title: Mixing in process vessels used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
abstract: The use of nonbaffled vessels for mixing applications is becoming common in the biopharmaceutical industry but is not sufficiently well studied. Orientation of the impellers off-centered and/or at an angle is necessary to enhance mixing and eliminate swirling that would result without a baffle in a standard tank. This study focuses on characterizing mixing in vessels with the hydrofoil axial flow impellers mounted off-center at 10 degrees to the vertical. Geometrically similar vessels ranging from 100 to 5000 L working volume were used in this study. Mixing performance was successfully correlated to vessel geometric factors.
authors.affiliation: Biopharmaceutical Operations, WSO, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, 709 Swedeland Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406, USA. kripa_ram@biogen.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Vickroy
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lamb
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D001702:Biopharmaceutics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004339:Drug Compounding / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design