Systems and methods for humidity control
AssigneeVapotherm, Inc.
InventorsScott A. Leonard, Meghan H. Kate
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and devices for humidifying a breathing gas using a vapor transfer unit are presented. The method includes providing a first vapor transfer unit having a gas passage and a liquid passage, delivering a liquid to the liquid passage, delivering a gas to the gas passage, humidifying the gas by delivering vapor from the liquid in the liquid passage to the gas in the gas passage, exiting the humidified gas outside the vapor transfer unit at first relative humidity and at a high gas flow rate, and reducing the gas flow rate through the first vapor transfer unit to less than a low gas flow rate, while preventing the relative humidity from exceeding the first relative humidity by more than an acceptable margin.
Claims21
-49. (canceled)
A system for humidifying breathing gas, the system comprising:
- a housing having a gas inlet and a gas outlet;
- a plurality of tubes disposed within the housing and each defining a passage for a flow of gas from an upstream end of the passage to a downstream end of the passage;
- and
- a liquid inlet positioned to direct liquid toward outer surfaces of the tubes;
- wherein the plurality of tubes comprises a first group of tubes and a second group of tubes;
- and wherein tubes of the first group are porous.
A method for humidifying breathing gas, the method comprising:
- providing a gas to a system comprising a housing having a gas inlet and a gas outlet;
- the system comprising:
- a plurality of tubes disposed within the housing and each defining a passage for a flow of gas from an upstream end of the passage to a downstream end of the passage;
- and
- a liquid inlet positioned to direct liquid toward outer surfaces of the tubes;
- wherein the plurality of tubes comprises a first group of tubes and a second group of tubes;
- and wherein tubes of the first group are porous;
- delivering a gas to the gas in the passage;
- delivering a liquid to the system;
- and
- humidifying the gas by delivering vapor from the liquid to the gas in the passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.