Patent ID: 7175808

Claim:
A portable micro-organism inactivation system suitable for use with individual fluid units, comprising: a casing mounting a UV radiation source, pump means, and releasable tube support means; and an elongate tube having: a first portion with wall means of a UV-transparent material and having an internal diameter of around 3 mm, and containing a static flow mixing means extending therealong with a multiplicity of mixer elements for repeatedly subjecting a fluid flow therethrough, in use of the system, to a mixing operation comprising dividing and remixing of the fluid flow substantially without inducing turbulence in said fluid flow, in use of the system; a second portion interfaced with said pump means for pumping of fluid therethrough by said pump means in use of the system; upstream and downstream ends provided with first and second coupling means respectively for releasable fluid-tight connection of said elongate tube, in use of the system, to an individual fluid unit container of fluid to be treated and to a treated fluid container for receiving treated fluid, respectively, and having a sterile interior, said releasable tube support means being formed and arranged for releasably supporting said elongate tube so as to define a flow path extending therethrough which is substantially free of substantial discontinuities so as to substantially avoid turbulence in fluid flowing therealong in use of the system, and with substantially only said first portion extending in close proximity to said UV radiation source within an irradiation zone thereof, and with said second portion interfaced with said pump means, said pump means being provided with a flow controller formed and arranged for limiting the flow of said fluid through said tube between predetermined flow rate limits so that in use of the system substantially the whole of said individual fluid unit is exposed to a similar micro-organism inactivating level of UV-irradiation, whilst minimizing damage to the desired components thereof, and then collected in a said treated fluid container.