Modular tubular bioreactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10876087-B2
Application number	US-201816038492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Feb 26, 2013
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of a modular tubular bioreactor system for culturing an aqueous culture of microorganisms are described herein. The tubular bioreactor may comprise culture tubes configured in a vertically spaced and horizontally staggered arrangement to optimize the application of light to the culture in phototrophic and mixotrophic cultivation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bioreactor, comprising:
a plurality of culture tube segments comprising:
a longitudinal axis along the length of the tube segments;
an interior volume; and
an oval cross section with a cross section longitudinal diameter of D;

a support frame comprising at least one vertically oriented culture tube carrier configured to support the plurality of culture tube segments on opposing horizontal first and second sides of the carrier in a horizontally staggered and vertically spaced arrangement, wherein:
at least a portion of the oval cross section of a plurality of culture tube segments on the first side overlaps on a horizontal plane intersecting the oval cross section of at least an equal number of the plurality of culture tube segments;
the horizontal plane travels a total distance less than or equal to D/2; and
a plurality of the culture tube segments on the first side vertically overlap each other across the entire longitudinal axis and a plurality of the culture tube segments on the second side vertically overlap each other across the entire longitudinal axis;

a pump comprising an intake and an outlet; and
a gas supply device, wherein the gas supply device is disposed before the pump intake in a flow path of an aqueous culture of the bioreactor.

2. The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of culture tube segments is coupled together in series to form a single helical tubular flow path, the plurality of culture tube segments further comprising:
at least one U-bend culture tube segment;
a plurality of straight culture tube segments; and
at least one connector configured to couple together the ends of the at least one U-bend culture tube segment and the plurality of straight culture tube segments together in fluid communication in series to form a single helical tubular flow path.

3. The bioreactor of claim 2 , further comprising at least one lighting device configured to emit light towards the plurality of culture tube segments.

4. The bioreactor of claim 3 , wherein at least 90% of the light emitted from the at least one lighting device traveling on a horizontal plane intersecting the oval cross-section of at least one of the plurality of straight culture tube segments in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the culture tube segments strikes an exterior surface of the straight culture tube segments.

5. The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein the culture tube segments comprise separate flow paths that are not connected.

6. The bioreactor of claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of: pH sensor, dissolved oxygen sensor, dissolved carbon dioxide sensor, and temperature sensor.

7. The bioreactor of claim 1 , further comprising a carbon supply device.

8. The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein the culture tube segments further comprise baffles disposed on an interior surface of the culture tube segments.

9. The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein except for the horizontal plane there is direct light path from the area above or below the exterior of the culture tube segment of the first side to the corresponding area above or below the exterior of the second side.

10. The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein there is both a top area of overlap and a bottom area of overlap in the horizontal plane between a plurality of culture tube segments on the first side and a plurality of culture tube segments on the second side wherein each of the two areas of overlap travel a distance of less than or equal to D/2.

11. The bioreactor of claim 1 , wherein the culture tube segments are composed of glass.

Assignees

• Heliae Dev Llc

Inventors

• Sitek Alexander
• Wyatt Cameron
• Mazur Richard
• Riley James
• Licamele Jason
• Kulaga Thomas
• Sullivan Timothy

Classifications

• C12M23/06

  Tubular (C12M23/08, C12M23/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• C12M27/20

  Baffles; Ribs; Ribbons; Auger vanes · CPC title

• C12M23/00

  Constructional details, e.g. recesses, hinges (flow directing inserts in C12M27/18-C12M27/24; apparatus for chemical or physical processes in general B01J, chemical or physical laboratory apparatus in general B01L) · CPC title

• C12M41/26

  of pH · CPC title

• C12M21/02 Primary

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