Design and scale-up of production scale stirred tank

Graduate Studies, School of

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Utah State University Year 

Design and Scale-Up of Production Scale Stirred Tank Fermentors
Ryan Z. Davis
Utah State University

This paper is posted at DigitalCommons@USU. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/537

DESIGN AND SCALE-UP OF PRODUCTION SCALE STIRRED TANK FERMENTORS

by

Ryan Z. Davis

A thesissubmitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Mechanical Engineering

Approved:

________________________________ Dr. Heng Ban Major Professor

________________________________ Dr. Timothy Taylor Committee Member

________________________________ Dr. Robert Spall Committee Member

________________________________ Dr. Byron R. Burnham Dean ofGraduate Studies

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2009

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Copyright © Ryan Z. Davis 2009 All rights reserved

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ABSTRACT
Design and Scale-Up of Production Scale Stirred Tank Fermentors by Ryan Z. Davis, Master of Science Utah State University, 2009 Major Professor: Dr. Heng Ban Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

In the bio/pharmaceutical industry, fermentation isextremely important in pharmaceutical development, and in microbial research. However, new fermentor designs are needed to improve production and reduce costs of complex systems such as cultivation of mammalian cells and genetically engineered micro-organisms. Traditionally, stirred tank design is driven by the oxygen transfer capability needed to achieve cell growth. However, design methodologiesavailable for stirred tank fermentors are insufficient and many times contain errors. The aim of this research is to improve the design of production scale stirred tank fermentors through the development of dimensionless correlations and by providing information on aspects of fermentor tanks that can aid in oxygen mass transfer. This was accomplished through four key areas. Empirical studies wereused to quantify the mass transfer capabilities of several different reactors. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to assess the impact of certain baffle and impeller geometries.

iv Correction schemes were developed and applied to the experimental data. Dimensionless correlations were created from corrected experimental data to act as a guide for future production scale fermentordesign. The methods for correcting experimental data developed in this research have proven to be accurate and useful. Furthermore, the correlations found from the corrected experimental data in this study are of great benefit in the design of production scale stirred tank fermentors. However, when designing a stirred tank fermentor of a different size, further experimentation should be performed torefine the correlations presented. (114 Pages)

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I would like to dedicate this thesis to my wife, Patricia. Without her loving support I never would have finished this project.

vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Everyone that has written a thesis knows the difficulties and hang-ups that accompany the research. My research has experimental, numerical, and analytical elements. Each of these carry withit inherent difficulties that require specific skill sets to overcome. I would like to express my thanks to all those who helped me with this project, by involving their expertise and helpfulness. First and foremost I would like to express my gratitude for my colleague Kristan. Without her help and input I never would have finished this project. I would also like to express thanks to my advisor,Dr. Heng Ban, who patiently helped me through every stage of my research and never gave up on me. My advisors, Dr. Timothy Taylor and Dr. Robert Spall, have also added their expertise and experience to help me complete this process. I appreciate all the time and effort they have put into helping me with my research. I would also like to state my appreciation for Thermo Fisher Scientific for their...