Constant flowrate filtration of hybridoma cells suspensions

The fouling mechanism of rotating sieves (also called spinfilters) in suspended mammalian cells reactors is still poorly understood, and their design is consequently largely empirical. A laboratory set-up enabling constant flowrate filtration experiments is reported and its use described in order to study the fouling kinetics of 10 microns opening sieves by suspended hybridomas. Significant differences were obtained depending upon cell type and cell viability, under similar operating conditions. A roughly linear pressure drop increase, as predicted by constant flowrate incompressible cake filtration models, was obtained for most experiments. However, the influences of pumping flowrate and cell concentration on pressure drop evolution do not obey incompressible cake constant flowrate filtration laws; a surface colonization approach could possibly lead to a better description in that case.