PARTICLE SETTLING DEVICES

• US 20170333815A1
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Published: 11/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sudhin Biopharma
• Original Assignee: Sudhin Biopharma
• Inventors: Kompala, Dhinakar S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,596,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/0045 Plurality of essentially parallel plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/265 by using a vortex inducer or vortex guide, e.g. coil B01D21/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00761 Discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0055 using cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/007 by sedimentation
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/103 Bodies or members, e.g. bulkheads, guides, in the vortex chamber cores B04C5/107
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/38 by centrifugal separation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/34 from industrial activities not provided for in groups C02F2103/12 - C02F2103/32
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 1/14 Extraction; Separation; Purification
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 1/22 Affinity chromatography or related techniques based upon selective absorption processes
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 16/00 Immunoglobulins [IGs], e.g. monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies antibodies with enzymatic activity, e.g. abzymes C12N9/0002
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/10 Perfusion
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 33/22 Settling tanks; Sedimentation by gravity settling tanks per se B01D21/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/00 Means for regulation, monitoring, measurement or control, e.g. flow regulation controlling or regulating chemical, physical or physicochemical processes B01J19/0006; heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory use B01L7/00; electro optical investigation of individual particles, flow cytometers G01N15/14; automatic analysis G01N35/00; controlling or regulating in general G06N
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/02 Separating microorganisms from the culture medium; Concentration of biomass separating microorganisms from their culture media C12N1/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/10 Separation or concentration of fermentation products bioreactors combined with means for distillation or extraction of liquid fuel C12M43/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/02 Separating microorganisms from their culture media
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/12 Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor as new plants A01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/16 Yeasts; Culture media therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/04 Plant cells or tissues culture media C12N5/0025
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0636 : T lymphocytes
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0644 : Platelets; Megakaryocytes
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0662 : Stem cells
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 7/00 : Viruses; Bacteriophages; Compositions thereof; Preparation or purification thereof preparing medicinal viral antigen or antibody compositions, e.g. virus vaccines, A61K39/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 3/00 : Condition responsive control processes apparatus therefor C12M1/36; controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to settling devices for separating particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields. The particle settling devices of the present disclosure may include a stack of truncoconical cones that may be arranged in opposite orientation, apex to base. Other embodiments include several concentric vertical tubes attached to conical surfaces at the bottom, with inclined settling strips attached to the vertical tubes in annular regions between the tubes. These devices are useful for separating small (millimeter or micron sized) particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields, such as biological (microbial, mammalian, plant, insect or algal) cell cultures, solid catalyst particle separation from a liquid or gas and waste water treatment.

Claims

1. A particle settling device comprising:

a cyclone housing including;

a first conical portion;

a second conical portion;

a cylindrical portion located between the first and second conical portions;

at least one inlet for introducing liquids into the cyclone housing;

a first outlet port in the first conical portion for harvesting a clarified liquid;

a second outlet port in the second conical portion for harvesting a concentrated liquid; and

a first stack of cones located within the cyclone housing and occupying the first conical portion and at least part of the cylindrical portion, each cone of the first stack of cones including a truncated apex oriented towards the first outlet port and an open base oriented towards the second outlet port, the first stack of cones generally centered around a substantially central opening formed by the truncated apex in each cone of the first stack of cones.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one cone in the first stack of cones is composed of a metal or a plastic.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one cone in the first stack of cones is composed at least partially of stainless steel.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one cone in the first stack of cones is composed entirely of a plastic.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein an angle of inclination for a surface of a cone in the first stack of cones is between about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees from vertical.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one surface of a cone in the first stack of cones is coated with a plastic or silicone.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one inlet is configured as an inlet port in liquid communication with the outside and the inside of the cyclone housing.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one inlet is associated with at least one of the conical portions and the cylindrical portion of the cyclone housing.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first outlet port is configured as a liquid harvest outlet formed in a closure of the cyclone housing, the first outlet port in liquid communication with the outside and the inside of the cyclone housing.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a fluid jacket.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor to measure a condition within the cyclone housing.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a fluorescent probe;

and wherein one of;

at least a portion of the second conical portion proximate to the sensor is transparent or translucent; and

the second conical portion is transparent or translucent.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the sensor is operable to measure at least one of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), Glucose, temperature, and dissolved CO₂(pCO₂).

14. A method of settling particles in a suspension, comprising:

(a) introducing a liquid suspension of particles into a particle settling device which includes a cyclone housing having;

a first conical portion;

a second conical portion;

a cylindrical portion located between the first and second conical portions;

at least one inlet for the liquid suspension to enter the cyclone housing;

a first outlet port for harvesting a clarified liquid;

a second outlet port for discharging a concentrated liquid suspension; and

a first stack of cones located within the cyclone housing and occupying the first conical portion and at least part of the cylindrical portion, each cone of the first stack of cones including (i) a truncated apex positioned distal to the second conical portion, and (ii) an open base positioned proximate to the second conical portion, the first stack of cones being generally centered around a substantially central opening formed by the truncated apex in each cone in the first stack of cones;

(b) collecting the clarified liquid from the first outlet port; and

,

(c) collecting the concentrated liquid suspension from the second outlet port.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid suspension comprises at least one of a recombinant cell suspension, an alcoholic fermentation, a suspension of solid catalyst particles, a municipal waste water, and industrial waste water.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid suspension comprises at least one of mammalian cells, bacterial cells, yeast cells, and plant cells.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid suspension comprises at least one of algae cells, plant cells, mammalian and/or murine hybridoma cells, stem cells, CAR-T cells, red blood precursor and mature cells, cardiomyocytes or other attachment prone cells growing attached on microcarrier beads, yeast in beer, and eukaryotic cells.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid suspension comprises recombinant microbial cells selected from at least one of Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis, Aspergillus niger, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and other microbial cells.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid suspension comprises non-cellular particles such as one or more of microcarrier beads for attached stem cell growth, an affinity ligand coated microspheric bead or resin, and surface activated microspherical beads.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein introducing a liquid suspension comprises directing the liquid suspension from a plastic disposable bioreactor bag into the particle settling device.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the clarified liquid collected comprises at least one of biological molecules, organic or inorganic compounds, chemical reactants, and chemical reaction products.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the clarified liquid collected comprises at least one of hydrocarbons, polypeptides, proteins, alcohols, fatty acids, hormones, carbohydrates, antibodies, glycoproteins, terpenes, isoprenoids, polyprenoids, fragrance and flavor compounds, and beer.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the clarified liquid collected comprises at least one of biodiesel, insulin or its analogs, brazzein, antibodies, growth factors, colony stimulating factors, and erythropoietin (EPO).

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the cyclone housing further comprises one or more of a fluid jacket and a sensor.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the sensor comprises a fluorescent probe operable to measure at least one of pH, DO, Glucose, temperature, and pCO₂.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising collecting data from the sensor.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising using data received from the sensor to adjust one or more of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, dissolved carbon dioxide, and nutrient concentrations within the particle settling device.