Fluid purification system
Certain disclosed embodiments concern systems and methods of preparing dialysate for use in a home dialysis system that is compact and light-weight relative to existing systems and consumes relatively low amounts of energy. The method includes coupling a household water stream to a dialysis system; filtering the water stream; heating the water stream to at least about 138 degrees Celsius in a non-batch process to produce a heated water stream; maintaining the heated water stream at or above at least about 138 degrees Celsius for at least about two seconds; cooling the heated water stream to produce a cooled water stream; ultrafiltering the cooled water stream; and mixing dialysate components into the cooled water stream in a non-batch process.
1. A fluid purification system having an inlet and an outlet, and defining a fluid flow pathway, comprising:
a pump;
a single fluid microfluidic pasteurizer downstream of the pump and coupled to the fluid flow pathway and configured to heat the fluid to a pasteurization temperature, maintain the fluid at the pasteurization temperature for a period of time effective to pasteurize fluid flowing through the pathway, and cool pasteurized fluid to a temperature lower than the pasteurization temperature; and
a throttling valve downstream of the pasteurizer, wherein the pump and the throttling valve operate in a closed loop control setup to maintain the fluid at a desired pressure and flow rate as the fluid passes through the pasteurizer.
2. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , wherein the pump is configured to increase the fluid pressure in the fluid flow pathway to a level higher than saturation pressure in the pasteurizer.
3. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , wherein the desired pressure is at least a saturation pressure such that the fluid does not change state as the fluid passes through the pasteurizer.
4. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising a filter upstream of the pasteurizer.
5. The fluid purification system of claim 4 , where the filter is a carbon filter.
6. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising a reverse osmosis element upstream of the pasteurizer.
7. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising an ultra-filtration element downstream of the pasteurizer.
8. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising a de-gassifier system downstream of the pasteurizer.
9. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is water.
10. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising a dialysate mixer that receives fluid from the outlet and mixes the fluid with dialysate components to form a dialysate.
11. The fluid purification system of claim 10 , further comprising a dialyzer that receives dialysate from the dialysate mixer.
12. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a reverse osmosis element upstream of the pasteurizer;
an ultra-filtration element downstream of the pasteurizer; and
a de-gassifier system downstream of the pasteurizer.
13. The fluid purification system of claim 1 , further comprising a recirculation loop adapted to permit fluid leaving the fluid pathway to be recirculated back into the fluid pathway.
14. The fluid purification system of claim 13 , further comprising a source of sterilizing fluid coupled to the recirculation loop.
15. A method for purifying a fluid, comprising:
introducing a fluid stream into a fluid pathway;
passing the fluid stream through a pump configured to achieve a predetermined fluid pressure in the fluid flow pathway;
passing the fluid through a single fluid microfluidic pasteurizer that heats the fluid to a pasteurization temperature, maintains the fluid at the pasteurization temperature for a period of time effective to pasteurize the fluid, and cools pasteurized fluid to a temperature lower than the pasteurization temperature; and
passing the fluid stream through a throttling valve after the fluid exits the pasteurizer, wherein the pump and the throttling valve operate in a closed-loop to collectively maintain the fluid at a flow rate and pressure that inhibits the fluid from undergoing a phase change in the pasteurizer.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the fluid is water.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream through a filter.
18. The method of claim 17 where the filter is a carbon filter.
19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream through a reverse osmosis element.
20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream through a sediment filter.
21. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream through an ultra-filtration element.
22. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream through a de-gassifier.
23. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream in a pasteurized state to a dialysate mixer and mixing the pasteurized water stream with a dialysate component to produce dialysate.
24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising passing the dialysate into a dialyzer.
25. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing the water stream through a reverse osmosis element, a sediment filter, an ultra-filtration element, a de-gassifier, a dialysate mixer to mix pasteurized water stream with a dialysate component to produce dialysate, and any and all combinations thereof.
26. The method of claim 16 , comprising heating the water stream to at least 138° C. and maintaining the heated water stream in the pasteurizer at or above 138° C. for at least two seconds.
27. The method of claim 16 , further comprising passing a sterilizing fluid through the fluid pathway prior to introducing the water stream into the fluid pathway.
28. The method of claim 27 , further comprising heating at least a portion of the fluid pathway to heat sterilizing fluid flowing through the pathway to a desired fluid temperature, and thereafter introducing the water stream into the fluid pathway.
29. The method of claim 28 , further comprising:
reducing fluid temperature in the fluid pathway; and
maintaining a sterilizing fluid in the fluid pathway while the fluid temperature reduces.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein reducing fluid temperature in the fluid pathway comprises reducing the fluid temperature to room temperature.
31. The fluid purification system according to claim 1 wherein the microfluidic pasteurizer includes a residence chamber to receive the fluid for a predetermined residence time sufficient to pasteurize the fluid.
32. The fluid purification system according to claim 1 wherein the fluid is water, and the pump and the throttling valve operate to provide water in the system at a pressure of at least 485 kPa and a temperature of at least 138° C.
33. The fluid purification system according to claim 32 capable of producing water having 10 −6 CFU/ml or less.
34. A fluid purification system having an inlet and an outlet, and defining a fluid flow pathway, comprising:
a reverse osmosis element coupled to the fluid flow pathway;
a pump downstream of the reverse osmosis element;
a single fluid microfluidic pasteurizer downstream of the pump and coupled to the fluid flow pathway and configured to heat the fluid to a pasteurization temperature, maintain the fluid at the pasteurization temperature for a period of time effective to pasteurize fluid flowing through the pathway, and cool pasteurized fluid to a temperature lower than the pasteurization temperature;
a throttling valve downstream of the microfluidic pasteurizer, wherein the pump and the throttling valve operate in a closed loop to maintain the fluid in the system at a desired pressure and flow rate selected for fluid pasteurization as the fluid passes through the microfluidic pasteurizer;
an ultra-filtration element downstream of the throttling valve; and
de-gassifier system downstream of the ultra-filtration element.
35. The fluid purification system of claim 34 , further comprising a dialysate mixer that receives fluid from the outlet and mixes pasteurized fluid with dialysate components to form a dialysate.
36. The fluid purification system of claim 35 , further comprising a dialyzer that receives dialysate from the dialysate mixer.