Vertical reaction vessel

A vertical reaction vessel having a uniform fluid flow design, comprising:

• a body defining a reaction medium receptacle having a receptacle cross-sectional area;
• a reaction medium is the receptacle;
• a fluid inlet communicating with the reaction medium receptacle and having an inlet cross-sectional area substantially smaller than the receptacle cross-sectional area;
• a manifold chamber adjacent to the fluid inlet having a manifold cross-sectional area substantially equal to the receptacle cross-sectional area to provide a plurality of fluid passageways from the fluid inlet across the receptacle cross-sectional area;
• and
• fluid-permeable back pressures means, located between the manifold chamber and the reaction medium, for gently compensating for volumetric changes of said reaction medium and for evenly distributing fluid through the fluid passageway substantially throughout the manifold cross-sectional area to encourage substantially uniform fluid flow through the reaction medium.

A method for reacting a solution with a reaction medium, and for compensating for volumetric changes in a reaction medium which is relatively fragile and has a volume which expands and contracts when exposed to a buffer solution having an ionic concentration, comprising the steps of:

• introducing fluid into a fluid inlet of a reaction vessel having a reaction medium of substantially constant cross-sectional area and a fluid distribution chamber between the fluid inlet and the reaction medium having a cross-sectional area substantially equal to the reaction medium cross-sectional area;
• distributing the introduced fluid throughout substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the fluid distribution chamber;
• providing a resilient membrane between the fluid distribution chamber and the reaction medium, wherein the resilient membrane is of the type which expands when hydrated and wherein the reaction medium is relatively fragile and has a volume which expands and contracts according to the ionic strength of a buffer solution introduced into the fluid inlet;
• expanding the resilient membrane when the reaction medium contracts to prevent the formation of voids in the reaction medium;
• contracting the resilient membrane when the reaction medium expands to prevent fracture of the reaction medium;
• and

A vertical reaction vessel having a uniform fluid flow design for use with a reaction medium which compensates for volumetric changes in a reaction medium which is relatively fragile and has a volume which expands and contracts when exposed to a buffer solution having an ionic concentration, comprising:

• a body defining a reaction medium receptacle having a receptacle cross-sectional area;
• a reaction medium in the receptacle;
• a fluid inlet communicating with the reaction medium receptacle and having an inlet cross-sectional area substantially smaller than the receptacle cross-sectional area;
• low resistance horizontal flow means, adjacent to the fluid inlet, for causing a first resistance to fluid flow in a horizontal direction from the fluid inlet substantially throughout the entire cross-sectional area of the reaction medium receptacle;
• high resistance vertical flow means, adjacent to the low resistance horizontal flow means, for causing a second resistance to fluid flow in a vertical direction toward the reaction medium which is greater than the first resistance to fluid flow, whereby fluid is distributed throughout substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the reaction medium receptacle prior to entering the reaction meadium;
• and
• volume compensating means for compensating for volumetric changes in the reaction medium due to the ionic concentration of a buffer solution.

A method for purifying a reaction solution containing desirable conjugated antibody and undesirable ionic material, comprising the steps of:

• introducing the reaction solution into a fluid inlet having an inlet cross-sectional area;
• distributing the fluid radially from the fluid inlet through a fluid distribution manifold having a manifold cross-sectional area substantially larger than the inlet cross-sectional area;
• providing a resilient, fluid-permeable back pressure device adjacent to the fluid distribution manifold constructed of a material which gently expands and contracts sufficient to accomodate volumetric changes of the low-exchange material to prevent fracture of the low-exchange material and the formation of voids in the low-exchange material;
• and
• directing the fluid through the fluid-permeable back pressure device and into an ion-exchange material contained in an ion-exchange chamber having a chamber cross-sectional area substantially equal to the manifold cross-sectional area.