Method And Apparatus For Continuous Removal Of Submicron Sized Particles In A Closed Loop Liquid Flow System

Abstract

A method and apparatus for continuous removal of submicron sized artificial oxygen carriers (rAOC) and other materials such as cancer cells and bacteria from blood and other liquids. A centrifuge rotor having a curved shape is offset on a spinning rotor base and creates contiguous areas of low to high centrifugal force depending on the distances from the axis of the rotor base. This creates a density gradient field that separates materials of different densities input to the centrifuge that exit via different outputs. A monitor detects any red blood cells (RBC) with the rAOC before they exit the centrifuge. If there are any RBC detected logic circuitry changes the speed of rotation of the rotor, and the flow rate of pumps inputting and removing separated blood and rAOC to and from the centrifuge until there are no RBC in the rAOC exiting the centrifuge.

1 . A rotor for a centrifuge used to separate components having different densities from a mixture of the components, the rotor comprising:
 a rotor base having a central axis and the rotor base is rotated about the central axis when the centrifuge is in use;   a first rotor element that is curved and is attached to and has an orientation extending away from the rotor base, the first rotor element having a first end and a second end; and   a second rotor element that is curved and is attached to and has an orientation extending away from the rotor base, the second rotor element having a first end and a second end, the second end of the first rotor element being connected to the first end of the second rotor element to form a composite rotor element;   wherein the composite rotor element is positioned on the rotor base so that the first end of the first rotor element and the second end of the second end of the second rotor element are at different distances from the central axis.   
     
     
         2 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a centrifuge housing in which the composite rotor element on the rotor base is mounted and is rotated; 
 a first output port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing for removing a first component of the mixture of components input to the centrifuge housing; 
 a second output port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing for removing a second component of the mixture of components input to the centrifuge housing, the spacing between the first and second output ports being substantially the same spacing as the spacing between the first end of the first rotor element and the second end of the second rotor element; 
 an input port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing through which the mixture of components is input to the centrifuge housing, said input port being closer to the second end of the second rotor element than to the first end of the second rotor element which is connected to the second end of the first rotor element to form the composite rotor element. 
 
     
     
         3 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 2  wherein when the rotor base with composite rotor element mounted thereon is rotated inside the centrifuge housing the orientation of the composite rotor element on the rotor base creates a density gradient that separates two components of the mixture of components that is input to the centrifuge housing, where the two components have different densities, and a first of the two components moves in a first direction inside the centrifuge housing and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the first output port while a second of the two components moves in a second, opposite direction inside the centrifuge housing and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the second output port. 
     
     
         4 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 3  further comprising:
 a monitor port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing, the monitor port being closer to the second output port at the second end of the second rotor element than the input port is, the monitor port being used to extract a sample of the second of the two components moving toward the second output port, the sample being used to determine if the first of the two components has been separated from the second component. 
 
     
     
         5 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 4  further comprising:
 an outwardly extending end at the first end of the first rotor segment and at the second end of the second rotor segment, 
 wherein as the rotor turns inside the centrifuge housing these two ends create a pressure pushing the first component of the mixture of components toward the first output port and pushing the second component of the mixture of components toward the second output port. 
 
     
     
         6 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 5  further comprising:
 a sensor connected to the monitor output port to monitor the sample of the second of the two components moving toward the second output port and extracted at the monitor port for the presence of any of the first of the two components, the sensor generating an output signal if any of the first of the two components is present; and 
 electronics receiving the output signal from the sensor, the electronics causing a change in the rate at which the first of the two components is removed from the centrifuge at the first output port, and changing the rate at which the second of the two components is removed from the centrifuge at the second output port to eliminate the presence of any of the first of the two components in the sample taken at the monitor output port, thus assuring there is none of the first of the two components present with the second of the two components exiting the centrifuge at the second output port. 
 
     
     
         7 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 6  wherein the electronics also causes a change in the rate at which the mixture of components is input to the centrifuge housing to assure there is none of the first of the two components present with the second of the two components exiting the centrifuge at the second output port. 
     
     
         8 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 2  further comprising:
 a monitor port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing, the monitor port being closer to the second output port at the second end of the second rotor element than the input port is, the monitor port being used to extract a sample of the second of the two components moving toward the second output port, the sample being used to determine if the first of the two components has been separated from the second component. 
 
     
     
         9 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 8  further comprising:
 an outwardly extending end at the first end of the first rotor segment and at the second end of the second rotor segment, 
 wherein as the rotor turns inside the centrifuge housing these two ends create a pressure pushing the first component of the mixture of components toward the first output port and the second component of the mixture of components toward the second output port. 
 
     
     
         10 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 9  wherein when the rotor base with composite rotor element mounted thereon is rotated inside the centrifuge housing the orientation of the composite rotor element on the rotor base creates a density gradient that separates two components of the mixture of components that is input to the centrifuge housing, where the two components have different densities, and a first of the two components moves in a first direction inside the centrifuge housing and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the first output port while a second of the two components moves in a second, opposite direction inside the centrifuge housing and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the second output port. 
     
     
         11 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 4  further comprising:
 a sensor connected to the monitor output port to monitor the sample of the second of the two components moving toward the second output port and extracted at the monitor port for the presence of any of the first of the two components, the sensor generating an output signal if any of the first of the two components is present; and 
 electronics receiving the output signal from the sensor, the electronics causing a change in the rate at which the first of the two components is removed from the centrifuge at the first output port, and changing the rate at which the second of the two components is removed from the centrifuge at the second output port to eliminate the presence of any of the first of the two components in the sample taken at the monitor output port, thus assuring there is none of the first of the two components present with the second of the two components exiting the centrifuge at the second output port. 
 
     
     
         12 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 11  wherein the electronics also causes a change in the rate at which the mixture of components is input to the centrifuge housing to assure there is none of the first of the two components present with the second of the two components exiting the centrifuge at the second output port. 
     
     
         13 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 12  wherein when the rotor base with composite rotor element mounted thereon is rotated inside the centrifuge housing the orientation of the composite rotor element on the rotor base creates a density gradient that separates two components of the mixture of components that is input to the centrifuge housing, where the two components have different densities, and a first of the two components moves in a first direction inside the centrifuge housing and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the first output port while a second of the two components moves in a second, opposite direction inside the centrifuge housing and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the second output port. 
     
     
         14 . A rotor for a centrifuge used to separate whole blood from other artificial blood having a density higher than any of the components of the whole blood, the rotor comprising:
 a rotor base having a central axis and the rotor base is rotated about the central axis when the centrifuge is in use;   a first rotor element that is curved and is attached to and has an orientation extending away from the rotor base, the first rotor element having a first end and a second end; and   a second rotor element that is curved and is attached to and has an orientation extending away from the rotor base, the second rotor element having a first end and a second end, the second end of the first rotor element being connected to the first end of the second rotor element to form a composite rotor element;   wherein the composite rotor element is positioned on the rotor base so that the first end of the first rotor element and the second end of the second end of the second rotor element are at different distances from the central axis.   
     
     
         15 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 14  further comprising:
 a centrifuge housing in which the composite rotor element on the rotor base is mounted and is rotated; 
 a first output port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing for removing the whole blood from the artificial blood input to the centrifuge housing; 
 a second output port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing for removing the higher density artificial blood input to the centrifuge housing along with the whole blood, the spacing between the first and second output ports being substantially the same spacing as the spacing between the first end of the first rotor element and the second end of the second rotor element; 
 an input port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing through which the mixture of whole blood and artificial blood is input to the centrifuge housing, said input port being closer to the second end of the second rotor element than to the first end of the second rotor element which is connected to the second end of the first rotor element to form the composite rotor element. 
 
     
     
         16 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 15  wherein when the rotor base with composite rotor element mounted thereon is rotated inside the centrifuge housing the orientation of the composite rotor element on the rotor base creates a density gradient that separates the whole blood from the artificial blood where the components of the whole blood have a lower density than the artificial blood, and a first of the whole blood moves inside the centrifuge housing toward and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the first output port while the artificial blood moves inside the centrifuge housing toward and is removed from the centrifuge housing at the second output port. 
     
     
         17 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 16  further comprising:
 a monitor port through the sidewall of the centrifuge housing, the monitor port being closer to the second output port at the second end of the second rotor element than the input port is, the monitor port being used to extract a sample of the artificial blood moving toward the second output port, the sample being used to determine if the whole blood has been completely separated from the artificial blood. 
 
     
     
         18 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 17  further comprising:
 an outwardly extending end at the first end of the first rotor segment and at the second end of the second rotor segment, 
 wherein as the rotor turns inside the centrifuge housing these two ends create a pressure pushing the whole blood toward the first output port and the artificial blood toward the second output port. 
 
     
     
         19 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 18  further comprising:
 a sensor connected to the monitor output port to monitor the sample of the artificial blood moving toward the second output port and extracted at the monitor port to test for the presence of any whole blood components, the sensor generating an output signal if any of the first of the two components is present; and 
 electronics receiving the output signal from the sensor, the electronics causing a change in the rate at which the first of the two components is removed from the centrifuge at the first output port, and changing the rate at which the second of the two components is removed from the centrifuge at the second output port to eliminate the presence of any of the first of the two components in the sample taken at the monitor output port, thus assuring there is none of the first of the two components present with the second of the two components exiting the centrifuge at the second output port. 
 
     
     
         20 . The centrifuge rotor of  claim 19  wherein the electronics also causes a change in the rate at which the mixture of whole blood and artificial blood is input to the centrifuge housing to assure there is none of the whole blood components present with the artificial blood exiting the centrifuge at the second output port.