ABSTRACT
A see-saw bioreactor has been developed for the cultivation of animal cells, which are fastidious to culture and very sensitive to shear effects. The purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of the interactions among various parameters that govern the oxygen transfer phenomenon in this type of bioreactor. In the case of the bubble column bioreactor, cell death occurs by entrapment of the cells in the bubbles and during the bubble rupture. Various bioreactors have been developed by researchers for animal cell culture. A see-saw bioreactor uses no mechanical accessories for dissolving oxygen. The oxygen transfer enhancement is through periodic renewal of the exposed liquid surface, and hence higher productivity can be achieved by using even a small laboratory-scale bioreactor. The mass transfer of oxygen in the see-saw effect bioreactor under study is based on renewal of the surface of mass transfer without much bulk fluid turbulence.
