(295d) Flow Characterization In a Taylor-Couette Bioreactor In the Presence of Mobile Scaffolds

In recent years, Taylor vortex flow is commonly encountered in many practical applications such as reaction, filtration and extraction. Taylor vortices can be formed by subjecting a viscous liquid to a shear stress within an annular space between two rotating cylinders and a stationary bottom surface. Taylor-vortex flow can be applied in a bioreactor to culture cells that are seeded in degradable porous scaffolds. In this study, the effect of floating scaffolds on the vortices inside a Taylor-Couette system is investigated using a Couette apparatus with an aspect ratio (Γ) of 6.06 and a radius ratio (η) of 0.613. A laser-based non-invasive technique known as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is applied to characterize the fluid flow field in the system. The results are substantiated by FLUENT simulations for better understanding on the flow pattern of the fluid. We investigate on the specific problems such as how the vortex structure can be affected and how the flow field is developed with the presence of floating scaffolds inside a wide gap and a low aspect ratio of the Taylor-Couette bioreactor. The interactions between scaffolds of various shapes and the vortex structure are also studied in order to understand the influence of each scaffold towards the overall flow field inside the Taylor-Couette bioreactor system.