Características de la hidrodinámica de un biorreactor industrial tipo tanque agitado

Hydrodinamic characteristics of the industrial stirred tank bioreactor

J. Raffo-Durán¹*, A. Figueredo-Cardero¹ y J.C. Dustet-Mendoza²

¹ Centro de Inmunología Molecular. Calle 216 esq 15a, Reparto Atabey, Playa, CP 11600. La Habana, Cuba. * Autor para la correspondencia. E-mail: jordan@cim.sld.cu Tel. +53-53-83-56-36, Fax 00-00-00-00..

² Instituto Superior Politécnico "José Antonio Echeverría", CUJAE, Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Calle 114 No. 11901 entre, Ciclovía y Rotonda, Marianao, CP 19390. La Habana, Cuba.

Recibido 12 de Diciembre de 2013.
Aceptado 28 de Junio de 2014.

Resumen

Este trabajo se propone el uso de la Dinámica de Fluidos por vía Computacional (DFC) y la experimentación para satisfacer las necesidades del conocimiento sobre los patrones de flujos y de otras magnitudes relacionadas con los mismos en un biorreactor industrial tipo tanque agitado para el cultivo de células animales, obteniéndose información sobre la hidrodinámica mediante la manipulación de los parámetros de operación flujo de aire y velocidad de agitación. Se propone un modelo matemático, usando la herramienta de DFC, obteniéndose con el mismo los campos de velocidades comparables con los informados en la literatura para un biorreactor con la misma geometría que el estudiado. Por la vía experimental fueron determinados el tiempo de mezclado y la distribución de tiempos de residencia (DTR) en la condición de operación del biorreactor (sin usar aireación), obteniéndose un patrón de flujo de mezcla perfecta piara la fase líquida. Además se determinó el tiempo de mezclado mediante la DFC alcanzándose una buena aproximación con el obtenido experimentalmente. Se caracterizó la operación del biorreactor usando aire mediante un diseño experimental factorial 3² y se obtuvo que el coeficiente volumétrico de transferencia de oxígeno (K_La) depende de las variables velocidad de agitación (N) y flujo de aire (Qa). Haciendo uso de correlaciones publicadas en la literatura se concluyó que en la condición de operación ocurre el fenómeno de inundación del impelente.

Palabras clave: biorreactor, tanque agitado, DFC, transferencia de masa gas-líquido, inundación del impelente, dispersión gas-liquido.

Abstract

This paper proposes the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to gain insight into the on flow patterns and other variables related to them in the industrial bioreactor for animal cell culture, and experimentation and to obtain information on the hydrodynamics by handling of the air flow and agitation operating parameters. We propose a mathematical model using the CFD tool, with which velocity fields comparable to those reported in the literature for a bioreactor with the same geometry as the one studied were obtained. By experimentation the time of mixing and the residence time distribution (RTD) were determined in the operating condition of the bioreactor (without aeration), and a flow pattern of perfect mix for the liquid phase was obtained. Also the mixing time was determined by CFD reaching a good approximation to that obtained experimentally. The operation of the bioreactor with air was characterized using a factorial experimental design 3² and the results obtained showed that the coefficient of volumetric oxygen transfer (K_La) depends on the variables stirring speed (N) and air flow rate (Qa).Using published correlations in the literature it was concluded that the phenomenon of flooding of the impeller occurs in the operating condition.

DESCARGAR ARTÍCULO EN FORMATO PDF

Referencias

Calderbank, P. H. (1958). Physical rate processes in industrial fermentation. Part 1. The interfacial area in gas-liquid contacting with mechanical agitation. Transactions of IChemE 36, 443-463.         [ Links ]

Dhanasekharan, K. M., J. Sanyal, et al. (2005). A generalized approach to model oxygen transfer in bioreactors using population balances and computational fluid dynamics. Chemical Engineering Science 60, 213-218.         [ Links ]

Doran, P. (1995). Bioprocess Engineering. Sydney, Elsevier Science & Technology Books.         [ Links ]

García Ochoa, F. and E. Gómez (2004). Theoretical prediction of gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient, specific area and hold-up in sparged stirred tanks. Chemical Engineering Science 59, 2489-2501.         [ Links ]

Henzler, H. J. (1982). Verfarentechnishe Auslegungsunterlagen fur Ruhrbehalter als Fermenter. Chemie Ingenieur Technik 52, 461.         [ Links ]

Higbie, R. (1935). The rate of absorption of a pure gas into a still liquid during short periods of exposure. Institution of Chemical Engineers 35, 36-60.         [ Links ]

Hsuan, L. W.-M. a. C. (1986). Flooding and critical impeller speed for gas dispersion in aerated turbine agited vessels. Chemical Engineering Journal 33, 57-62.         [ Links ]

Hu, W., C. Berdugo, et al. (2011). The potential of hydrodynamic damage to animal cells of industrial relevance: current understanding. Cytotechnology 63, 445-460.         [ Links ]

Joshi, J. B., N. K. Nere, et al. (2011). CFD simulation of stirred tanks: Comparison of turbulence models. Part I: Radial Flow Impellers The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 89, 23-82.         [ Links ]

Levenspiel, O. and G. T. Barreiro (2002). Ingeniería de las Reacciones Químicas. Ed. Reverteí         [ Links ].

Middleton, J. C. (1992). Gas-liquid dispersion and mixing. Mixing in the Process Industries. Butterworth-Heinemann. Oxford, UK, 322-363.         [ Links ]

Moilanen, P., M. Laakkonen, et al. (2008). Modelling mass transfer in an aerated 0.2 m³ vessel agitated by Rushton, Phasejet and Combijet impellers. Chemical Engineering Journal 142, 95-108.         [ Links ]

Nienow, A. W. (1990). Gas Dispersion Performance in Fermenter Operation. Chemical Engineering Progress, 61-71.

Nienow, A. W. (1998). Hydrodynamics of stirred bioreactors. Applied Mechanics Review 51, 332.         [ Links ]

Nienow, A. W. (2006). Reactor engineering in large scale animal cell culture. Cytotechnology 50, 933.         [ Links ]

Nienow, A. W., D. J. Wisdom, et al. (1978). The Effect of Scale and Geometry in Flooding, Recirculation, and Power in Gassed Stirred Vessel. 2nd European Conference on Mixing (BHRA, Camfield. Cambridge, England, 1-16.         [ Links ]

Patwardhan, A. W. (2001). Prediction of Residence Time Distribution of Stirred Reactors. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 40, 5686-5695.         [ Links ]

Perry, R. H. (1999). Perry's Chemical Engineer' Handbook (7th ed.). D. W. Green. New York, McGraw-Hill.         [ Links ] van't Riet, K. and J. M. Smith (1973). The behaviour of gas-liquid mixtures near Rushton turbine blades. Chemical Engineering Science 28, 1031-1037.         [ Links ]

Varley, J. and J. Birch (1999). Reactor design for large scale suspension animal cell culture. Cytotechnology 29, 177-205.         [ Links ]

Versteeg, H. K. and W. Malalasekera (2007). An introduction to computational fluid dynamics: the finite volume method, Pearson Education Ltd.         [ Links ]

Vraíbel, P., R. G. J. M. van der Lans, et al. (2000). Mixing in large-scale vessels stirred with multiple radial or radial and axial up-pumping impellers: modelling and measurements. Chemical Engineering Science 55, 5881-5896.         [ Links ]

Wu, J. (1995). Mechanisms of animal cell damage associated with gas bubbles and cell protection by medium additives. Journal of Biotechnology 43, 81-94.         [ Links ]

Xing, Z., B. M. Kenty, et al. (2009). Scale-up analysis for a CHO cell culture process in large-scale bioreactors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 103, 733-746.         [ Links ]

Zlokarnik, M. (1973). Ruhrleistung in begasten flussigkeiten. Chemie Ingenieur Technik 45, 689.         [ Links ]