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Photobioreactors, solar energy gathering systems, and thermal control methods

  • US 8,304,232 B2
  • Filed: 07/28/2010
  • Issued: 11/06/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2009
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method for thermal control of a culture medium containing a phototrophic organism for the production of a fuel or carbon-based product in a photobioreactor, the method comprising:

  • (a) measuring the temperature of the culture medium contained in a reactor chamber of the photobioreactor, the reactor chamber being positioned substantially horizontally to provide a headspace above the culture medium and being one of a plurality of channels positioned in parallel and having a substantially longer length than width;

    wherein at least part of the reactor chamber is transparent for light of a wavelength that is photosynthetically active in the phototrophic microorganism;

    (b) measuring the temperature of a heat exchange liquid contained in a heat exchange chamber, the heat exchange liquid being in controllable thermal contact with the culture medium in the reactor chamber through a separating layer;

    (c) determining if a change in thermal contact between the culture medium and the heat exchange liquid is desired; and

    (d) controlling the thermal contact between the culture medium and the heat exchange liquid by controlling the extent of a gas space above the heat exchange liquid in the heat exchange chamber;

    wherein the gas space is thermally insulating.

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