US 5,075,234 AGranted

Fermentor/bioreactor systems having high aeration capacity

OwnerJosefino Tunacinventor

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Abstract

In concepts relating to biotechnology, fermentor and bioreactor apparatus and technology are provided for maximizing aeration for the cultivation and growth of aerobic microorganisms and tissue cells in artificial media such as aqueous growth media. The apparatus comprises a chamber with an impeller assembly for downward peripheral rotary flow under circumferential baffles that are downwardly disposed alongside microporous air sparger tubes. The agitation system preferably comprises a tree-turbine or a spherical-shaped impeller system. The apparatus provides advantages with respect to low shear, low power requirement, and high oxygen absorption rate, the latter being higher than conventional rates by an order of magnitude. In a preferred embodiment for the suppression of headspace foam, the invention comprises an assembly for forcing foam-destructive downdraft air into the headspace as well as stirrer or agitator assembly for stirring and breaking up foam that is present in the headspace.

Claims16

Dependent claims

Apparatus for maximizing aeration for submerged fermentation or tissue cell cultivation, comprising:

an open-chamber container vessel for aqueous growth medium having top and bottom ends and an inner side wall that is radially symmetrical about a central vertical axis;
impeller means co-axial with and rotatable about said axis to cause continuous radial flow of aqueous medium contained in the vessel;
at least one pair of diametrically opposed elongated helical baffles on the inner side wall, each of said baffles being slanted downward adjacent the side wall for a vertical distance sufficient to cause downward rotary transport of the radially flowing aqueous medium contained in the vessel;
and
at least one pair of diametrically opposed elongated air supply conduit lines or spargers matching and extending adjacent to and substantially parallel with said at least one pair of baffles, the walls of the conduit lines being micropermeable to passage of air therethrough such that baffle-directed aqueous medium while being transported downwardly can be aerated by air microbubbles permeating from said conduit lines.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.