Cross-flow microfiltration of blood through an extracorporeal device: a study in parameterization

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Membrane plasma separation is crucial for medical treatments like plasmapheresis.
• Accurate performance characterization of these devices is essential for clinical efficacy and safety.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the complex interplay of parameters in membrane filtration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a generalized framework for describing membrane plasma separator performance.
• To utilize dimensional analysis to identify key parameters influencing separation efficiency.
• To establish a method for characterizing membrane-based plasmapheresis devices.

Main Methods:

• Applied dimensional analysis to understand membrane plasma separator performance.
• Conducted cross-flow microfiltration experiments using goats' blood.
• Utilized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) durapore membranes with varying pore sizes (0.65, 0.45, 0.22 microns) in a thin-channel device.

Main Results:

• Developed a set of non-dimensional numbers that effectively group relevant filtration parameters.
• Demonstrated that these non-dimensional numbers provide a global characterization of membrane-based plasmapheresis devices.
• Established a systematic approach for analyzing and comparing the performance of different membrane separators.

Conclusions:

• Dimensional analysis offers a powerful tool for the general description of membrane plasma separator performance.
• The evolved non-dimensional numbers facilitate a comprehensive understanding of plasmapheresis device behavior.
• This approach enhances the ability to design and optimize membrane-based separation technologies.