Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer in Laboratory-Scale Fermentors

Given the importance of aerobic fermentation in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, extensive research has gone into understanding gas-liquid mass transfer in sparged, agitated vessels. However, the magnitude of surface aeration, and therefore its influence on the mass transfer coefficient, has not been fully explored. Proposed empirical correlations relating surface aeration to geometric factors, gas flow rates, and agitation speeds were examined and compared to experimental data collected from a laboratory-scale fermentor.