Bioreactor Support System With Interchangeable Vessel Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bioreactors face limitations in handling a wide range of cell culture volumes due to constraints imposed by the position of impellers and sensors, making it difficult to scale up operations efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A bioreactor support system with interchangeable vessel units of varying sizes, a base module, and an impeller drive unit that can accommodate different sized bioreactor bags, allowing the use of the same impeller drive mechanism across different volumes, maintaining consistent impeller-to-vessel diameter ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single bioreactor bag size is used, then the impeller and sensor positions are fixed, but the working volume range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bioreactor system is segmented into interchangeable components: multiple bioreactor bags of different sizes, corresponding vessel units, and a common base module. This segmentation allows users to select appropriate bag sizes for different working volumes while maintaining a standardized base module with fixed impeller and sensor positions, thereby expanding the working volume range without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The base module is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple vessel units with different bioreactor bag sizes. The impeller drive unit and sensor positions remain standardized across all configurations, allowing the same base module to serve multiple functions with different bag sizes, thus improving adaptability while controlling device complexity.
2Volume of stationary object
If large bioreactor bags are used, then maximum working volume increases, but minimum working volume is constrained by impeller and sensor positions
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces dynamic configurability by allowing interchange between different vessel units and bioreactor bag sizes. When maximum working volume is needed, large bags are used; when minimum working volume is required, smaller bags are swapped in. This dynamic reconfiguration enables the system to adapt to different volume requirements without being constrained by fixed impeller and sensor positions in the standardized base module.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple bioreactor systems with different impeller positions are used for different volumes, then working volume range increases, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring multiple separate bioreactor systems with differently positioned impellers and sensors, the invention creates a universal base module that works with multiple vessel unit sizes. This single multi-functional platform replaces the need for multiple specialized systems, thereby expanding cell culture volume handling capability while reducing overall device complexity and cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A bioreactor support system configured to hold a bioreactor bag, comprising: a base module comprising an impeller drive unit; and at least two vessel units of different sizes, which are configured to support and substantially enclose a side wall of a bioreactor bag when a bioreactor bag is provided in the bioreactor support system, wherein the base module and the vessel units comprise mating connection devices such that the vessel units can be connected to one and the same base module and such that the impeller drive unit of the base module can be used to drive an impeller in a bioreactor bag when a bioreactor bag is provided in the bioreactor support system.