Initial Power Measurements for a Family of Novel Vertical-Wheel Bioreactors

This publication investigates power consumption characteristics of Vertical-Wheel bioreactors and their relationship to hydrodynamic performance across multiple operating conditions. The work evaluates how agitation rate, working volume, and vessel geometry influence energy input, mixing behavior, and process scalability. Experimental measurements are used to quantify power number relationships and establish engineering correlations that can be applied during bioprocess development and scale-up. The results provide insight into how Vertical-Wheel technology distributes energy throughout the culture environment while maintaining suspension and mixing efficiency. The study is intended to support process characterization, computational modeling, and engineering-based scale-up by providing experimentally derived hydrodynamic parameters relevant to cell culture manufacturing applications.