Method and apparatus for continuous mixing of blood plasma and additives

A method of mixing and cooling plasma and at least one additive including the steps of:

• continuously supplying a flow of plasma to the bottom of a vertically disposed mixing and cooling heat exchanger having a central coolant chamber and an outer chamber, said coolant chambers being separated by an annular flow passageway;
• continuously supplying a flow of at least one desired non-gaseous additive, in a proportion dependent upon the flow of plasma, to the bottom of said mixing and cooling heat exchanger;
• continuously mixing said plasma and said non-gaseous additive;
• continuously feeding the mixture of plasma and additive upwardly through said annular flow passageway between said coolant chambers to cool said mixture;
• and
• continuously withdrawing a product, consisting of mixed and cooled plasma and said at least one desired additive, from said mixing and cooling heat exchanger.

A device for use in blood plasma fractionation for continuously cooling blood plasma without entrapment of air, comprising:

• an annular product passageway having a top end and a bottom end;
• an inner coolant chamber coaxially disposed internal to said annular product passageway;
• an outer coolant chamber coaxially disposed external to said annular product passageway;
• inlet means at said bottom end of said annular passageway for introducing blood plasma into said annular passageway;
• outlet means at the upper end of said annular passage for removing said plasma from said annular passageway;
• first refrigerant inlet means and first refrigerant outlet means for passing refrigerant into and out of said first coolant chamber;
• and
• second refrigerant inlet means and second refrigerant outlet means for passing refrigerant into and out of said second outer coolant chamber.