ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED DIAPHRAGM PUMP

1 - 67 . (canceled)

68 . A diaphragm pump system comprising:

a) a pump housing comprising a drive gas chamber and a fluid chamber separated by a diaphragm; the drive gas chamber being connected to one or more gas ports for injecting and/or sucking a gas into and out of the gas chamber; the fluid chamber being connected to a least one port for fluid inlet and at least one port for fluid outlet, said inlet port(s) having a valve adapted to open for fluid inlet when gas is sucked out of the gas chamber and said outlet port(s) having a valve adapted to open for fluid outlet when gas is injected into the gas chamber;

b) means for providing a drive gas pressure in response to a control signal, said pressure means being connected to at least one gas port;

c) means for providing a gas under-pressure or sucking of gas in response to a control signal, said under-pressure means being connected to at least one gas port;

d) a displacement sensor for detecting displacement or position of the diaphragm;

e) control circuitry connected to the displacement sensor for determining the displacement or position of the diaphragm and adapted for supplying the control signals to the gas pressure means and the gas under-pressure means.

69 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the means for providing a drive gas pressure comprises a gas-pressure proportional control valve being connected to the gas port and the control circuitry, whereby the drive gas pressure is varied as a function of the control signal supplied by the control churl

70 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the means for providing a gas under-pressure comprises a vacuum pump, such as a vacuum ejector pump, said vacuum pump being connected to a gas port.

71 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the pump housing is formed of an upper housing part and a lower housing part, and wherein the upper housing part holds a fluid chamber wall, which together with the diaphragm forms the fluid chamber, said upper housing part further holding the fluid inlet/outlet port(s) with the fluid inlet/outlet valves.

72 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the upper housing part and/or the walls of the fluid chamber, the fluid inlet/outlet ports and the fluid inlet/outlet valves are made of one or more disposable materials.

73 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the proportional valves and the vacuum pump are arranged in the lower housing part and outside the gas chamber.

74 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged in the lower housing part below the gas chamber wall.

75 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the fluid inlet valve and the fluid outlet valve are selected from a list of valves including: passive check valves, electro mechanical controlled valves, guillotine/pinch valves, sleeve hose valves, diaphragm valves, and pumping diaphragm sequential valves.

76 . A system according to claim 68 , wherein the lower housing part is made to be re-usable.

77 . A pump system comprising two or more diaphragm pumps according to claim 68 , said pumps coupled in parallel so that the fluid inlet ports are coupled in parallel and the fluid outlet ports are coupled in parallel.

78 . A pump system according to claim 77 , comprising two diaphragm pumps, each pump having a first, a second, a third and a fourth fluid inlet/outlet port, each fluid inlet/outlet port having a corresponding fluid inlet/outlet valve, said fluid inlets/outlet ports being connected in pairs with the two first inlet/outlet ports connected to a first common inlet/outlet port, the two second inlet/outlet ports connected to a second inlet/outlet port, the two third inlet/outlet ports connected to the a third common inlet/outlet port, and the two fourth inlet/outlet ports connected to a fourth common inlet/outlet port.

79 . A pump system according to claim 77 , wherein a first, a second, a third and a fourth pump are coupled in parallel, and the drive gas pressure of the four pumps is controlled so as to have a phase displacement of about 90 degrees from the first to the second pump, from the second to the third pump, and from the third to the fourth pump, respectively.

80 . A pump system according to claim 78 , wherein the fluid valves are sleeve hose valves.

81 . A method of preparing a chemical or biological product comprising operating a bioreactor system comprising a bioreactor having one or more bioreactor modules and the diaphragm pump system of claim 68 .

82 . A method of preparing a chemical or biological product comprising operating a bioreactor system comprising a first and a second diaphragm pump system and a bioreactor having one or more bioreactor modules, wherein:

at least one bioreactor module has an inner collection volume, a porous matrix at least partly surrounding the inner collection volume, and an outer collection volume at least partly surrounding the porous matrix;

the first pump system has a fluid inlet port with a fluid inlet valve for external inlet of fluid to a fluid chamber, a first fluid outlet port having a fluid outlet valve and being connected to the bottom of the inner collection volume of the bioreactor for outlet of fluid from the fluid chamber to the inner collection volume, and a second fluid outlet port having a fluid outlet valve and being connected to the bottom of the outer collection volume of the bioreactor for outlet of fluid from the bioreactor; and

the second pump system has one or more fluid inlet ports being connected to the top of the outer collection volume of the bioreactor, each said inlet ports having a fluid inlet valve and further being connected to a fluid chamber of the second pump system for inlet of fluid from the outer collection volume to the fluid chamber, and a fluid outlet port having a fluid outlet valve and being connected to the top of the inner collection volume for outlet of fluid from the fluid chamber of the second pump system to the inner collection volume,

wherein the first and second diaphragm pump system is the diaphragm pump system of claim 68 .