Autoclavable Benchtop Glass Bioreactor | 1.5L-15L Fermentation System

Designed for bioprocess development, culture medium optimization, strain screening, and scale-up modeling, this autoclavable benchtop glass bioreactor system delivers automated process control for microbial fermentation and cell culture. Available in single-vessel and multi-unit parallel arrangements (2-unit, 4-unit, 6-unit, or custom multi-train configurations) across 1.5 L, 3 L, 5 L, 6 L, 7.5 L, 10 L, 13 L, and 15 L volume capacities, the platform accommodates batch, fed-batch, and continuous cultivation strategies.

High-Clarity Autoclavable Vessel and Flexible Agitation Assemblies The culture vessel is constructed from optical-clarity single-layer borosilicate glass paired with an electropolished 316L stainless steel flat top-plate, withstanding routine steam autoclaving at 121°C. Supporting maximum working volumes up to 70%, fluid agitation is driven by a precision top-mounted servo drive motor operating across 0 to 1300 rpm (or bottom magnetic drive configurations up to 2000 rpm) with speed regulation accuracy within ±0.5%. Agitation geometries can be configured with standard pitched blade impellers, spin filtration impellers, packed bed baskets, or shear-free bubble-free mixing paddles to protect fragile mammalian or algal cell lines.

Automated Cascade Aeration, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH Loops The system features an automated 4-gas aeration manifold (air, CO₂, N₂, O₂) monitored via thermal mass flow controllers (TMFC) and glass rotameters. Gas intake is integrated into cascade PID loops to govern dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH. The dissolved oxygen control loop seamlessly links with variable agitation speeds, nutrient feeding rates, and pure oxygen enrichment, while pH is managed by dual acid/alkali variable-speed peristaltic pumps (0–300 mL/min) or automated CO₂ sparging. High-temperature sterilizable standard electrodes continuously track DO (0%–100% or 0%–200%) and pH (2.00–12.00) with integrated calibration and diagnostic software routines.

Thermal Precision, Feeding Strategies, and Multi-Sensor Expansion Thermal regulation utilizes electric wrap heating combined with cold-water recirculation loops, controlling vessel temperatures between 5°C and 65°C (customizable to 95°C) within ±0.1°C accuracy using sterilizable Pt100 temperature sensors. Nutrient dosing supports continuous, exponential, fed-batch, DO-STAT, and pH-STAT automation. The platform features modular expansion for off-gas analysis (exhaust CO₂/O₂), automated sampling with cold storage, automated vessel weighing, optical density (turbidity), redox (ORP), viable cell density, and biochemical metabolite assays (glucose, lactate, amino acids, and ionic species).

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How is the glass vessel assembly sterilized prior to inoculation? The entire vessel—including the 316L stainless steel head plate, exhaust condenser, filter housings, and autoclavable electrodes—is autoclaved at 121°C for 30 minutes in an external autoclave.

2. What vessel volume capacities are available in this bioreactor series? The series provides total volumetric sizes of 1.5 L, 3.0 L, 5.0 L, 6.0 L, 7.5 L, 10.0 L, 13.0 L, and 15.0 L, each operating with a 70% maximum working volume.

3. Can multiple bioreactors be networked together for parallel fermentation? Yes, the control platform supports parallel arrangements including 2-unit, 4-unit, 6-unit, or larger networked arrays operated from a central touch terminal or remote SCADA workstation.

4. How does the 4-gas aeration system regulate dissolved oxygen? The automated 4-gas module blends Air, O₂, N₂, and CO₂ through thermal mass flow controllers, linking DO regulation in a cascade with agitation speed, gas flow, and oxygen enrichment.

5. What nutrient feeding modes are supported by the integrated pumps? The four assignable peristaltic pumps support continuous feeding, exponential feeding, discrete fed-batch profiles, DO-STAT, and pH-STAT feedback loops.

6. What impeller options are available for shear-sensitive cell lines? In addition to standard pitched blade impellers, systems can be fitted with spin filtration impellers, packed bed carriers, or bubble-free silicone tubing aeration impellers.

7. How is temperature maintained during exothermic microbial growth? Temperature is regulated via PID algorithms coupling electrical heating jackets with cold-water heat exchangers, maintaining stability between 5°C and 65°C within ±0.1°C.

8. Can the system accommodate continuous off-gas analysis? Yes, the platform integrates with modular exhaust gas analyzers to track real-time CO₂ and O₂ percentages, calculating Oxygen Uptake Rates (OUR) and Carbon Evolution Rates (CER).

9. Are the pH and dissolved oxygen sensors reusable and steam-sterilizable? Yes, the system utilizes high-precision pH glass electrodes and optical/polarographic DO electrodes designed to endure repeated autoclave sterilization cycles.

10. What laboratory utilities are required to operate the unit? The installation requires standard single-phase AC 220V power, clean dry compressed air (0.2–0.3 MPa), process gasses (O₂, N₂, CO₂), a chilled water loop, and an external autoclave.

11. How does the automated anti-foam system prevent head-space flooding? A sterilizable conductivity probe senses foam rise at the top plate, prompting a dedicated peristaltic pump to dispense metered antifoam reagent until electrical contact breaks.

12. What advanced process analytical technology (PAT) sensors can be retrofitted? The platform supports modular integration of turbidity sensors, online biomass probes, live cell density meters, vessel scales, ORP probes, and automated glucose/lactate analyzers.