Hollow Fiber Cartridges and Components and Methods of Their Construction

A stackable rectangular hollow fiber module, said module stackable with other modules of identical structure, said module comprising a rectangular housing, said housing enclosing a rectangular cartridge,

• wherein said housing and cartridge are each characterized by two rectangular end walls, joined by four rectangular side walls that parallel each other, wherein multiple cartridges may be included in each housing,
• wherein said cartridge is characterized by two rectangular ends and four rectangular sides and enclosing a bundle of hollow fibers, said bundle being a bundle of hollow fiber clusters (for example, unit clusters consisting of seven hollow fibers),
• wherein each of two opposite cartridge side walls have at least one cartridge filtrate port(s), the filtrate ports on one wall spaced along that wall in the same manner as the filtrate ports on the opposite wall, said filtrate ports allowing exit or entry of filtrate that emanates from the hollow fiber bundle,
• wherein each of two opposite housing side walls have at least one housing filtrate port(s), the housing filtrate ports preferably positioned so that they align with the cartridge filtrate ports,
• wherein each of said two opposite housing walls have a housing retentate port,
• wherein a first housing retentate port is positioned so that it is not blocked by the cartridge but rather opens into channel that allows retentate flow from outside the housing to a first end of the bundle or alternatively allows retentate flow from said first end of the bundle to outside the housing,
• wherein a second housing retentate port is located in the wall opposite the one that has the first housing retentate port, said second housing retentate port positioned so that it is not blocked by the cartridge but rather opens into channel that allows retentate flow from outside the housing to the second end of the bundle or alternatively allows retentate flow from the second end of the bundle to outside the housing.