What’s behind CellTank-34 perfusion SUB
Reactor core design is a cylinder with stacked even number of circular envelopes arranged parallel with radial inlet and axial matrix passing and radial outlet. For CellTank the core body is inserted in a slightly conical container/vessel. We call the principle core technology for CellCore.
Media pump inlet is at the very bottom. The media passes the advanced impeller driven by external magnetic forces. Media exits the pump into the reactor core centre to the triangular volumes above and under the envelopes, cavities and flows further perpendicular through the envelopes integrating the matrix. After the matrix the media is collected from and in between the two envelopes and radially guided into the hollow circumference collection volume in direct correspondence with the rotameter bottom.
The pump impeller is designed to operate in the 150-800 rpm range and re-circulate media in a full vortex rotation symmetrical around the reactor centre line. The CellTank-34 is designed for constant cell bleeding determined by the selected matrix relevant for the specific cell line.
The reactor is assembled from a series of bodies creating the internal envelopes and media passageways manufactured with Stereolithography methods from polyamide. The advanced product is designed in SolidWorks supported by fluid analysis in FlowWorks.
Envelopes are filled with randomly arranged non-woven polyester (PET) very specific in surface treatment, configuration, and structure creating the macro-porous scaffold. The porous matrix presents a plurality of inter-connected, open pores with essentially no closed pores creating cavities. Adherent as well as suspension cultured cells are introduced to the bioreactor during seeding and continue as a suspension culture within the matrix cavities. Here, they are not specifically adherent to the porous matrix surfaces, but kept in agglomerated state within the matrix boundaries in combination of semi-adherent and/or suspension state. The use of such matrix also supports easy separation of cells from the ambient media, supporting convenient media replacement, perfusion culture or final harvest.
Sketches - CellTank-34 with the media flow directions including a pH sensor. Red flow patch inside B/W sketch. Flow patch inside the centrifugal pump.
Black/white sketch show CellTank-34 with the black bio mass sensor penetrating into the grey matrix and the black flotation device in the rotameter.