Mass transfer in a single-use angled-shaft aerated stirred bioreactor applicable for animal cell culture

The single-use stirred bioreactors are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative in animal cell culture due to the higher production capacity, increased flexibility, prevention of cross contamination, reduction of the cleaning cost, and shortened downtime. In this paper, the effects of the impeller speed, the volumetric gas flow rate, and the impeller type on the volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient in a single-use unbaffled angled-shaft bioreactor applicable for the animal cell culture were analyzed and compared with those attained for the baffled vertical-shaft bioreactors. The volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient (K(L)a) was experimentally determined by the simplified dynamic pressure method. The lowest P/V values as well as the highest K(L)a values were achieved for an unbaffled angled-shaft bioreactor. It was found that the Rushton impeller was the most efficient impeller in term of mass transfer for this bioreactor. An empirical correlation for the mass transfer coefficient was also developed. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.