Kondratyuk R.V., Trivailo M.S., Saverchenko V.G., shapharenko N.V.

National Technical University of Ukraine «KPI»

THE MASS-EXCHANGE IN BIOREACTORS

The utility model concerns to the biotechnology and can be used for the cultivation of cells in liquid mediums at manufacturing of vaccines and biologically-active substances.

The known device for the cultivation of cells (DC), which contains the case with technological branch pipes and a hollow shaft of a pulse drive with the plug placed on a case axis, a mixing element in shape of four-bar hinge with shovels on the ends attached to it, the filtering element connected to the emptiness and the mobile plug of the hinge, and also an aerator (for example, А.с. The USSR № 1633814, С12 M3/00, 1995).

The lack of this DC consists in unacceptably low productivity of technological process. The specified lack is caused by that intensity of the mixing decreases at reduction of number of turns of a shaft and the cells are not provided in enough with oxygen which slows down their development, and, thus, reduces productivity, and with increasing of the number of turns of a shaft - the mixing element destroys their covers which also limits rates of growth of productivity of technological process.

Besides, known DC has difficult enough design that is its other lack as requires unfairly big expenses of time for repair and adjustment.

There is also known DC which contains the cylindrical case with refracting partitions and the technological branch pipes, a shaft placed along an axis of the case with radially located flat mixing shovels, an aerator and a drive (А.с. The USSR № 1555353, С12 M1/04, 1990).

This device for the cultivation is the closest to the utility model for a technical essence and achievable effect and accepted as the nearest analogue.

The lack of the known DC consists in the big losses of energy (power inputs) on mixing of a working liquid which is generated by the flat form of shovels, and increases use cost.

The basis of the utility model is a task of improvement of the device by change of the form of shovels. This step will provide reduction of losses of energy by mixing of a working liquid which will essentially lower the cost price of a producible product. The task is solving by that in DC which contains the cylindrical case with the technological branch pipes, a shaft with radially located mixing shovels placed along an axis of the case, an aerator and the drive, according to the utility model the new is that shovels are carried out in the form of hemispheres which are located by the convex party in a direction of the reference of a shaft.

Application of the shovels in the form of hemispheres, instead of the flat form in the nearest analogue, leads to the reduction in several times (under other equal conditions) of their front hydraulic resistance (И.Е. Идельчик, Справочник по гидравлическим сопротивлениям. М.: «Машиностроение», 1972, с. 402, с_х=0,36 та с.404, с_х=1,16), that reduces an expense of energy for mixing of a working liquid, and so reduces use cost.

On fig. 1 the offered DC is schematically represented; on fig. 1 b – section А-А on fig. 1 a.

The device includes the cylindrical case 1 with a branch pipe 2 for introduction of a nutritious liquid and a sowing material, a branch pipe 3 with the aerator 4, a branch pipe 5 for removal of the cultural liquid and a branch pipe 6 for removal of the fulfilled gas. Along a wasp of the case 1 the shaft 8 with the mixing shovels 9 are located attached to a drive (the motor - reducer) 7. Shovels 9 are executed in the form of hemispheres (fig. 1, b) with radius «R» and are located by the convex part in a direction of the rotation «ω» of the shaft 8. The shovels 9 may have central apertures 10 for the avoidance of the dead space in their cavity.

DC is working in the following way.

In the case 1, primordially sterilized, the nutritious liquid and the inoculum (subculture) are introduced through the socket 2. After that to the aerator 4 the gas for the cultural medium is fed and turn on the drive 7. The drive 7 gives on rotating movement to a shaft 8 with the shovels 9, which press to the working liquid 1, making the mixing of it. In the mixing the working liquid apply to the shovels 9 brake, i. e. generate the hydraulic resistance of their movement, and spread on the surface. As the shovels 9 have the spheric form of the working surface, instead of the flat form in the nearest analogue, so the hydraulic resistance of the working liquid (the force F), which is characterizing by the drag coefficient, decreases in several times (look to the above-mentioned Directory).

The decreasing of the drag of the shovels gives the opportunity to decrease the power waste on the mixing of the working liquid and leads to the change of the prime cost of the product.

Upon the termination of the process of the cultivation, the drive 7 stop, and the finished product merge through a branch pipe 5 for further use.