COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS ANALYSIS OF FLUID MIXING IN SINGLE USE BIOREACTORS

CFD calculations were performed for a series of stirred, single use bioreactor vessels using both rotating reference frame and sliding mesh model approaches. Comparisons of quantities such as flow patterns, power numbers, and mixing times are presented. Calculations to predict mass transfer coefficients for a sparged 250L vessel were also performed using the rotating reference frame model. Results presented include those from a series of single, fixed bubble diameter calculations, and those which employed a population balance model consisting of 9 discrete bubble diameters.