Vessel, system, and associated method for product concentration

A single-use fluid vessel for use in a bioprocessing system, the single-use fluid vessel comprising:

• a vessel tank formed of a disposable material, the vessel tank having a top, a sidewall, and plurality of inlet ports defined in the sidewall;
• a spray ball, formed of a disposable material, extending from the top of said fluid vessel into said vessel tank;
• a sump assembly having an open upper end fluidly coupled below said vessel tank and having an inlet port defined in a side wall thereof;
• and
• a first impeller having first impeller blades disposed in the vessel tank configured to stir fluid within said vessel tank, the first impeller including a first mixer shaft mounted to the vessel tank via a first mixer-connection flange, and
• a separately controllable second impeller having second impeller blades disposed in the sump assembly configured to stir fluid in said sump vessel, the second impeller including a second mixer shaft mounted to the vessel tank via a second mixer-connection flange;
• wherein at least one of the first and second mixer shafts is oriented at an oblique angle with respect to a vertical axis of the vessel tank;
• and
• wherein the first and second mixer-connection flanges are mounted to the top of the vessel tank.

A bioprocessing system for processing a fluid solution, said system comprising:

• a fluid vessel comprising a vessel tank having a top, a sidewall, and a first volume, and a sump assembly having a second volume smaller than the first volume, the sump assembly having an open upper end and a sidewall, the open upper end fluidly coupled to a bottom of said vessel tank;
• a first impeller having first impeller blades disposed in the vessel tank configured to stir fluid within said vessel tank, the first impeller including a first mixer shaft mounted to the vessel tank via a first mixer-connection flange, and
• a separately controllable second impeller having second impeller blades disposed in the sump assembly configured to stir fluid in said sump vessel, the second impeller including a second mixer shaft mounted to the vessel tank via a second mixer-connection flange;
• wherein at least one of the first and second mixer shafts is oriented at an oblique angle with respect to a vertical axis of the vessel tank;
• and
• wherein the first and second mixer-connection flanges are mounted to the top of the vessel tank;
• a processing system;
• and
• a fluid line assembly fluidly coupling said vessel tank and said sump assembly with said processing system, and comprising:
• a vessel outlet feed line fluidly coupling said fluid vessel with said processing system;
• a first return line fluidly coupled with the sidewall of said vessel tank at a first height along said fluid vessel to return fluid processed in said processing system to said vessel tank;
• a second return line fluidly coupled with the sidewall of said vessel tank at a second height along said fluid vessel lower than the first height to return fluid processed in said processing system to said vessel tank;
• and
• a sump return line fluidly coupled with the sidewall of said sump assembly below said first return line and said second return line.