DESIGN OF HOLLOW-FIBER MODULES FOR UNIFORM SHEAR ELUTION AFFINITY CELL-SEPARATION

Large-scale monoclonal antibody based systems for the selection of cel l subsets will play a prominent role in the development of hematothera py and graft engineering. Hollow fiber systems for affinity cell separ ation rely on the generation of uniform fluid shear stress at the lume nal attachment interface. Potential mechanisms for nonuniformity of lu menal wall shear stress are fiber wall permeation fluxes driven by the pressure gradient along individual fibers and the influence of inlet header dynamic pressure on the radial distribution of axial flow withi n the fiber module. Dimensional analysis and numerical solution of the now field within the lumen of a hollow fiber module illustrate the ma in physical criteria for design of hollow fiber modules. There will be a nearly uniform distribution of flow within the fiber bundle provide d that the dynamic inlet pressure is small in comparison with the pres sure drop along fibers. Fiber wall permeation fluxes will have a negli gible effect on axial flow rate for nonporous membranes such as Cuprop han.