Patent ID: 7144443

Claim:
An elongated flow-through fluid treatment apparatus for treating one or more fluids passing therethrough, said fluid treatment apparatus comprising: (a) an elongated outer tube defining a first chamber therewithin, and being relatively gas and liquid impermeable; (b) one or more elongated inner tubes extending within said outer tube and at least partially through said first chamber, said one or more inner tubes each being formed solely of one or more gas-permeable, liquid-impermeable materials, and having an inlet portion and an outlet portion; (c) one or more adapters extending from a side wall of said outer tube and coextensively with one or more apertures therein such that a hollow channel extending through said one or more adapters provides for fluid connection between said first chamber and locations external to said one or more adapters; (d) sealing means for mechanically creating gas-tight junctions of said outer tube adjacent said inlet and outlet portions of said one or more inner tubes; (e) inlet connection means operably coupled to said outer tube and said inlet portion of said one or more inner tubes; and (f) outlet connection means operably coupled to said outer tube and said outlet portion of said one or more inner tubes, said fluid treatment apparatus being sufficiently flexible so as to be readily manipulatable into desired configurations.