Gas and liquid exchange apparatus

Claim 1

FLUID EXCHANGE APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AT LEAST A PAIR OF RELATIVELY RIGID SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OPEN FRAMES HAVING OPPOSITE FACES; INTERSTICED MEMBRANE-SUPPORTING STRUCTURES EACH DISPOSED IN A FRAME OPENING AND SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH SAID OPPOSITE FACES, SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURES PROVIDING FOR FLUID FLOW IN THE FRAME OPENING; A SINGLE PERVIOUS MEMBRANE WRAPPED AROUND EACH FRAME AND SEALINGLY COVERING BOTH FACES OF THE OPENING THEREIN, THE MEMBRANE BEING INTERIORLY SUPPORTED BY THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE IN THE ASSOCIATED FRAME OPENING; SPACER MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT MEMBRANE-COVERED FRAMES AND EACH DEFINING, WITH THE ASSOCIATED PAIR OF FACING OUTER MEMBRANE SURFACES, A RELATIVELY SHALLOW FLUID FLOW CHAMBER; MEANS HOLDING AT LEAST A PAIR OF MEMBRANE-COVERED FRAMES, WITH INTERPOSED SPACING MEANS, ASSEMBLED AS A UNIT; MEANS OPERABLE TO INTRODUCE A FIRST FLUID INTO EACH CHAMBER AND TO WITHDRAW THE FIRST FLUID THEREFROM; AND MEANS OPERABLE TO INTRODUCE A SECOND FLUID INTO EACH FRAMER OPENING AND TO WITHDRAW THE SECOND FLUID THEREFROM.