Detecting foam in a bioreactor plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12319906-B2
Application number	US-202017800427-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2020
Priority date	Feb 26, 2020
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

System for detecting at least one presence of foam of a medium in a bioreactor plant, wherein the system comprises: —a bioreactor plant having at least one disposable container for receiving the medium that may comprise the foam; and—at least two capacitive sensor units which are attached at at least two different situating positions of the bioreactor plant, wherein the capacitive sensor units each comprise at least one electrode system for capacitive measurement and are able to detect the presence of foam at the at least two situating positions on the basis of the capacitive measurement; and wherein the capacitive sensor units are designed to transmit captured data relating to the presence of foam to at least one monitoring unit for monitoring, open-loop and/or closed-loop control of foam formation in the bioreactor plant on the basis of said data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for detecting at least the presence of foam of a medium in of a bioreactor plant, wherein the system comprises:
a bioreactor plant having at least one single-use container for receiving the medium, that can have the foam, and at least one exhaust port; and
at least two capacitive sensor units, each capacitive sensor unit of the at least two capacitive sensor units being attached at a different situating position of the bioreactor plant, wherein at least one capacitive sensor unit of the at least two capacitive sensor units is arranged:
(i) at a first situation position in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port, or
(ii) at a second situation position on or in spatial proximity to an exhaust hose of the bioreactor system, wherein the exhaust hose is fluidically connected to the exhaust port, or
(iii) at a third situation at a height below the height of the exhaust port, in particular not in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port; and
at least one monitoring unit with at least one open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit, wherein the at least one monitoring unit is configured to switch off a mixer and/or a sparging when the sensor unit arranged at the first situation position or the second situation position or the third situation position is triggered,
wherein the capacitive sensor units each comprise at least one electrode system for a capacitive measurement and can detect the presence of foam at the situating positions on the basis of the capacitive measurement; and
wherein the capacitive sensor units are designed to transmit recorded data concerning the presence of foam to the at least one monitoring unit for monitoring, open-loop control and/or closed-loop control of foam formation in the bioreactor plant based on said data.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the capacitive sensor units has an adhesive strip on which the electrode system is at least partially arranged, wherein the adhesive strip is designed such that the at least one capacitive sensor unit can be arranged on the bioreactor plant.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the capacitive sensor units is a capacitive arc sensor unit, wherein the shape of the capacitive arc sensor unit comprises at least a section of an arc, in particular a circular arc.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the bioreactor plant has at least one port, in particular a circular port to fluidically connect the interior of the single-use container to another element and/or the exterior of the single-use container, and wherein the at least one capacitive arc sensor unit is designed to at least partially envelop the port.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the bioreactor plant has at least one hose and/or a tube fluidically connected to the port, wherein the at least one capacitive arc sensor unit is designed to at least partially envelop the hose and/or the tube.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the capacitive sensor units, in particular a capacitive patch sensor unit is designed to detect the presence of foam, in particular a foam level in the single-use container and is arranged at a situating position in the interior of the single-use container, in particular on an interior container envelope, and wherein the at least one capacitive sensor unit preferably can be, and in particular is, sterilized.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the situating position on the interior container envelope is at least one of the following situating positions:
the situating position in the proximity, preferably at a height slightly above a height, of a predetermined maximum fill level of the single-use container, in particular above a limit line of a predetermined maximum fill level;
the situating position in the proximity, preferably at a height slightly above a height, of a predetermined minimum fill level of the single-use container, in particular a limit line of a predetermined minimum fill level;
the situating position at a height between the height of the predetermined minimum fill level and the height of the predetermined maximum fill level, in particular between a limit line of the predetermined minimum fill level and a limit line of the predetermined maximum fill level.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the capacitive sensor units, in particular a capacitive arc sensor unit and/or a collar sensor unit is arranged at a situating position outside of the single-use container, in particular on an exterior container envelope and/or on a port and/or on a hose or a tube or a line.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the situating position on the exterior container envelope is at least one of the following situating positions:
the situating position at a height slightly below the height of an exhaust port of the single-use container, in particular not in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port;
the situating position in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port;
the situating position in the immediate vicinity of a port for an upper inlet/upper outlet of the single-use container;
the situating position on an exhaust hose of the bioreactor plant, wherein the exhaust hose is fluidically connected to the exhaust port and the situating position is located in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port;
the situating position on the exhaust hose of the bioreactor plant in the immediate vicinity of a filter of the exhaust hose, in particular between the exhaust port and the filter.

10. A method for detecting at least one presence of foam of a medium, comprising:
Provide a bioreactor plant having at least one single-use container for receiving the medium that can comprise the foam, and at least one exhaust port;
Arrange at least two capacitive sensor units at at least two situating positions of the bioreactor plant, wherein the capacitive sensor units each have at least one electrode system for a capacitive measurement, wherein at least one capacitive sensor unit of the at least two capacitive sensor units is arranged:
(i) at a first situation position in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port, or
(ii) at a second situation position on or in spatial proximity to an exhaust hose of the bioreactor system, wherein the exhaust hose is fluidically connected to the exhaust port, or
(iii) at a third situation at a height slightly below the height of the exhaust port, in particular not in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust port; and
Record data concerning the presence of foam at the situating positions based on the capacitive measurements; and
Transmit the recorded data concerning the presence of foam to a monitoring unit for monitoring foam formation in the bioreactor plant based on the data using the capacitive sensor units;
triggering a measure, including switching off a mixer and/or a sparging, via the monitoring unit with an open loop and/or closed loop control unit, when the capacitive sensor unit arranged at the first situation position or the second situation position or the third situation position is triggered.

11. The method according to claim 10 comprising monitoring, open-loop control and/or closed-loop control of foam formation in the bioreactor plant using the monitoring unit based on the transmitted data.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein open-loop control and/or closed-loop control comprises feeding a substance that is designed to prevent or at least reduce foam formation when the presence of foam is detected by at least one capacitive sensor unit, preferably when the presence of foam is detected by at least one capacitive se

Assignees

• Sartorius Stedim Biotech Gmbh

Inventors

• Prediger Andreas
• Götemann Sina
• Leupold Marco
• Scholz Jochen

Classifications

• H03K17/955

  using a capacitive detector · CPC title

• G01F23/26

  by measuring variations of capacity or inductance of capacitors or inductors arising from the presence of liquid or fluent solid material in the electric or electromagnetic fields · CPC title

• G01D5/24

  by varying capacitance · CPC title

• C12M23/28

  disposable or single use · CPC title

• C12M23/14

  Bags · CPC title