Developing an orbitally shaken bioreactor featuring a square vessel wall with a large circular chamfer

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering
• Bioprocess Engineering

Background:

• Orbitally shaking bioreactors (OSRs) are crucial in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Vessel wall shape critically impacts mixing and mass transfer in OSRs.
• Current cylindrical OSR designs limit mixing efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel wall shape for OSRs to enhance mixing and mass transfer.
• To compare the performance of a square tank with a large circular chamfer (STCC) OSR against traditional cylindrical designs.
• To investigate the theoretical and experimental benefits of the STCC design.

Main Methods:

• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed.
• Experimental validation was conducted.
• Comparative analysis focused on mixing time and oxygen transfer efficiency at consistent power consumption.

Main Results:

• The STCC wall shape demonstrated superior theoretical mixing and mass transfer efficiency.
• Simulations and experiments indicated higher mixing and oxygen transfer in STCC OSRs compared to cylindrical ones.
• The STCC design effectively overcomes limitations of traditional cylindrical OSRs.

Conclusions:

• The novel STCC wall shape offers a promising advancement for OSR technology.
• This design is expected to improve efficiency in biopharmaceutical production.
• Further application of STCC OSRs holds significant potential for the industry.