US3325641A - Apparatus for treating a thin film of liquid by exposure to radiant energy - Google Patents

Description

G. W. JONES June 13, 1967 APPARATUS FOR TREATING A THIN FILM OF LIQUID BY EXPOSURE TO HADIANT ENERGY Filed Feb. 17, 1964 /I TREATED BLOOD OUT INVENTOR GEORGE W. JONES UNTREATED /D uw '5 a 4 vv 2 EM mw )ww UC 6 N .IU ww PU F m0 BLooD IN BY Mg' /W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,325,641 APPARATUS FOR TREATING A THIN FILM F LIQUID BY EXPOSURE T0 RADIANT ENERGY George W. Jones, 503 Fairmont Ave., Winchester, Va. 22601 Filed Feb. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 345,444 1 Claim. (Cl. Z50- 44) This invention relates to liquid treatment apparatus and it has special application in the treatment of blood and blood plasma for human and veterinarian therapy.

The invention comprises improvements in apparatus disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 2,827,901 and 3,046,- 903.

`One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of improvements in such apparatus which renders them applicable to broader treatment techniques, such as oxygenation under controlled pressured conditions, including hyperbaric and sub-atmospheric pressures, eX- posure to radiant energy, such as by infra-red and ultra violet light, X-rays, radioactive isotopes, etc.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for improving the eiliciency of contact between the liquid being treated and a gas, such as oxygen, and/or radiant energy with which the liquid is to be treated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improvements for debubbling treated liquid containing an excess of absorbed gas.

A still further object is the provision of means for forming the liquid to be treated into a continuous thin film in a treatment zone.

A specific object of the invention is the provision of means for treating cancer cells in blood by means of radiation, contact with a treatment gas or gases under selected conditions including hyperbaric pressures.

Another specific object is the provision of means whereby cells of the human body may be treated by extracorporeal conditioning of the blood which is then returned to the circulatory system of the body.

A further specific object is the provision of means for removing from blood carbon monoxide and/or other injurious gases that have been absorbed thereby, such as from inhalation of combustion gases.

A still further specific object is the provision of apparatus for the purposes indicated which is inexpensive, has relatively few parts. is readily assembled and disassembled, and easily sterilized.

These and still further objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawing, which shows schematically various elements combined and modified in accordance with an embodiment of this invention, some parts being shown in section.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity, the embodiment illustrated comprises a treatment chamber of glass or other suitable material having an upper bulbous part 1 and a lower neck portion 2.

The lower end of the neck portion 2 is closed with a removable screw cap 3 which has a flat bottom 4 for supporting the chamber on a horizontal surface, such as that of a platform 5. The cap 3 may be secured to the platform by any suitable means such as screws 6.

A hollow cylindrical heat exchanger 7 is disposed on the platform about the neck 2 and it is secured to the platform by screws 8.

A liquid inlet tube 11 passes upwardly through the platform 5 and the cap 3 and, hence, along the longitudinal axis of the chamber. It is held in position by means of a tubular holder 9 threadedly engaging a removable plug 10. The holder 9 can be adjustably positioned in the plug 10 by means of a knurled knob 9.

The upper end of the tube 11 is provided with an outlet nozzle 12 which functions to spread the liquid passing through the tube in a circular spray pattern for impingement against the wall of the chamber immediately thereabove to facilitate its iiow downwardly and evenly along an interior surface 13 of the chamber in a thin lm 14. The use of the nozzle may be disposed with in many cases where a satisfactory flow can be obtained with the open tube alone.

Liquid is conducted to the tube 11 through a pipe 15 on the discharge side of a pumping unit 16. The pumping unit may be of any suitable type but preferably of the type shown and described in my said prior Patent No. 3,046,903. Liquid is fed to the pumping unit 16 through an inlet pipe 17, the source of which may be the blood of a living organism (not shown) to be treated, or liquid from a mechanical reservoir (not shown) or liquid from any other source of supply.

Alongside the liquid inlet tube 11 there is disposed in the treatment chamber a gas inlet tube 18, the lower end of which passes out through the cap 3 and the platform 5 to a conventional 3-way valve 19. The valve 19 has an outlet 20 which is connected to the tube 18 by pipes 21, a first inlet 22 and a second inlet 23. The rst inlet 22 is connected to a source of gas under pressure, such as a bottle 24 of oxygen or other conventional gas apparatus having conventional pressure and discharge regulating devices 25. The second inlet 23 of the valve is connected to a source of vacuum (not shown). By these means, gas pressure conditions within the treatment chamber can be selectively controlled through the valve 19 to provide hyperbaric pressures of different magnitudes or subatmospheric pressures. Also, these opposite pressure conditions can be provided in an alternating or intermittent fashion by simply rotating the conventional actuator (not shown) of the valve 19 between the two positions for communication to the vacuum source on the one hand and to the pressure apparatus on the other.

Liquid treated inside the chamber is discharged through an outlet pipe 25 at the bottom of the neck portion 2 passing through the cap 3. The upper open end of the pipe 25 is provided with a float valve which comprises a stem 26 connected to a ball float 27 at the top with a plug 28 at the bottom. The stem 26 is slidably mounted on loops 29, 29 of a bracket 30 to retain the plug 2S in alignment with the open end of the pipe 25.

The pipe 25 is connected to the inlet 31 of a conventional 3-way valve 32. One outlet 33 of the valve 32 is connected by a by-pass pipe 34 to the inlet of the pumping unit 16. The other outlet 35 of the valve 32 is connected by a pipe 36 to a debubbling reservoir 37 which receives the treated liquid. The liquid may be retained in this debubbling reservoir sufficiently long to permit the release of excess gas adsorbed thereby in the treatment chamber. The reservoir is vented to the atmosphere by means of a vent tube 38. Liquid is withdrawn from the reservoir through a valved discharge tube 39. The vent tube 38 is provided with an air filter 40 to filter air which may be drawn into the reservoir through displacement when liquid is removed through the discharge tube 39. By these means the liquid passing out of the treatment apparatus can be controlled by either recirculating it when additional treatment is necessary or alternatively discharged completely from the system.

A support rod 41 is also disposed within the treatment chamber. The lower end is attached to a threaded holder 42 which engages a threaded plug 43 through the bottom of the cap 3. A knurled head 45 at the bottom of the holder 42 facilitates turning it so as to adjust the elevation of the upper end of the rod. The upper end of the rod is provided with a group of fingers 46 which are arranged to form a cup holder for a pellet 47 of radiant energy, such as radium, radioactive cobalt isotopes, or other conventional sources of radiant energy that is or may be valuable in the treatment of blood or other liquid.

In actual practice, the apparatus may 'be used in a number of different ways, depending upon the treatment to be achieved. In general, however, t-he source of liquid to 'be treated, such as blood, is connected to the inlet tube 17 of the pumping unit 16. Thus, liquid is forced by the pumping unit continuously or intermittently through the inletv tube 11 of the treatment chamber. It passes through the tube 11 continuously or intermittently to impinge on the interior surface 13 of the bulbous portion 1 and thence flows down over this surface 13 in a thin film 14. The thickness of the film can be controlled to -a degree by controlling the rate at which liquid en-ters the treatment chamber by means of a valve 48 in pipe 15 or by controlling the action of the pumping unit 16 or both.

Where treatment of the yliquid is to be effected 'by a gas, such as oxygen, the inlet 22 of t-he valve 19 is connected to a source of gas, such as the gas bottle 24 and the desired rate of ow and/ or pressure is regulated by the conventional regulator 25' connected thereto.

When it is desired to subject the liquid to treatment by sub-atmospheric pressure, the inlet 23 of the valve 19 is connected to a source of vacuum and the valve 19 set to close t-he tube 18 to communication with the bottle 24 and Iopen it to the source of vacuum. The position of the valve 19 may be changed for or during any particular treatment. It may, for example, be used to subject the liquid being treated first to sub-atmospheric and then to hyperbaric pressures, such as where it is desired to combine treatment by both these facilities.

Alternatively or simultaneously with these treatment facilities, radiant energy may be supplied to the liquid film through pellets 47, such as that of a radioactive isotope, or other means.

Treated liquid in the treatment chamber collects in the lneck portion 2 and it is normally prevented from being discharged by the float valve when the plug 28 is seated on the tube 25. However, when the level of liquid in the neck portion 2 rises sufficiently high to elevate the ball 27, the valve is opened and liquid is discharged through the pipe 25 -until the level of liquid falls to a point Where the valve is again closed 'by the lowering of the ball 27.

Liquid normally passes from the tube 25 into the debubbling reservoir 37 where excess gas adsorbed by the liquid can be removed. The liquid can be withdrawn from the reservoir through the outlet tube 39 for use as needed.

Where liquid passing out lof Vthe treatment chamber through the tube 25 requires additional treatment in the treatment chamber, it may be returned to the system through the by-pass 34 by resetting the valve 32.

To remove static electrical charges which may accumu- 4 late on the surface of the liquid as it passes through the system, particularly on the film surface, an electrical ground conductor 49 is disposed in the treatment chamber in contact with the liquid, as shown.

A bell-shaped radiation shield 50 is also provided for removable disposition about the treatment chamber when radioactive treatment is being effected.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

Apparatus for variously treating a liquid comprising a treatment chamber having a confined space delineated by an outer wall, said wall having a downwardly extending arcuate portion, an inlet tube for carrying liquid to be treated into the space, a nozzle on the inner end of the inlet tube for subdividing a stream of the liquid directed to an uppermost area of the arcuate portion, whereby the liquid spray in continuously contacting said area collects in the form of a thin lm and flows by gravity along the inner surface of the arcuate portion, the shape of the film conforming to the shape of the arcuate portion, a source of treatment gas under superatmospheric pressure and a source of vacuum, -means for selectively communicating the space within the chamber adjacent the lm with either of the said sources while the film is in a state of flow so as to permit subjecting the lm continuously to the effects of the gas and the vacuum alternatively, means for collecting the film in a pool at the bottom of the chamber, an outlet for the discharge of liquid from the pool, a float valve for controlling the flow of liquid from the pool to the outlet as Ia function of the level of the liquid in the pool, a debubbling reservoir connected to the outlet, means for selectively recycling liquid in the pool through the inlet tu'be, said chamber comprising a lower neck portion, an annular heat exchanger surrounding the lower neck portion, a source of radiant yenergy supported in the chamber adjacent the Wall, `and a radiation shield removably disposed about the chamber and the source of radiant energy.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 854,965 5/1907 Petter 25o-47 1,068,898 7/1913 Henri et al. 250-49 1,842,313 1/1932 Chaney 250-49 2,651,724 9/1953 Hall 250-49 2,849,621 8/1958 Clark 250-106 2,968,734 l/l961 Yeomans 250-44 X 3,043,982 7/1962 Wehrli 250-49 RALPH G. NILSON, Primary Examiner.

W. F LINDQUIST, Assistant Examiner.

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