A reactor with a height-adjustable outlet pipe

Abstract

This utility model discloses a height-adjustable outlet pipe for a reactor, relating to the technical field of cell bioreactor culture equipment. It includes a stainless steel outlet pipe with a movable sleeve welded to its outer surface. An outlet pipe base is fitted onto the outer surface of the movable sleeve, and a cavity is formed within the base. A sterilization steam inlet and outlet are fixedly connected to one side of the base. Sealing grooves are formed at both the upper and lower positions on the inner surface of the base, and O-rings are installed in both grooves. This height-adjustable outlet pipe for a reactor, through a locking nut and a sealing joint on the movable sleeve, allows for height adjustment after sterilization without replacing the pipe, avoiding installation errors and adapting to different processes. The O-rings and sterilization steam design ensure sterility, and the sealing joint on the movable sleeve prevents leakage and contamination, further enhancing safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of cell bioreactor culture equipment, and in particular to a height-adjustable outlet pipe for a reactor. Background Technology

[0002] A cell bioreactor is a device used to produce biological vaccines. It involves culturing host cells, and once the cell population reaches a certain size, introducing the appropriate virus into the reactor to infect the host cells with the vaccine stock solution. Many vaccine products in the industry involve harvesting the vaccine stock solution for subsequent production. Harvesting the stock solution requires discharging the supernatant through an outlet at the top of the tank; therefore, the reactor equipment needs to be equipped with a corresponding top outlet assembly.

[0003] While there are various structures for top-discharge assemblies in the current industry, none are truly universal. Most reactors with top-discharge functionality currently employ an interface on the top of the tank, with a fixed stainless steel drain pipe installed inside. During use, the drain pipe is first installed on the tank, and drainage is performed after cultivation. Because the reactor cultivation process requires sterility to prevent bacterial contamination and cultivation failure, the drain pipe cannot be disassembled or replaced after sterilization. Furthermore, the drain pipe is made of stainless steel, its length is custom-designed, and its depth into the tank is fixed. If the existing technology is not optimized, the final discharge height inside the tank cannot be adjusted according to different customer cultivation processes. To achieve different discharge heights, different lengths of discharge pipes must be used. The corresponding length of discharge pipe must be installed before each use to achieve discharge from the top of the tank. This requires multiple discharge pipes to be prepared. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the corresponding discharge pipe is accurately installed on the tank before the reactor is used for cultivation. If the discharge pipe is installed at an incorrect height, it will have a significant adverse impact on the subsequent discharge function. In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, we propose a height-adjustable discharge pipe for the reactor. Utility Model Content

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide a height-adjustable liquid outlet pipe for a reactor, which can effectively solve the problems in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0006] An adjustable discharge pipe for a reactor includes a stainless steel discharge pipe. A movable discharge pipe sleeve is welded to the outer surface of the stainless steel discharge pipe. A discharge pipe base is fitted onto the outer surface of the movable discharge pipe sleeve, and a discharge pipe base cavity is formed inside the discharge pipe base. A sterilizing steam inlet and a sterilizing steam outlet are fixedly connected to one side of the discharge pipe base. Sealing ring grooves are formed at both the upper and lower positions on the inner surface of the discharge pipe base, and O-rings are provided in both sealing ring grooves. A movable sleeve sealing lock joint is fitted onto the outer surface of the movable discharge pipe sleeve, and the movable sleeve sealing lock joint is fixedly installed at the corresponding installation position on the upper end of the discharge pipe base. A discharge pipe locking nut is threadedly connected to the top outer surface of the discharge pipe base.

[0007] Preferably, the movable sleeve of the drain pipe is welded to the outer surface of the stainless steel drain pipe, and the two form a whole that can move up and down synchronously. The bottom of the drain pipe base is a sanitary quick-connect structure for sealing and docking with the sterile flange interface of the reactor tank.

[0008] Preferably, the drain pipe locking nut is connected to the top of the drain pipe base by a threaded connection, which is used to squeeze the movable sleeve sealing lock joint to make it shrink and fit between the drain pipe movable sleeve and the drain pipe base, so as to fix the height of the stainless steel drain pipe.

[0009] Preferably, the liquid outlet pipe base and the liquid drain pipe movable sleeve form a sliding sealing assembly through an O-ring, allowing the liquid drain pipe movable sleeve to move vertically up and down within the inner cavity of the liquid outlet pipe base.

[0010] Preferably, the drain pipe locking nut is tightened or loosened by rotation to fix or unlock the drain pipe moving sleeve, thereby adjusting the height of the stainless steel drain pipe inside the reactor tank.

[0011] Preferably, the movable sleeve sealing lock joint is a retractable structure, which can tightly fit the movable sleeve of the drain pipe and the base of the outlet pipe under the squeezing action of the drain pipe locking nut to form a sealed and fixed structure.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] This reactor uses a height-adjustable outlet pipe. Through the cooperation design of the outlet pipe locking nut and the movable sleeve sealing joint, the depth of the stainless steel outlet pipe can be directly adjusted after sterilization without disassembling the components or replacing outlet pipes of different lengths. This completely solves the problem of having to spare multiple pipes of different specifications when using traditional fixed outlet pipes. It not only reduces equipment procurement costs and warehousing management pressure, but also avoids the risk of process failure caused by the installation of outlet pipes at the wrong height. The same outlet pipe assembly can be adapted to the outlet height requirements of different culture processes, greatly improving the flexibility and convenience of reactor operation.

[0014] This reactor uses a height-adjustable outlet pipe. The outlet pipe base and the movable sleeve of the drain pipe form a sliding sealing assembly through an O-ring. Combined with the circulating sterilization design of the sterilization steam inlet and outlet, it ensures that the system maintains a sterile state when adjusting the height of the drain pipe. The sealing and locking joint of the movable sleeve forms a sealed and fixed structure under the compression of the locking nut. This not only ensures that the liquid does not leak during the adjustment process, but also prevents external contaminants from entering the reactor. This meets the stringent requirements of cell culture for a sterile environment, while avoiding the contamination risks that may be caused by the disassembly and replacement of traditional fixed drain pipes. This significantly improves the safety and reliability of reactor operation. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 2 This is an overall sectional view of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 This is the utility model Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Stainless steel drain pipe; 2. Drain pipe movable sleeve; 3. Drain pipe base; 4. Drain pipe base cavity; 5. Sterilization steam inlet; 6. Sterilization steam outlet; 7. Sealing ring groove; 8. O-ring seal; 9. Movable sleeve sealing lock joint; 10. Drain pipe locking nut. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this utility model easier to understand, the present utility model will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0020] Example 1, as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, a height-adjustable discharge pipe for a reactor is first welded to the outer surface of a stainless steel discharge pipe 1, making them a single unit that can move up and down simultaneously. Next, the discharge pipe base 3 is fixedly installed to the top of the stainless steel reactor tank, sealed with a gasket. Sealing grooves 7 are provided at both the top and bottom of the inner surface of the discharge pipe base 3, and O-rings 8 are installed within the sealing grooves 7. Then, the welded discharge pipe sleeve 2 is passed through the inner cavity of the discharge pipe base 3, and the O-rings 8 within the discharge pipe base 3 secure the connection between the discharge pipe base 3 and the discharge pipe sleeve 2. The sliding sealing function is then implemented, and the installed movable sleeve sealing lock section 9 is fitted onto the drain pipe movable sleeve 2. The movable sleeve sealing lock section 9 is simultaneously fixedly installed at the corresponding position on the top of the drain pipe base 3. The drain pipe locking nut 10 is designed with a threaded connection to the top of the drain pipe base 3. By rotating the drain pipe locking nut 10, the drain pipe base 3 is locked, and at the same time, the movable sleeve sealing lock section 9 is squeezed to cause the movable sleeve sealing lock section 9 to contract and fit tightly between the drain pipe movable sleeve 2 and the drain pipe base 3, thereby fixing the height of the stainless steel drain pipe 1. The drain pipe assembly is then assembled.

[0021] It should be noted that this utility model is a height-adjustable outlet pipe for a reactor. The outlet pipe base 3 has an outlet pipe base cavity 4, and O-rings 8 are provided on the upper and lower positions of the inner surface of the outlet pipe base 3. The O-rings 8 are used to combine the drain pipe moving sleeve 2 and the outlet pipe base 3 into a sliding sealing assembly. The upper and lower positions of one side of the outlet pipe base 3 are respectively provided with sterilization steam inlet 5 and sterilization steam outlet 6. During use, pure steam flows through sterilization steam inlet 5 and sterilization steam outlet 6 to sterilize the outlet pipe base cavity 4 and the drain pipe moving sleeve 2, so that the outer surface of the drain pipe moving sleeve 2 is sterile. This ensures that when the stainless steel drain pipe 1 and the drain pipe moving sleeve 2 are simultaneously inserted into the tank to reduce the discharge height, no bacterial contamination will occur inside the reactor tank.

[0022] Before using the reactor for cultivation, install the height-adjustable outlet pipe assembly on the top of the reactor. During normal cultivation, the outlet pipe base cavity 4 and the outlet pipe movable sleeve 2 are sterilized with steam. When drainage is required, slightly loosen the outlet pipe locking nut 10 to allow the stainless steel outlet pipe 1 and the outlet pipe movable sleeve 2 to slide up and down. Adjust to the required drainage height of the reactor, then tighten the outlet pipe locking nut 10 to fix the stainless steel outlet pipe 1 and the outlet pipe movable sleeve 2. Then, drain the supernatant from the tank. When you want to drain more supernatant from the reactor when the drainage operation is almost finished, simply loosen the outlet pipe locking nut 10 again, and adjust the height of the stainless steel outlet pipe 1 and the outlet pipe movable sleeve 2 inside the tank to a suitable position. Then tighten the outlet pipe locking nut 10 to fix the stainless steel outlet pipe 1 and the outlet pipe movable sleeve 2, and you can continue the reactor drainage operation.

[0023] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A height-adjustable liquid outlet pipe for a reactor comprising a stainless steel liquid outlet pipe (1), characterized in that: The stainless steel drain pipe (1) has a drain pipe movable sleeve (2) welded on its outer surface. The drain pipe movable sleeve (2) is fitted with a drain pipe base (3) on its outer surface. A drain pipe base cavity (4) is opened inside the drain pipe base (3). A sterilization steam inlet (5) and a sterilization steam outlet (6) are fixedly connected to one side of the drain pipe base (3). Sealing ring grooves (7) are opened at both the upper and lower positions on the inner surface of the drain pipe base (3). O-rings (8) are provided in both sealing ring grooves (7). A movable sleeve sealing lock (9) is fitted on the outer surface of the drain pipe movable sleeve (2). The movable sleeve sealing lock (9) is fixedly installed at the corresponding installation position at the upper end of the drain pipe base (3). A drain pipe locking nut (10) is threadedly connected to the top outer surface of the drain pipe base (3).

2. The height-adjustable liquid outlet pipe for a reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drain pipe moving sleeve (2) is welded to the outer surface of the stainless steel drain pipe (1), and the two form a whole that can move up and down synchronously. The bottom of the drain pipe base (3) is a sanitary quick-connect structure, which is used to seal and connect with the sterile flange interface of the reactor tank.

3. The height adjustable downcomer for a reactor according to claim 1, wherein: The drain pipe locking nut (10) is connected to the top of the drain pipe base (3) by a threaded connection. It is used to squeeze the movable sleeve sealing lock section (9) to make it shrink and fit between the drain pipe movable sleeve (2) and the drain pipe base (3) to fix the height of the stainless steel drain pipe (1).

4. The height adjustable downcomer for a reactor according to claim 1, wherein: The outlet pipe base (3) and the drain pipe moving sleeve (2) form a sliding sealing assembly through an O-ring (8), allowing the drain pipe moving sleeve (2) to move vertically up and down in the inner cavity of the outlet pipe base (3).

5. The height-adjustable outlet pipe for a reactor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drain pipe locking nut (10) can be tightened or loosened by rotating to fix or unlock the drain pipe moving sleeve (2) so as to adjust the height of the stainless steel drain pipe (1) inside the reactor tank.

6. The height adjustable downcomer for a reactor according to claim 3, wherein: The movable sleeve sealing lock (9) is a retractable structure. Under the squeezing action of the drain pipe locking nut (10), it can tightly fit the drain pipe movable sleeve (2) and the outlet pipe base (3) to form a sealed and fixed structure.

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