Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Guided Scale up of Cell Culture Bioreactors from Bench to Pilot to Commercial Scale

Computational fluid dynamics is a valuable tool for better understanding bioreactors and medium preparation tanks used for mammalian cell cultivation. Knowledge generated by CFD, such as on flow characteristics or on impeller mixing, aid in better transfer and scale up of cell culture processes.

This study used single phase simulations to predict power input and mixing time of production bioreactors at different scales. Impeller power numbers generated by CFD were compared across sites and assessed against historical vendor values to align cross-site scale up parameters. Approaches to applying CFD to large scale cell culture bioreactors will be discussed.