Bioreactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400207-B2
Application number	US-201414776225-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A bioreactor ( 1 ) includes a container body ( 2 ), whose inner walls together define an internal volume for receiving biomass, a cooling and/or heating duct ( 3, 3′, 3″ ) whose outer wall is intended to be in direct contact with the biomass, disposed in the internal volume, and extending at least over a portion of the length in the form of a helicoid, fastening elements ( 4 ) for supporting the cooling and/or heating duct ( 3, 3′, 3″ ) and fastening same to the container body ( 2 ), in several receiving positions along the helicoid. The duct is fastened, at the receiving positions, by connectors and one or a plurality of supports, and for each receiving position by a first weld between the connector and the support and a second weld between the connector and the duct.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bioreactor ( 1 ) comprising:
a container body ( 2 ), the inner walls of which define between one another an inner volume for receipt of the biomass;
a cooling and/or heating duct ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″), the outer wall of which is designed to be in direct contact with the biomass disposed in said inner volume, and extending along at least part of the length in the form of a helicoid; securing means ( 4 ) which ensure the support of said cooling and/or heating duct ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″), and securing of the duct on the container body ( 2 ) in a plurality of receipt positions along the helicoids,
wherein said securing means comprise:
connectors ( 5 ), which are tubular or semi-tubular comprising each an inner tubular or semi-tubular surface and an outer tubular or semi-tubular surface, and enveloping said duct ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″) from the exterior, locally, at said various receipt positions along the helicoid;
one or a plurality of supports ( 6 ) rendered integral with the inner wall of the container body ( 2 ), and projecting towards the center of the container body, said support(s) ( 6 ) having a plurality of bores ( 7 ) with a form complementary to the outer dimensions of the outer tubular or semi tubular surface of said connectors ( 5 ), provided at said various receipt positions along the helicoid, said bores ( 7 ) receiving said connectors ( 5 ),

and wherein said cooling and/or heating duct ( 3 , 3 ′ 3 ″) is rendered integral at each of said receipt positions by:
a first weld (S 1 ) which connects the corresponding connector ( 5 ) and the corresponding support ( 6 ), said first weld (S 1 ) extending along the edges of the corresponding bore ( 7 ), on the two sides of said corresponding support ( 6 ), said first weld (S 1 ) connecting the outer tubular or semi tubular surface of said connectors ( 5 ) with the corresponding surface of the corresponding support ( 6 ) along the edges of the corresponding bore ( 7 ),
a second weld (S 2 ) which connects the corresponding connector ( 5 ) and the cooling and/or heating duct ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″), said second weld (S 2 ) extending along the edges of said connector ( 5 ),

and wherein said first weld (S 1 ) and said second weld (S 2 ) are welds produced by addition of metal.

2. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein first weld comprises a metal welding bead, or a plurality of welding beads and wherein second weld comprises a metal welding bead, or a plurality of welding beads and wherein,
the or each metal welding bead of said first weld (S 1 ) and/or of said second weld (S 2 ) each forms a hollow fillet ( 11 ), said welds being polished.

3. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the bores ( 7 ) opens at an edge of the support ( 6 ) or of one of said supports ( 6 ).

4. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the bores ( 7 ) open towards the center of the container body ( 2 ).

5. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said first weld (S 1 ) is constituted by a continuous welding line with a closed trajectory which runs at the edges of the bore ( 7 ) of the two sides (C 1 ,C 2 ) of said corresponding support ( 6 ), as well as on the cant ( 60 ) of said corresponding support ( 6 ), at the upper part and at the lower part of said cooling and/or heating duct; ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 ″).

6. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the connectors ( 5 ) have a semi-tubular form, and wherein said second weld (S 2 ) is constituted by a continuous welding line with a closed trajectory which runs at the edges of the connector, along the longitudinal edges ( 52 ) of the connector ( 5 ), as well as along the arched edges ( 51 ) of said connector.

7. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , with agitation means comprising: a rotor ( 8 ) inside the container body ( 2 ), which rotor is mobile in rotation relative to the container body ( 2 ), the rotor having blades ( 80 ); counter-blades ( 81 ) which project towards the center of the container, and are rendered integral in fixed positions relative to the container body ( 2 ).

8. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the counter-blades ( 81 ) of said agitation means comprise said support ( 6 ) or said supports ( 6 ) of said securing means.

9. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the bores ( 7 ) are so-called first bores, said support(s) ( 6 ) having, in addition to said first bores ( 7 ) at said various positions for receipt of the helicoid, second bores ( 9 ) with dimensions which are larger than the diameter of said duct, said duct passing through said second bores ( 9 ) such as to leave play which permits free deformation of said duct.

10. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , with a plurality of said supports ( 6 ) distributed angularly on the inner circumference of the container body, and each oriented along their longitudinal axis according to the height of the container body, and each extending corresponding to the height of the helicoid.

11. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said support ( 6 ) or each of the supports ( 6 ) has an outer edge facing the lateral inner wall ( 20 ) of the container ( 2 ), and wherein said securing means ( 4 ) comprise counter-braces ( 10 ) Which ensure that said support ( 6 ) or each of said supports is rendered integral with the inner wall of the container body, creating an inter-space (It) between the outer edge ( 61 ) of said corresponding support ( 6 ) and the inner wall ( 20 ) of the container body.

12. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each counter-brace ( 10 ) is welded respectively on the corresponding support ( 6 ) and on the inner wall ( 20 ) of the container body ( 2 ), and wherein, by means of addition of metal, said welds have a metal welding bead forming a hollow fillet, said welds being polished.

13. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , provided with a device for cooling/heating the container body from the exterior, by means of circulation of a fluid which conveys heat/cold.

14. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each of the supports ( 6 ) is selected from amongst a plate ( 62 ) or a profile ( 63 ).

15. A method for biological or biochemical reactions, comprising adding a biological catalyst and nutritive substances to the bioreactor according to claim 1 .

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein said biological or biochemical reactions produce microalgae Chlorella.

17. The use method according to claim 15 , wherein said biological or biochemical reactions are in the field of the human or animal foodstuffs industries, biotechnology industries, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, and in the field of biofuels and chemistry.

Assignees

• Roquette Freres

Inventors

• Segard David

Classifications

• C12M41/24 Primary

  inside the vessel · CPC title

• C12M21/02

  Photobioreactors (culturing algae A01G33/00, A01H4/001, C12N1/12) · CPC title

• C12M41/14 Primary

  Incubators; Climatic chambers (per se B01L1/00) · CPC title

• C12M27/02

  Stirrer or mobile mixing elements · CPC title

• C12N1/12

  Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor (as new plants A01H13/00) · CPC title