Past Projects

Problem Statement

• Scale up of processes is a difficult task due to inhomogeneities which are present in large scale reactors.
• Cells undergo dynamic gradients in large scale, leading to different metabolic responses than in small scale.
• Process performance in large scale is therefore different than in small scale.
• Process development strategies need to take those scale up effects into account and need to anticipate and ideally compensate those effects.

Goal

• Derive a methodological workflow to quickly assess if a CFD inhomogeneity pattern actually has an impact on physiology and process performance
• Provide novel Feeding strategies to compensate scale up effects 

Unique position at VUT

• Pilot scale reactors of 60 L and 20 L are available at Vienna University of Technology (VUT) for which CFD simulations exist an can be used as scale down reactors.
• Those reactors can be run at suboptimal conditions to mimic gradients as extracted from CFD simulations of large scale reactors.
• VUT as distinct knowledge in physiological feeding strategies, such as constant or dynamic specific uptake rates.

Research hypothesis

• With the scale down reactors with existing CFD simulations, effects of inhomogeneities in large scale reactors can be quickly assessed.
• Novel physiological feeding strategies can overcome impacts of inhomogeneities and therefore allow compensation scale up effects.

Contact:

Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Christoph Herwig

Collaborators:

Danish research consortium

Consortium Lead, DTU, Denmark, Prof. Krist Gernaey

Dr. Jens Fricke