(27m) Bioreactors Scale-up and Optimization from Lab to Manufacturing Scale

Multiphase gas-liquid reactors are common unit operations in bioprocessing, chemical, and petrochemical industries. The rapid mass gas-liquid mass transfer coupled with mixing and gas sparger makes the application of these reactors very efficient. Balancing the correlation between these parameters for scale-up and technology transfer is difficult due to the system's nonlinearities. Typically, an optimized process works with a low degree of freedom and narrow design space. A manufacturing scale bioreactor should have proper mixing and mass transfer but low shear to avoid damaging the microorganisms and biological cells.

Optimized gas-liquid reactor results in time savings and increased profitability. However, design, scale-up, and optimization of these multiscale multiphase reactors are all still challenges in the industry. The experimental approach for scale-up and optimization of multiphase reactors is very expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, the interaction of cell biology and scale-dependent phenomena (such as mixing) could strongly alter the process performance. In addition, the cost and resources associated with the scale-up limit the experimental optimization success. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations enable studying the interaction between the bio process and the scale-dependent mixing and mass transfer parameters and developing an optimized process in a rapid and efficient manner. The virtual case studies, scenarios, and multidimensional virtual DoE and optimization can be performed by CFD simulation in-silico for a wide range of parameters and goals.

This presentation will demonstrate an industry application case for accurate modeling for optimization and scale-up of complex bioreactors using high-fidelity models.