Fermentation process
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorDonald O. Hitzman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An organism rich fluid is withdrawn from a foam fermenting apparatus by collecting and withdrawing the fluid from the foam breaker. In another embodiment the fluid from the foam breaker inside of the fermentor is subjected to a liquid/solid centrifugal action and an organism rich fluid stream as well as an organism depleted fluid stream is recovered.
Claims10
In a biological process involving microorganism fermentation in a fluid environment wherein a multiphase mass comprising a liquid nutrient phase, a solid organism phase and a gaseous phase in a fermenter is subjected to fermentation thereby consuming nutrient and multiplying organisms, wherein at least a portion of said multiphase mass is present as a foam in said fermenter, wherein said foam is subjected to a foam breaking step generating a gas stream essentially free of said liquid nutrient phase and of said solid organism phase which gas stream is withdrawn from said fermenter,
- the improvement comprising
- subjecting the fluid stream comprising both said liquid nutrient phase and said solid organism phase leaving said foam breaking step to a centrifugal action inside of said fermenter such as to generate a first fluid stream being rich in said liquid nutrient phase and depleted in said solid organism phase and a second fluid stream being rich in said solid organism phase and depleted in said liquid nutrient phase.
In a biological process involving microorganism fermentation in a fluid environment wherein a multiphase mass comprising a liquid nutrient phase, a solid organism phase and a gaseous phase in a fermenter is subjected to fermentation thereby consuming nutrient and multiplying organisms, wherein at least a portion of said multiphase mass is present as a foam in said fermenter, wherein said foam is subjected to a foam breaking step in a foam breaker generating a gas stream essentially free of said liquid nutrient phase and of said solid organism phase which gas stream is withdrawn from said fermenter,
- the improvement comprising
- collecting inside the upper portion of said fermenter at least a portion of the fluid comprising liquid nutrient phase and solid organism phase leaving the foam breaking operation at a location within a small gap of said foam breaker and withdrawing at least a portion of the so collected fluid stream from the fermenter in the vicinity of said foam breaker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.