Heater-cooler system
OwnerStephen Turner, Benjamin David Garbuttinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heater-cooler apparatus of an extracorporeal perfusion system comprises at least one fluid circuit 102, 104 providing a supply of a heat transfer fluid to the perfusion system, a cold storage unit 266, and a refrigeration unit 250 for charging the cold storage unit 266. The cold storage unit 266 comprises a chamber 312 containing a liquid that freezes at a temperature above that to which the heat transfer fluid is cooled by the refrigeration unit 250, and a passage through which the heat transfer fluid is conveyed, the passage extending through the chamber 312. This allows a more effective cold storage unit to be provided.
Claims20
A heater-cooler apparatus for an extracorporeal perfusion system that comprises a first device requiring temperature control and a second device requiring temperature control, the apparatus comprising:
- a thermal generator unit configured to simultaneously provide separate supplies of heat transfer fluid, one at a higher temperature and one at a lower temperature to respective hot and cold flow circuits;
- and
- first and second controlled off-takes from each of said hot and cold flow circuits, the first controlled off-takes configured to provide a first flow of heat transfer fluid to a first intermediate heat exchanger and the second controlled off-takes configured to provide a second flow of heat transfer fluid to a second intermediate heat exchanger,
- wherein the first intermediate heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between the first flow of heat transfer fluid and a first intermediate fluid that circulates in a closed loop through said first device, and
- wherein the second intermediate heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between the second flow of heat transfer fluid and a second intermediate fluid that circulates in a closed loop through said second device.
A method of providing thermal control of fluids in an extracorporeal perfusion system that comprises a first device requiring temperature-control and a second device requiring temperature control, the method comprising:
- simultaneously providing separate supplies of heat transfer fluid, one at a higher temperature and one at a lower temperature, to respective hot and cold flow circuits;
- controlling off-takes from each of said hot and cold flow circuits to provide a first flow of heated or cooled heat transfer fluid to a first intermediate heat exchanger and a second flow of heated or cooled heat transfer fluid to a second intermediate heat exchanger,
- exchanging heat between the first flow of heat transfer fluid and a first intermediate fluid that circulates in a closed loop through said first device, and
- exchanging heat between the second flow of heat transfer fluid and a second intermediate fluid that circulates in a closed loop through said second device.
An extracorporeal perfusion system comprising:
- a first device requiring temperature-control;
- a second device requiring temperature control;
- a first intermediate heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between a first flow of heat transfer fluid and a first intermediate fluid that circulates in a closed loop through the first device;
- a second intermediate heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between a second flow of heat transfer fluid and a second intermediate fluid that circulates in a closed loop through the second device;
- and
- a heater-cooler apparatus comprising:
- a thermal generator unit configured to simultaneously provide separate supplies of the heat transfer fluid, one at a higher temperature and one at a lower temperature to respective hot and cold flow circuits;
- and
- first and second controlled off-takes from each of said hot and cold flow circuits, the first controlled off-takes configured to provide the first flow of heat transfer fluid to the first intermediate heat exchanger and the second controlled off-takes configured to provide the second flow of heat transfer fluid to the second intermediate heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.