Insulin Production Design Project

Group Members:
Shaina Dinsdale
Mike Hull
Dean Latham
Chris Tovee

Fermentor Optimization
Source: http://www.ingenious.org.uk
Outline
Fermentors in general
Alternatives- Batch vs CSTR
Our Design
Design method
Cost and Suppliers
Questions


Quick Insulin Facts

Initial concentrations of insulin in the
starting material is between 0.1 and 1.0
g/L

Selling price is $100,000 /kg

Fermentors
Knowledge of:
kinetics, material, energy balances of
biological reactions, fermentation broth,
mass/heat transfer characteristics
Process Parts
Vessel
Aeration/Agitation
Temperature controls
Bioreactor Selection Criterion
Productivity
4 phases: lag, growth, harvesting, prep

Genetic Stability
Cell mutations and cell generations

Operability and Reliability
Variation in quality
Maintenance

Bioreactor Alternatives
Batch
Advantages
versatility,
sterilization, low
strain mutation
100% substrate
conversion
Disadvantages
high labour cost
Down time
Effects on
downstream process
unit design
CSTR
Advantages
Efficient
Constant product
quality, low labour
costs
Disadvantages
Infection in system
Inflexible
Strain mutations

Our Fermentor
72 hour start up for cell build up

Continuous for production of insulin

Agitation and aeration, baffles, cooling
coils

Unit Operation
Assumptions used
Type 1 Microbial growth
Relate X, S and P by yield
coefficients

Assumed glucose feed rate
equaled the rate of glucose
consumption

=D because of continuous
flow reactor


A density of 1.1 kg/L because 97% of input is water

Used literature values for C
crit
and Y
O2/X


Design Method
Designed to be kinetically limited
Calculated desired k
L
a based on:

Assumed a height to diameter ratio of 3-2
Used empirical correlations between D
i
, D
t,
H
t
, N and P to meet k
L
a




c c
X Q
a k
2 O
L

=
-
t
D
541 . 0
g
541 . 0
g
4
t
L
Q
V
P
D
0333 . 0
a k
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
Summary of Fermentor Design
Parameter Value Units
Volume of fermentor
(including head space)
194.4 m
3
Reactor diameter 5.48 m
Reactor height 10.1 m
Impellor speed 15 rpm
Air flow rate 1900 m
3
h
Operating Conditions
Temperature of 30
o
C
3 reactors to achieve desired volume of
657.1 m
3
Flow inputs were given from original
design specifications
Low impeller speed for low shear

Cost Inflation
From Bank of Canada online
From 1991 to 2005
1991: 200,000L cost $1,669,000.00
2005: 200,000L cost $2,151,231.56
28.98% increase in 14 yrs
$226000 x 3 tanks = $6,780,000

Suppliers
Sartorius BBI Systems Inc.
Formerly B. Braun Biotech
Germany
From 30L to production scale
scalable line of fermentors to get you through your next capacity crunch
BiOENGiNEERiNG
Switzerland
established international reputation through its many years of commitment to
biotechnology

References
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/inflation_calc.html
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=109826&page=1
Daugulis, A.J., Axford, D.B., Mc Lellan, P.J. (1991). The Economics
of Ethanol Production by Extractive Fermentation. Canadian Journal
of Chemical Engineering, Vol.69, April.

Questions?