Stackable Planar Adsorptive Devices for Linear Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chromatographic devices are not linearly scalable, requiring significant design and geometry alterations as the device size increases, leading to uncertainties and risks in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes from drug discovery to large-scale manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
The development of an adsorptive bed with a housing and a scaffold that includes open cells filled with adsorptive beads, which restricts bead movement and absorbs compressive stress, allowing for linear scalability and operation at higher pressures and flow rates, using a planarly cohesive media configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional chromatographic devices are scaled up, then manufacturing capacity increases, but device design and geometry must be significantly altered
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into modular planar adsorptive beds that can be stacked vertically. Each bed is a self-contained unit with a planar geometry that maintains consistent design across scales. The segmentation allows multiple identical modules to be combined, achieving scale-up through replication rather than redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional cylindrical/columnar geometry to planar geometry. By stacking multiple planar beds in the vertical dimension, the device achieves increased capacity while maintaining the same footprint and design. This dimensional approach allows linear scalability without altering the fundamental design of individual beds.
2Productivity
If planar adsorptive beds are made thicker to increase capacity, then purification capacity increases, but flow distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single thick bed, the system divides the adsorptive bed into multiple thinner planar layers stacked together. Each thin layer maintains uniform flow distribution, while the stack collectively provides the required capacity. This segmentation preserves flow uniformity while achieving the desired total capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the capacity increase from the thickness dimension (which compromises flow uniformity) to the stacking dimension. Multiple thin planar beds are stacked vertically to achieve the required capacity while each bed maintains optimal thickness for uniform flow distribution.
3Ease of manufacture
If adsorptive bead movement is unrestricted, then bed preparation is simpler, but bed stability under pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible mesh or screen structure is used to contain the adsorptive beads within each planar bed. This flexible containment allows for simple bead loading while providing sufficient restraint to maintain bed stability under operating pressures. The flexible structure conforms to the planar geometry and prevents bead movement without requiring complex rigid frameworks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the use of adsorptive bead-based media in planarly cohesive beds, facilitating linear scalability from laboratory to large-scale manufacturing without altering processing conditions, and supports higher flow rates and pressures than conventional devices, enhancing the flexibility and capacity of purification processes.
Implementation Method 1
The scaffold restricts movement of the plurality of adsorptive beads, absorbs compressive stress induced by a hydraulic pressure gradient along a direction of the liquid flow and transfers a portion of the induced compressive stress to the first surface of the housing
Implementation Method 2
The various components interact with the stationary phase by any one of a multitude of adsorptive phenomena. The differential adsorptive interaction between the components and media leads them to traverse the column at different velocities, which results in a physical separation of the components in the mobile phase
Implementation Method 3
The mobile phase typically flows through the stationary phase by virtue of the capillarity of the porous medium, which draws the solvent into the porous space of the media
Data Source
AI summary
Adsorptive bed devices include a scaffold in housing having a stress absorbing rigid structure and open cells filled with adsorptive beads. The scaffold restricts movement of the plurality of adsorptive beads, absorbs stress induced by a hydraulic pressure gradient along a direction of liquid flow and transfers a portion of the induced compressive stress to the housing. In one embodiment the adsorptive bed is packed into a chromatography column, and in another embodiment the adsorptive bed is sealed in a monolithic block. In another embodiment, the adsorptive bed device includes an adsorptive block, first and second planar distributors and peripheral seal. The adsorptive media includes multiple layers of planarly cohesive media and when operated in a shallow bed configuration possesses significant tensile strength along its planar dimensions enabling it to support the hydraulic pressures that will be generated by the fluids being processed through the adsorptive devices.