analysis of stirred tank and orbitally shaken bioractors with non- newtonian fluid: an experimental study

Gas–liquid mixing equipment is applied widely in chemical industries. Many research available in literature have been carried out on this topic, but the majority of the studies deal with fluids of water-like viscosity. However, in practical industrial process, such as in pharmaceutical engineering, the process fluid exhibits non-Newtonian characteristics. The main objective of this study is to investigate the rheological properties influence of a non-Newtonian shear thinning fluid as representative of a fermentation broth. The study will involve two experimental setup, i.e. stirred tank bioreactor (STB) and orbitally shaken bioreactor (OSB), for comparison purposes. The hydrodynamic behavior of the non-newtonian fluid will be investigated in both bioreactors, with the aim to understand the main differences between such fluid and water. Furthermore, both systems will be analyzed under the process aspect, with particular attention to gas-to-liquid mass transfer. The goal of the project is to compare the widely-employed STB with the new OSB, considered more suitable for low shear stresses applications.