Devices for introducing a gas into a liquid and methods of using the same

• US 20060033222A1
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cell Genesys Incorporated (ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cell Genesys Incorporated (ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Inventors: Godfrey, Scott Aaron, Long, Paul Harold IV
• Application Number:
  US11/200,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20060033222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 261/122.100
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23123 consisting of rigid porous or perforated material
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231231 the outlets being in the form of perforations
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231265 being tubes, tubular elements, cylindrical elements or set of tubes
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/06 Nozzles; Sprayers; Spargers; Diffusers per se B01F23/231, B01J19/26

Abstract

Devices and methods for introducing a gas into a liquid are provided. Embodiments of the subject devices include spargers that have an inner member having a gas inlet opening and a gas outlet opening and an outer member that has at least one sparge hole. Embodiments of the subject methods include operatively positioning a sparger having an inner member and an outer member having at least one sparge hole inside a liquid held within a vessel and directing gas into the second member from the first member to cause the gas to exit the at least one sparger hole of the second member. Novel systems and kits are also provided.

Claims

1. A sparger comprising:

an inner member having a gas inlet opening and at least one gas outlet opening; and

an outer member comprising at least one sparge hole.

2. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said at least one sparge hole has a diameter that ranges from about 200 μ

m to about 5 cm.

3. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said sparger has from about 1 to about 10,000 sparge holes.

4. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said inner member has a length that ranges from about 5 cm to about 50 meters.

5. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said inner member has inner diameter that ranges from about 1 mm to about 15 cm.

6. The sparger of claim 5, wherein said inner diameter of said inner member is constant.

7. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said inner member has outer diameter that ranges from about 1 mm to about 15 cm.

8. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said outer member has a length that ranges from about 5 cm to about 50 meters.

9. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said outer member has inner diameter that ranges from about 5 mm to about 15 cm.

10. The sparger of claim 9, wherein said inner diameter of said outer member is constant.

11. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said outer member has outer diameter that ranges from about 5 mm to about 15 cm.

12. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said outer member comprises an open end and a closed end, and said gas outlet opening of said inner tube is spaced a distance from said closed end of said outer member that ranges from about 1 cm to about 100 cm.

13. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said sparger is dimensioned to provide a gas flow rate within said sparger that ranges from about 0 SLPM to about 5×

10⁶ SLPM at a pressure of about that ranges from about 0 psi to about 5×

10⁴ psi.

14. The sparger of claim 1, wherein said sparger is dimensioned to provide a liquid velocity within said sparger that ranges from about 3 feet/second to about 10 feet/second at a pressure of about that ranges from about 1 psi to about 125 psi.

15. A vessel comprising the sparger of claim 1.

16. The vessel of claim 15, wherein the vessel is a cell or microorganism culture bioreactor.

17. The vessel of claim 15, wherein said sparger is coupled to a wall of said vessel.

18. A system comprising:

a vessel for containing a liquid; and

a sparger comprising;

i. an inner member having a gas inlet opening and at least one gas outlet opening, and

ii. an outer member comprising at least one sparge hole.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said vessel is a cell culture bioreactor.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a liquid in said vessel.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said liquid is cell culture medium.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said cell culture medium further includes cells.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said cells are mammalian cells.

24. The system of claim 18, further comprising at least one gas source.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein said sparger is positioned at an angle that ranges from about −

30°

to about 30°

relative to a line normal to a wall of the vessel.

26. A method for introducing a gas into a liquid, said method comprising:

positioning a sparger inside liquid-filled vessel, wherein said sparger comprises a first member disposed within a second member having at least one sparge hole, and

directing a gas into said second member from said first member to cause said gas to exit said at least one sparge hole of said second member, whereby said exited gas is introduced into said liquid.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said introduced gas is in the form of bubbles.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said bubbles have a mean diameter that ranges from about 100 μ

m to about 1 meter.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said bubbles have a mean diameter that ranges from about 0.5 mm to about 5 cm.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said gas is introduced at a flow rate that ranges from about 0 SLPM to about 5×

10⁶ SLPM.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said gas is introduced at a flow rate that ranges from about 0 SLPM to about 1,000 SLPM.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein said gas is oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising cleaning said sparger without removing said sparger from said vessel.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said cleaning comprises introducing a cleaning solution to said sparger at a flow rate that ranges from about 3 feet/second to about 10 feet/second.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising sterilizing said sparger without removing said sparger from said vessel.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said sterilization comprises introducing steam into said sparger at pressure that ranges from about 0 psi to about 1000 psi.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said sterilization comprises introducing steam into said sparger at pressure that ranges from about 0 psi to about 125 psi.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein further comprising condensing at least some of said steam inside said sparger and draining said condensed steam from said sparger through said at least one sparge hole of said sparger.

39. A method for culturing cells or microorganisms, said method comprising:

positioning a sparger inside a cell or microorganism culture medium present inside a bioreactor, wherein said sparger comprises a first member disposed within a second member having at least one sparge hole, and directing a gas into said second member from said first member to cause said gas to exit said at least one sparge hole of said second member, whereby said exited gas is introduced into said cell or microorganism culture medium.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said cell culture medium is mammalian cell culture medium.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said mammalian cell culture medium comprises mammalian cells.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising cleaning said sparger without removing said sparger from said bioreactor.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said cleaning comprises introducing a cleaning solution to said sparger at a flow rate that ranges from about 3 feet/second to about 10 feet/second.

44. The method of claim 39, further comprising sterilizing said sparger without removing said sparger from said cell culture bioreactor vessel.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said sterilization comprises introducing steam into said sparger at pressure that ranges from about 0 psi to about 1000 psi.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said sterilization comprises introducing steam into said sparger at pressure that ranges from about 0 psi to about 125 psi.

47. A method of cleaning a sparger comprising an inner member having a gas inlet opening and at least one gas outlet opening, and an outer member comprising at least one sparge hole, said method comprising:

directing a cleaning solution into said second member from said first member to cause said cleaning solution to exit said at least one sparge hole of said second member.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the flow rate of said cleaning solution in said sparger ranges from about 3 feet/second to about 10 feet/second.

49. The method of claim 47, further comprising directing a rinse liquid into said second member from said first member to cause said cleaning solution to exit said at least one sparge hole of said second member.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein said sparger is affixed to a vessel.

53. The method of claim 48, wherein said steam is introduced to said sparger at pressure that ranges from about 0 psi to about 1000 psi.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein said sterilization is introduced to said sparger at pressure that ranges from about 0 psi to about 125 psi.

51. A method of sterilizing a sparger comprising an inner member having a gas inlet opening and at least one gas outlet opening, and an outer member comprising at least one sparge hole, said method comprising:

directing steam into said second member from said first member to cause said steam to exit said at least one sparge hole of said second member.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein said steam is at a temperature that ranges from about 120°

C. to about 130°

C.

55. The method of claim 51, wherein said sparger is affixed to a vessel.

56. A kit comprising:

a sparger for introducing a gas into a liquid, said sparger comprising;

an inner member having a gas inlet opening and at least one gas outlet opening, and

an outer member comprising at least one sparge hole; and

a vessel for use with said sparger.

57. A kit comprising:

a sparger for introducing a gas into a liquid comprising;

an inner member having a gas inlet opening and at least one gas outlet opening, and

an outer member comprising at least one sparge hole; and

instructions for processing said sparger while coupled to a vessel.

58. The kit of claim 57, wherein said processing is at least one of cleaning or sterilizing.