Evaluación y rediseño del sistema de calentamiento y enfriamiento del BIORREACTOR LiFlus GX : evaluación del desempeño del sistema de acondicionamiento de temperatura del biorreactor tipo tanque agitado LiFlus GX.

Abstract

The LiFlus GX stirred tank bioreactor located in the Bioprocess Laboratory has an inefficient temperature conditioning system, which prevents a microorganism from reaching its optimum growth temperature during the adaptation phase. In this work, the performance of the temperature conditioning system in the bioreactor is evaluated through mathematical modeling with the incorporation of heating water and a neoprene ring as insulation in the jacket. The dimensions of the equipment were measured to establish operating parameters such as heat transfer area, work volume and stirring power. The behavior of nickeline as an actuator of the conditioning system was analyzed to establish its operational capacity. The mathematical model was formulated in the context of an aerobic fermentative process and validated through experimental tests with Saccharomyces cerevisiae brand DistilaMax® in a YPD medium at 5% glucose. It was determined that without heating fluid, the space between the jacket and the glass container is an air reservoir that acts as a thermal insulator and exposes the resistance to overheating. The heating water allows the development of fermentations at optimum temperature with a duration of 450 min without interruptions and with operative nickeline with 0.21% of its capacity. The adaptation phase of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, where the effect of temperature is marked, is more closely described by the Hills and Wright model, with a deviation of only 4.25 % when neoprene packing was not used, and the 4.60% when it was used. In addition, the use of neoprene packing minimizes heat losses, and consequently reduces the lag phase time by 30 min.