Centrifugal fluid processing device

A centrifugal fluid processing device comprising:

• a stationary base;
• a supporting shaft rigidly fixed to said stationary base and extended vertically therefrom, said supporting shaft having a vertical axis;
• a rotor rotatably supported on said supporting shaft and being rotatable about the vertical axis of said supporting shaft, said rotor defining therein a chamber;
• a rotor drive assembly coupled to said rotor;
• fluid processing container means rotatable along with said rotor about said vertical axis and being further rotatable independently of said rotor about an axis of rotation disposed radially or perpendicular to said vertical axis;
• a flexible communication conduit which has one end thereof extended into said fluid processing container means and the other end thereof led to the outside of the device and through which a fluid is fed into saif fluid processing container means, said flexible communication conduit comprising at least a radially extending section which extends along said radially disposed axis of rotation, a vertically extending section which extends along said vertical axis of said supporting shaft and a curved section interposed between the foregoing two sections and disposed in said chamber defined by said rotor;
• and
• driving power transmission means coupling said fluid processing container means to said rotor driving assembly for rotating said fluid processing container means about said radially disposed axis of rotation at a speed ratio of 1:1 versus the rotation of said rotor about said vertical axis and in a direction opposite to that of said rotor rotation as viewed in the direction of which said fluid flows through said conduit.

A centrifugal fluid processing device comprising:

• a stationary base;
• a supporting shaft rigidly fixed to said stationary base and extended vertically therefrom, said supporting shaft having a vertical axis;
• a rotor rotatably supported on said supporting shaft and being rotatable about the vertical axis of said supporting shaft, said rotor defining therein a chamber;
• a rotor drive assembly coupled to said rotor;
• a container supported on said rotor and being rotatable along with said rotor about said vertical axis and being further rotatable independently of said rotor about an axis of rotation disposed radially or perpendicular to said vertical axis;
• at least one fluid processing bag located in said container;
• a flexible communication conduit which has one end thereof extended into said fluid processing bag and the other end thereof led to the outside of the device and through which a fluid is fed into said fluid processing bag, said flexible communication conduit comprising at least a radially extending section which extends along said radially disposed axis of rotation, a vertically extending section which extends along said vertical axis of said supporting shaft and a curved section interposed between the foregoing two sections and disposed in said chamber defined by said rotor;
• and
• driving power transmission means coupling said container to said rotor driving assembly for rotating said container about said radially disposed axis of rotation at a speed ratio of 1:1 versus the rotation of said rotor about said vertical axis and in a direction opposite to that of said rotor rotation as viewed in the direction in which said fluid flows through said conduit.

A centrifugal fluid processing device comprising:

• a stationary base;
• a rotor supported on said stationary base and being rotatable about one axis;
• a fluid processing container rotatable along with said rotor about said one axis and being further rotatable independently of said rotor about another axis disposed radially or perpendicular to said one axis;
• a fluid communication conduit having one end thereof connected to said fluid processing container and the other end thereof extended to the outside of the device, said fluid communication conduit including a first section, a second section and a third section interposed between said first and second sections;
• first guide means for guiding said first section of said fluid communication conduit in the direction of said one axis;
• second guide means for guiding said second section of said fluid communication conduit in the direction of said another axis to thereby bend said third section in said rotor;
• and
• rotational driving means for driving said rotor to rotate together with said fluid processing container about said one axis and to rotate said fluid processing container about said another axis such that said fluid communication conduit, especially said third section thereof, is not subjected to complete twisting during the course of said rotation of said rotor and said fluid processing container revolving about said rotor and such that said fluid processing container rotates and revolves substantially at the same speed as the speed of rotation of said rotor bout said first axis.

A centrifugal fluid separator comprising:

• a stationary base;
• a supporting shaft fixed to said stationary base and extending vertically therefrom, said supporting shaft having a vertical axis and further having therein a central axially extending hole;
• a rotor having therein a chamber and being rotatably supported on said supporting shaft so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis of said supporting shaft, an upper end of said supporting shaft extending into said rotor chamber;
• a stationary bevel gear disposed in a horizontal plane and fixed onto said upper end of said supporting shaft, said stationary bevel gear having therein a central axial hole communicating with said central axially extending hole of said supporting shaft;
• a container supported on said rotor and being rotatable about the longitudinal or horizontal axis thereof and including a shaft portion defining therein a central axially extending hole along said horizontal axis and an enlarged portion defining therein a fluid processing chamber, said shaft portion of said container having one end thereof extended into said rotor chamber;
• a movable bevel gear fixed to said one end of said shaft portion of said container and engaged with said stationary bevel gear, said movable bevel gear having therein a central axial hole communicating with said central axially extending hole of said shaft portion;
• a bag located in said fluid processing chamber of said container;
• a fluid communication conduit having one end thereof connected to said bag and the other end thereof extended to the outside of the device, said fluid communication conduit passing through said central axially extending hole of said shaft portion of said container to said rotor chamber, where said fluid communication conduit is bent vertically to be led into and passed through said central vertically extending hole of said supporting shaft;
• and
• means for driving said rotor to rotate said rotor about said vertical axis, to thereby cause said container to revolve about said vertical axis and to rotate about said horizontal axis without subjecting said fluid communication conduit to complete twisting.

A process for centrifugalizing liquids which comprise components having different specific gravities, comprising:

• feeding a liquid to be processed into at least one inlet tube from one end thereof, said at least one inlet tube being selected out of a plurality of tubes passed through one fluid communication conduit;
• flowing said liquid first in a vertical direction without substantially applying centrifugal forces thereon and, then, in a horizontal direction;
• applying onto said fed liquid flowing in said horizontal direction a horizontal centrifugal force in the direction in which said liquid flows and a vertical centrifugal force in said vertical direction;
• feeding said liquid into a processing chamber from the other end of said at least one inlet tube by further applying thereon a resultant centrifugal force of said vertical and horizontal centrifugal forces;
• separating said liquid in said processing chamber by the action of said resultant centrifugal force;
• and
• forcing the separated liquid fractions into corresponding outlet tubes opened to said processing chamber, respectively.