Horizontal Tubular Bioreactors in Biotechnology

In this review, horizontal tubular bioreactors are discussed regarding their advantages and disadvantages compared to other bioreactor types. In horizontal tubular bioreactors medium flow is characterized by plug flow conditions that can be favorable in the case of inhibition and/or repression bioprocess kinetics. For description of liquid flow simple one-parameter or complex multi-parameters mathematical models have been established. Comparison between these models proved that complex multi-parameters model can describe real situation in the bioreactor more efficiently. Criteria of geometrical similarity are most often used for scale-up of horizontal tubular bioreactors. The successful scale-up procedure should combine the mathematical model of medium flow behavior with bioprocess kinetics in the bioreactor.