Abstract
AbstractBACKGROUNDDetermination of the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa) is very important for bioreactor design and process analysis. Among all the methods available, the gassing‐out technique is one of the simplest and most widely used for this task. However, this method is very sensitive to the probe dynamics (due to delay effects), which can lead to inaccuracy in the kLa determination. This is especially pronounced for airlift bioreactors, where the circulation time affects the initial dynamics of the assay (a transient effect). In the present work, a new method for kLa determination is proposed.RESULTSValues of kLa and the electrode response time (τe) were determined experimentally, employing the traditional gassing‐out method and the method proposed here. The latter was shown to be reliable, easier to apply, and suitable for the simultaneous determination of kLa and electrode sensitivity (ke = 1/τe), without any need for additional assays.CONCLUSIONThe new method overcomes the effects of probe delay on kLa determination, making the procedure faster and simpler. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
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