A micro-bubble gas-lifting type fermenter without stirring paddle

Abstract

The utility model relates to fermentation tank technical field especially a kind of micro-bubble gas-lifting type fermentation tank without stirring paddle, it includes: tank body and the flow guide pipe that with the tank body form liquid communication;The flow guide pipe is connected by connecting assembly with the tank body, air inlet pipe is placed in the inside of the flow guide pipe, the upper end of the air inlet pipe extends to the top outside of the tank body, and is connected gas source;Wherein, the air inlet pipe is also installed with micro-bubble generator at the inner end of the flow guide pipe, the fermentation tank has no high-speed rotating mechanical component, fluid motion relies on the mild gas lift to drive circulation, and the main shear source is bubble tail vortex and liquid surface bubble breakage, but its intensity is far lower than the shear generated by stirring paddle, suitable for shear sensitive cell, such as mammalian cell, hybridoma cell, stem cell, insect cell, certain fragile microorganism and plant cell culture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of fermentation tank technology, and in particular to a microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle. Background Technology

[0002] Existing fermenters are bioreactors consisting of a tank body, a stirring motor, a stirring paddle, and various monitoring electrodes. They are containers capable of controlling parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen, ensuring the normal growth of cells and bacteria and the expression of proteins. The main component is the stirring device, composed of a stirring motor and a stirring paddle, which propels the liquid to ensure thorough mixing of the liquid and substances within the container. This maintains consistent pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and cell density within the solution.

[0003] However, the high shear force generated at the edge of the agitator can severely damage shear-sensitive cells, such as mammalian cells, leading to cell rupture, decreased activity, or even death, thus limiting high-density culture. Simultaneously, driving the agitator, especially under high-speed or high-viscosity conditions, consumes enormous amounts of energy and incurs high operating costs. The complex mechanical system not only has a high initial investment, but its seals are also susceptible to bacterial contamination, and frictional heat can negatively impact the culture environment. Furthermore, internal baffles, coils, and other structures can easily create cleaning dead zones, leading to batch-to-batch contamination from residues and shortening equipment lifespan.

[0004] Based on this, in order to improve the applicability of existing fermenters, we propose a paddleless microbubble airlift fermenter. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies, such as the high shear force generated at the edge of the agitator causing serious damage to shear-sensitive cells, and to propose an agitator-free microbubble airlift fermenter.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] Design a paddleless microbubble airlift fermenter, including:

[0008] The tank body and the flow pipe that forms a liquid communication with the tank body;

[0009] The guide pipe is connected to the tank body via a connecting assembly. An air inlet pipe is placed inside the guide pipe, and the upper end of the air inlet pipe extends to the top outside of the tank body and is connected to an air source.

[0010] The air intake pipe is also equipped with a microbubble generator at the inner end of the guide pipe.

[0011] Furthermore, the guide pipe is placed inside the tank body;

[0012] The connecting assembly includes a bracket fixedly installed inside the tank body, and the bracket is connected and fixedly connected to the guide pipe and the air inlet pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, a deflector umbrella is also installed on the outside of the air intake pipe. The deflector umbrella is located above the deflector pipe, and the umbrella surface of the deflector umbrella is opposite to the upper opening of the deflector pipe.

[0014] Furthermore, a connecting pipe is fixedly installed on the inner side of the air guide umbrella, and the air inlet pipe passes through the connecting pipe;

[0015] The connecting pipe has a wedge-shaped part at its top end, and several deformation slots are distributed around the top end of the connecting pipe. An abutment sleeve is threaded to the outside of the connecting pipe, and the top end of the abutment sleeve abuts against the wedge-shaped part.

[0016] Furthermore, a tapered tube is also connected to the bottom of the guide tube.

[0017] Furthermore, the guide pipe is disposed on the outside of the tank body;

[0018] The connecting assembly includes an inlet port and an outlet port connected to the side of the guide pipe, and the inlet port and outlet port are connected to the tank body via a flange structure.

[0019] Furthermore, the top and bottom of the guide pipe are fixedly connected with caps, and the air inlet pipe and the upper cap are inserted and fixed.

[0020] Furthermore, the inside of the guide tube is also equipped with several distribution rings at intervals, and the several distribution rings are sequentially arranged above the microbubble generator.

[0021] Furthermore, the intake pipe is made of stainless steel.

[0022] Furthermore, the tank body includes a tank body and a tank lid that covers the top of the tank body, and the top of the tank lid has an exhaust port;

[0023] The tank body has an internal interlayer, and a heating tube is installed inside the interlayer.

[0024] The present invention proposes a stirrerless microbubble airlift fermenter, which has the following advantages:

[0025] 1. Extremely low shear force: This is the core advantage. There are no high-speed rotating mechanical parts. Fluid movement relies on the gentle gas lift to drive circulation. The main shear sources are bubble tail vortices and the collapse of bubbles on the liquid surface, but their intensity is far lower than the shear generated by the stirring paddle. It is extremely suitable for shear-sensitive cells, such as mammalian cells, hybridoma cells, stem cells, insect cells, certain fragile microorganisms and plant cell cultures.

[0026] 2. Low energy consumption: It only requires energy to compress and introduce gas to drive liquid circulation. Compared with stirred tanks, its energy consumption is significantly reduced, typically by 30%-50%, resulting in a clear advantage in operating costs;

[0027] 3. Simple structure and good sealing: There is no complicated stirring and transmission system, the tank structure is usually simpler, and air is generally introduced by bottom gas distributor. There is no need for dynamic seal, which greatly reduces the risk of bacterial contamination. The equipment investment cost is usually lower than that of a mixing tank of the same size.

[0028] 4. Excellent mixing and mass transfer performance: In medium and low viscosity culture media, good liquid circulation and mixing can be achieved through reasonable design and optimization of aeration rate, providing sufficient oxygen mass transfer to meet the oxygen requirements of many processes. The design of the flow guide can accelerate liquid flow and effectively increase liquid mass transfer efficiency. Bubbles naturally merge during the rising process, and the damage caused by rupture is relatively small. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of Embodiment 1 of the present utility model;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the flow-guiding umbrella structure according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the guide tube in Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0035] In the diagram: 1. Tank body; 11. Tank body; 12. Tank lid; 13. Heating tube; 2. Guide tube; 3. Connecting assembly; 31. Liquid inlet; 32. Liquid outlet; 4. Air inlet; 5. Microbubble generator; 6. Guide umbrella; 61. Connecting tube; 62. Wedge; 63. Deformation joint; 64. Contact sleeve; 7. Conical tube; 8. Sealing cap; 9. Distribution ring. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] Reference Figure 1-4 As one embodiment of the present invention, a microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle is disclosed. Specifically, the fermenter includes a tank body 1 and a guide pipe 2 that forms a liquid communication with the tank body 1.

[0039] Specifically, in this embodiment, the tank 1 includes a tank body 11 and a tank cover 12 covering the tank body 11, and the top of the tank cover 12 has an exhaust port;

[0040] The tank body 11 has an internal jacket, and a heating pipe 13 is installed in the jacket. The heating pipe 13 is spirally wound in the jacket to heat the liquid inside the tank body 11. Of course, in other embodiments, heating can also be achieved by injecting a heating medium into the jacket, such as installing two oil pipes connected to the jacket on the outside of the tank body 11 and heating the tank body 11 by injecting hot oil.

[0041] The guide pipe 2 is connected to the tank body 1 through the connecting component 3. An air inlet pipe 4 is placed inside the guide pipe 2. The upper end of the air inlet pipe 4 extends to the top outside of the tank body 1 and is connected to the air source. It should be noted that the two ends of the guide pipe 2 in this embodiment are open structures.

[0042] The air inlet pipe 4 is also equipped with a microbubble generator 5 at the inner end of the guide pipe 2. The microbubble generator 5 uses sintered metal or ceramic to form tiny cavities with a diameter between 5-100 μm. When gas passes through these cavities, tiny bubbles are formed in the liquid. These tiny bubbles have a very large specific surface area. When these bubbles rise slowly in the water, oxygen or other target gases can diffuse and dissolve more effectively from the inside of the bubbles into the surrounding water, achieving a highly efficient gas-liquid mass transfer process and more effectively increasing dissolved oxygen.

[0043] In some embodiments, the guide pipe 2 of this invention is placed inside the tank 1, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the guide pipe 2 described in this embodiment can be installed in the middle of the inner side of the tank body 11 or on the inner side of the tank body 11. The specific installation method can be adapted by those skilled in the art, and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0044] The connecting component 3 includes a bracket fixedly installed inside the tank body 1. The bracket is connected and fixedly connected to the guide pipe 2 and the air inlet pipe 4. Specifically, in this embodiment, the bracket has an L-shaped structure, one side of which is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the tank body 11, and the other side is connected to the upper side of the guide pipe 2 through a flange structure. The air inlet pipe 4 is fixedly installed on the bracket.

[0045] Based on the above embodiments, in this embodiment, a flow guide umbrella 6 is also installed on the outside of the air intake pipe 4. The flow guide umbrella 6 is located above the flow guide pipe 2, and the umbrella surface of the flow guide umbrella 6 is opposite to the upper opening of the flow guide pipe 2.

[0046] It should be noted that, in order to adaptively adjust the height of the flow guide umbrella 6, a connecting pipe 61 is fixedly installed on the inner side of the flow guide umbrella 6 in this embodiment, and the air inlet pipe 4 passes through the connecting pipe 61.

[0047] The connecting pipe 61 has a wedge-shaped portion 62 at its top end, and several deformation slots 63 are distributed around the top end of the connecting pipe 61. The outer side of the connecting pipe 61 is threaded with an abutting sleeve 64, and the top end of the abutting sleeve 64 abuts against the wedge-shaped portion 62.

[0048] When the height of the air guide umbrella 6 needs to be adjusted during assembly, the abutment sleeve 64 can be rotated to move it downwards. After the abutment sleeve 64 and the wedge portion 62 separate, the top of the connecting pipe 61 will release its clamping on the entire air intake pipe 4, and the entire air guide umbrella 6 will be in a free and movable state. When it is moved to the required height, the abutment sleeve 64 can be rotated in the opposite direction. The abutment sleeve 64 will then abut against the wedge portion 62 to clamp and fix the air guide pipe 2, thus locking the position of the entire air guide umbrella 6.

[0049] In a further embodiment, the bottom of the guide pipe 2 in this invention is also connected to a tapered pipe 7, which is used to increase the liquid inlet area at the bottom of the guide pipe 2 to improve the stability of the liquid circulation inside the tank body 11.

[0050] In addition, it should be noted that the air inlet pipe 4 in this embodiment is a stainless steel pipe. The use of stainless steel design can prevent rusting from long-term contact with liquid, and the air inlet pipe 4 provides a certain support strength to support the microbubble generator 5 and the flow guide umbrella 6. Of course, in this embodiment, the air inlet pipe 4 can preferably be set to be connected with the flow guide pipe 2 in a concentric manner.

[0051] In specific operation, external gas is supplied to the microbubble generator 5 at the bottom through the air inlet pipe 4, and the interior of the guide pipe 2 is located above the microbubble generator 5 to form an upward region.

[0052] As the gas rises, it forms bubbles and mixes with the liquid inside the guide tube 2. Since the density of the gas-liquid mixture is significantly lower than that of the pure liquid or liquid containing a small number of bubbles in the annular descending area outside the guide tube 2, a density difference is formed. The static pressure difference generated by this density difference becomes the main power source for driving the fluid circulation. Without mechanical stirring, the low-density gas-liquid mixture continues to flow upward in the guide tube 2. After reaching the top of the guide tube 2, the gas separates from the liquid and escapes. The degassed liquid flows into the annular area outside the guide tube 2 and flows downward due to the increased density. The liquid that descends to the bottom is drawn back into the bottom of the guide tube 2 and mixes with the injected new gas, starting a new round of ascent.

[0053] This creates a continuous, stable, and directional large-scale circulation flow inside the tank. The liquid flows upward from the inside of the guide pipe 2, turns at the top, enters the descending area and flows downward, turns again at the bottom, and re-enters the ascending area inside the guide pipe 2.

[0054] The above solution can achieve the following results:

[0055] Enhanced gas-liquid mass transfer: Since the gas is directly injected into the rising region inside the guide pipe 2, there is the densest bubble group and the longest gas-liquid contact path in this region, which can be up to the entire height of the riser pipe.

[0056] Intense turbulence and the coalescence and breakup of bubbles in the riser provide a large gas-liquid contact area; secondly, directional flow prolongs the residence time of bubbles in the liquid phase, especially in the rising region.

[0057] The combined effect of these factors results in a very high efficiency of mass transfer of oxygen or other gases into the liquid, which is crucial for aerobic fermentation, such as the production of antibiotics, enzymes, and single-cell proteins.

[0058] Promotes efficient mixing: The strong overall circulation ensures that the liquid in the tank is mixed very evenly, which can effectively avoid the poor mixing dead zones that may exist in mechanically stirred tanks. This ensures that cells, nutrients, metabolites, heat and other substances are more evenly distributed in the tank, which is conducive to maintaining a stable culture environment.

[0059] Achieving low-shear mixing: Compared to mechanically stirred tanks that rely on high-speed rotating impellers to generate shear forces, the hybrid power of airlift reactors mainly comes from gentle bubble rise and density difference drive.

[0060] In the rising region, although there is turbulence caused by bubble movement, its shear force level is much lower than that generated by the tip of the mechanical agitator blade. This is very beneficial for culturing shear-sensitive cells, such as mammalian cells, plant cells, and certain filamentous fungi, and can significantly reduce cell damage and improve viability and product yield.

[0061] Promoting liquid-solid suspension: Strong circulating flow can effectively suspend solid particles, such as microbial cell clusters, immobilized cell carriers, and insoluble substrates, ensuring that the solid and liquid are in full contact and participate in the reaction;

[0062] Enhanced heat transfer: The circulating flow promotes heat exchange between the liquid and the heating tubes 13 inside the tank 11, and the uniform mixing also helps to distribute heat evenly.

[0063] Furthermore, by employing the design of the flow-guiding umbrella 6, the following effects can be achieved in this utility model:

[0064] 1. The flow guide umbrella 6 can significantly improve the hydrodynamic and mass transfer performance of the reactor;

[0065] 2. Forced diversion and expansion deceleration: The umbrella-shaped inclined surface forces the fluid to change direction, the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow channel suddenly increases and the flow velocity decreases, the separation path is extended, and the bubbles have more time to float and escape in the inclined surface and top space of the umbrella plate, reducing gas entrainment and significantly reducing the probability of bubbles being carried into the descending region, avoiding the decrease in fluid density in the descending region, and maintaining a sufficient density difference to drive the circulation.

[0066] 3. Reduce shear stress and protect sensitive cells:

[0067] 3.1 Smooth Fluid Direction Change: The umbrella-shaped inclined plane guides the liquid to change from vertical ascent to radial diffusion more smoothly, avoiding turbulence caused by sharp turns;

[0068] 3.2 Radial Uniform Distribution: The umbrella panel guides the liquid to be evenly dispersed radially along the umbrella surface into the descent zone, avoiding concentrated surges;

[0069] 3.3 Eliminate short-circuit flow: Prevent liquid from "short-circuiting" directly from the top of the rising zone into the edge of the falling zone, ensuring that the entire tank participates in circulation;

[0070] 3.4 Foam Blocking and Breaking: The board physically blocks the upward path of the foam, forcing the foam to collide with the umbrella board and break.

[0071] 3.5 Orderly gas discharge: Guides gas to discharge from the edge of the umbrella plate, reducing liquid surface disturbance and lowering the risk of liquid escape;

[0072] 3.6 Enhanced resistance to gas interference: The efficient separation design allows for stable operation at higher gas velocities, increasing the upper limit of mass transfer efficiency, such as in high-aerobic fermentation processes.

[0073] Example 2

[0074] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 6 The same aspects as in Embodiment 1 will not be repeated here, but the differences are as follows:

[0075] In this embodiment, the guide pipe 2 is disposed on the outside of the tank body 1;

[0076] The connecting assembly 3 includes an inlet port 31 and an outlet port 32 connected to the side of the guide pipe 2. The inlet port 31 and the outlet port 32 are connected to the tank body 1 through a flange structure. That is, two flange structures connected to the inside of the tank body 11 should be provided on the outside of the tank body 11. The guide pipe 2 is fixed to the side of the tank body 11 through the inlet port 31, the outlet port 32 and fasteners such as bolts, so as to form an external liquid circulation design.

[0077] Of course, during external liquid circulation, the top and bottom of the guide pipe 2 are fixedly connected with caps 8. The air inlet pipe 4 and the upper cap 8 are inserted and fixed. The caps 8 can be connected and sealed at both ends of the guide pipe 2 by bolts and sealing rings to ensure the airtightness of the entire guide pipe 2.

[0078] Of course, since the flow guide umbrella 6 cannot be installed in this embodiment, in order to block and break the foam, a number of distribution rings 9 are also installed at intervals inside the flow guide tube 2 in this embodiment, and the number of distribution rings 9 are arranged sequentially above the microbubble generator 5.

[0079] Specifically, in this embodiment, the outer side of the distribution ring 9 is connected to the inner wall of the guide pipe 2. When the bubbles move upward, some bubbles contact the distribution ring 9 to be blocked and broken, forming tiny bubbles. This ensures that oxygen or other target gases can diffuse and dissolve more effectively from the inside of the bubbles into the surrounding water, achieving a highly efficient gas-liquid mass transfer process and more effectively increasing dissolved oxygen.

[0080] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, but the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present utility model, based on the technical solution and the inventive concept of the present utility model, should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle, characterized in that, include: Tank (1) and a flow pipe (2) that forms a liquid communication with the tank (1); The guide pipe (2) is connected to the tank (1) via the connecting assembly (3). An air inlet pipe (4) is placed inside the guide pipe (2). The upper end of the air inlet pipe (4) extends to the top outside of the tank (1) and is connected to an air source. Among them, the air inlet pipe (4) is also equipped with a microbubble generator (5) at the inner end of the guide pipe (2).

2. The impeller-free microbubble airlift fermenter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide pipe (2) is placed inside the tank (1); The connecting assembly (3) includes a bracket fixedly installed inside the tank (1), and the bracket is connected and fixedly connected to the guide pipe (2) and the air inlet pipe (4).

3. The impeller-free microbubble airlift fermenter according to claim 2, characterized in that: A flow guide umbrella (6) is also installed on the outside of the air intake pipe (4). The flow guide umbrella (6) is located above the flow guide pipe (2), and the umbrella surface of the flow guide umbrella (6) is opposite to the upper opening of the flow guide pipe (2).

4. The impeller-free microbubble airlift fermenter according to claim 3, characterized in that: A connecting pipe (61) is fixedly installed on the inner side of the flow guide umbrella (6), and the air inlet pipe (4) passes through the connecting pipe (61); The connecting pipe (61) has a wedge-shaped part (62) at its top end, and several deformation slits (63) are distributed around the top end of the connecting pipe (61). The outer side of the connecting pipe (61) is threaded with an abutting sleeve (64), and the top end of the abutting sleeve (64) abuts against the wedge-shaped part (62).

5. A microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the guide tube (2) is also connected to a tapered tube (7).

6. The impeller-free microbubble airlift fermenter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide pipe (2) is located on the outside of the tank (1); The connecting assembly (3) includes an inlet port (31) and an outlet port (32) connected to the side of the guide pipe (2), and the inlet port (31) and the outlet port (32) are connected to the tank body (1) through a flange structure.

7. A microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The top and bottom of the guide pipe (2) are fixedly connected with caps (8), and the air inlet pipe (4) and the caps (8) above are inserted and fixed.

8. A microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inside of the guide tube (2) is also equipped with several distribution rings (9) at intervals, and several of the distribution rings (9) are arranged sequentially above the microbubble generator (5).

9. A microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: The air intake pipe (4) is made of stainless steel.

10. A microbubble airlift fermenter without a stirring paddle according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: The tank (1) includes a tank body (11) and a tank cover (12) covering the tank body (11), the top of which has an exhaust port; The tank body (11) has an internal interlayer, and a heating tube (13) is installed inside the interlayer.

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