A narrow residence time incubation reactor for continuous virus inactivation based on packed beds

A narrow residence time distribution (RTD) is highly desirable for continuous processes where a strict incubation time must be ensured, such as continuous virus inactivation. A narrow RTD also results in faster startup and shut down phases and limits the broadening of potential disturbances in continuous processes. A packed bed reactor with non-porous inert beads was developed to achieve narrow RTDs. The performance was defined as the ratio between the onset of the cumulative RTD and the median residence time (t_x%/t_50%). Laboratory-scale packed columns were used to study the influence of the column parameters on the RTD. A larger column with a void volume of 0.65 L and a length of 89 cm, packed with beads in a size range of 125 to 250 μm, achieved t_0.5%/t_50% >0.93 across flow rates from 0.1 to 9.8 mL/min. The RTD was significantly narrower than the RTDs of other reactor designs, such as the Coiled Flow Inverter and Jig in a Box. The pressure drop remained under 3 kPa for all tested flow rates. Fluorescent nanoparticles (30 and 200 nm) were used to mimic viruses. These two sizes showed less than 2% difference in terms of t_1%/t_50% and t_0.01%/t_50% scores. These results indicated that viruses travelled through the column at rates independent of size. This proposal of packed beds as incubation chambers for continuous virus inactivation is simple, scalable, and can be realized as single-use devices. Due to the low pressure drop, the system can be easily integrated into a fully continuous process.