GRAVITY FLOW TUBULAR PHOTOBIOREACTOR AND PHOTOBIOREACTOR FARM
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A bioreactor farm comprising:
- at least first and second bioreactor cores connected in series, each of the first and second bioreactor cores comprising;
a support;
a tube which at a minimum partially passes light there through, is mounted on the support and includes an upper opening, wherein at last a portion of the tube continuously runs and curls with declination about a vertical axis to form a stack of levels with each level encompassing about 360 degrees around the vertical axis where the radial distance between the tube and the vertical axis indexes within the stack so as to enhance the tube'"'"'s exposure to light emanating from above the stack relative to the tube being vertically aligned at a constant radial distance from the axis within the stack;
the tube also comprising a lower opening;
wherein the first bioreactor core is supported at an elevation higher than an elevation of the second bioreactor core.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A gravity flow photobioreactor core (10) comprised of a support means (3); a tube (5) that continuously runs and curls with declination about a vertical axis to form a stack (7) of levels (9) and having an inlet sparge (11); a gas exchange tank (13) and a central feed pipe (15) with a sparge (17). A gravity flow photobioreactor farm comprised of a bottom tank (19); a pump (21); a plurality of bioreactor cores (10) connected in series at decreasing elevations and a return pipe (23).
-
Citations
14 Claims
-
1. A bioreactor farm comprising:
-
at least first and second bioreactor cores connected in series, each of the first and second bioreactor cores comprising; a support; a tube which at a minimum partially passes light there through, is mounted on the support and includes an upper opening, wherein at last a portion of the tube continuously runs and curls with declination about a vertical axis to form a stack of levels with each level encompassing about 360 degrees around the vertical axis where the radial distance between the tube and the vertical axis indexes within the stack so as to enhance the tube'"'"'s exposure to light emanating from above the stack relative to the tube being vertically aligned at a constant radial distance from the axis within the stack;
the tube also comprising a lower opening;wherein the first bioreactor core is supported at an elevation higher than an elevation of the second bioreactor core. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A bioreactor core comprising:
-
a first support; a first annular tube which substantially passes light there through is mounted on the support, the tube including an upper opening and at least a portion of the tube extending downwardly from the upper opening, along an annular path and with declination about a vertical axis to form a stack of a plurality of levels that are in substantially parallel planes that are vertically spaced with a slope of declination lowering each level and in a direction from top to bottom the radial distance between the tube and the vertical axis within the stack increases; and a first gas exchange tank supported at a position that is generally above the stack, is in fluid communication with the upper opening of the tube, the first gas exchange tank also has a first fluid fill level and a first slurry entry inlet above the first fluid fill level, the first slurry entry inlet being spaced sufficiently above the first fluid fill level such that as slurry entered into the first gas exchange tank through the first slurry entry inlet, the slurry splashes down onto an upper surface of the fluid at the first fluid fill level, thereby enhancing the release of gas from the slurry. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
Specification