44, as shown in FIG. 9 in a side view.

(39) The lower molded seal component 45 may be received by a lower cassette component 52 by an appropriate configuration, as shown in FIG. 10 in a perspective view. In this embodiment, the lower cassette component 52 comprises a centrifuge attachment 48 in addition to the fixing device 56, which facilitates the mounting of the casting device in a centrifuge and enables stationary fixing. The centering device is also equipped with centering sleeves 64, which allow the upper cassette component to be attached to the lower cassette component 52 while simultaneously allowing an alignment as required.

(40) The lower cassette component 52, like the upper cassette component, has an opening 66 to accommodate a closure. This also allows ventilation on the bottom side of the cassette of the gas exchanger to be potted, such that an improved temperature distribution is achieved. This is shown in FIG. 11. A molded seal component 45 is inserted in the lower cassette component 52 and a closure 40 is received by the opening of the molded seal component 45. Centering sleeves have not yet been inserted in the centering device 54 in this Figure. As shown in this Figure, a fluid connection is not possible on the bottom side are there are no sprue points or bores.

(41) This is in contrast to the bores 42 that are present in the upper cassette component 50, as shown in FIG. 12. The bores 42 are shown in greater detail in FIG. 13. Accordingly, the bores 42 in the upper cassette component 50 may provide an inlet for the potting material fed in from the respective channel to the inner cavity of the molded seal. The bore 42 only provides a relatively small inlet, which may be easily cleaned after production. For sealing, the bore 42 may be provided with a flat seal or gasket on the upper side, such that the respective channel is sealed all around or circumferentially, for example.

(42) The separation between the cassette and the respective channel is preferably facilitated by a corresponding recess in the lower area of the respective distributor components 14. For example, the recess may be wedge-shaped so that a wedge-shaped separating device 68 may be inserted into the recess and cause a separating movement as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 14. For example, the separating device 68 may be formed as a fork, wherein the fork engages in two adjacent recesses of two distributor components. In this way, the distributor or distributor components 14 may subsequently be removed from the cassette or the upper cassette component 50 and subsequently be cleaned.

(43) FIGS. 15 to 17 show the advantageous seals of the casting device in detail. Accordingly, FIG. 15 shows a detailed view of a boundary surface or an interface 22 of a distributor component 14, wherein channel 28 is surrounded by an inner seal 30 and an outer seal 32 and may thus be fluidly sealed towards the surroundings. The outer seal 32 extends from an upper portion of the opening and overflow 38 to the lower end and downstream end of channel 28, respectively, such that the outer seal cord surrounds any components of the distributor containing potting material. Furthermore, the inner seal 30 seals the channel 28 to the cassette and to the lower section of the filling region 36. Where the respective channel 28 flows into a bore in the cassette, channel 28 can be surrounded by a flat gasket 34. The potting material may then be safely transported from the filling region 36 into the bore or the inner cavity of the molded seal without leakage.

(44) As shown in FIG. 16, the inner and outer seals 30, 32 are furthermore attached to the interfaces or boundary surfaces 22 by means of a sealing groove 72, wherein a corresponding sealing cord 70 is inserted in the sealing groove 72. The sealing cord 70 consists of an elastic material, such that the sealing cord 70 may be inserted into the sealing groove 72 by means of a press fit. The adjacent boundary surface or interface 22 of the coupled distributor component may be formed without a sealing groove 72 and have a smooth surface such that the sealing cord 70 is pressed against the surface during assembly of the distributor or by clamping the distributor components and a fluid-tight seal is achieved.

(45) A fluid-tight seal to the cassette may also be provided by a flat gasket 34 inserted at the top edge or rim of a bore 42 and surrounding the respective channel 28 as shown in FIG. 17. The gasket 34 may overlap with the inner seal 30 and the outer seal 32, which not only improves sealing, but also makes it easier to separate the distributor components. In addition, the distributor components may be dimensioned smaller in order to provide a compact configuration and reduce manufacturing costs.

(46) Where applicable, all the individual features depicted in the exemplary embodiments may be combined and/or exchanged without leaving the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(47) 10 Casting device 12 Distributor 14 Distributor component 16 Cassette 18 Clamping ring 20 Fixing screw 22 Boundary surface or interface 24 Recess 26 Opening 28 Channel 30 Inner seal 32 Outer seal 34 Flat seal or gasket 36 Funnel-shaped filling region 38 Overflow 40 Gas exchanger element or closure, respectively 42 Bore 44 Molded seal 45 Molded seal component 46 Inner cavity 48 Centrifuge attachment 50 Upper cassette component 52 Lower cassette component 54 Centering device 56 Fixing device 58 Opening 60 Sealing lip or sprue point 62 Opening 64 Centering sleeve 66 Opening 68 Wedge-shaped separating device 70 Sealing cord 72 Sealing groove