Patent ID: 8518252

Claim:
A system to produce sterile water for injection (SWFI) for on-site and on-demand intravenous fluid reconstitution, from feed water, comprising: a) a water preconditioning module comprising a pre-filter, a primary pump, reverse osmosis membranes, de-ionization resin beds, and first and second flow restrictors, wherein the water preconditioning module is designed and configured so that (i) the reverse osmosis membrane partitions the filtered water into a filtrate and a retentate, and passes the filtrate along a flow-path to and through the de-ionization resin beds to form de-ionized filtrate, while removing the retentate from this flow-path; (ii) the first flow restrictor controls the amount of retentate which is drawn back to the prefilter for recirculation through the water preconditioning module; and (iii) the second flow restrictor controls the amount of retentate which is expelled from the module; b) a hydrothermal processor module comprising a first heat exchanger, a reactor coupled with a heater, a flow restrictor and a plurality of valves, wherein the hydrothermal processor module is designed and configured so that (i) the coupled reactor and heater sterilize and depyrogenate the de-ionized filtrate; (ii) the first heat exchanger transfers heat from SWFI to the de-ionized filtrate; (iii) at least one of the valves diverts steam generated during the sterilization and depyrogenation of the de-ionized filtrate and away from the hydrothermal processor module; and (iv) at least one of the other valves diverts SWFI from the hydrothermal processor module; and c) a fluid staging compartment comprising a surge tank, a conductivity sensor in said surge tank, a recirculation pump, and a drain valve, wherein the fluid staging compartment is designed and configured so that (i) the surge tank receives retentate being expelled from the water preconditioning module, steam from the hydrothermal processor module, and diverted SWFI from the hydrothermal processor module; and (ii) the conductivity sensor measures the quality of the retentate, and based upon such measurement the drain valve allows continuous or intermittent draining of at least a portion of the accumulated water in the surge tank from the system; and (c) or the recirculation pump recirculates at least some of the water from the surge tank back to the water preconditioning module.