Within this review first a brief introduction to hydrodynamic effects is given, followed by an evaluation of common process design approaches with respect to hydrodynamic effects and recommendations for process development.

Abstract

Hydrodynamic effects continue to play a crucial role in the design and operation of bioreactors for cultivating mammalian cells. Despite intensive studies in the past the link between hydrodynamics and biological process behaviour is still not fully understood. Common methods to describe dependencies, which relay mostly on averaged hydrodynamic parameters, does not seem to be suitable, as they do not incorporate the hydrodynamic heterogeneity. Within this review first a brief introduction to hydrodynamic effects is given, followed by an evaluation of common process design approaches with respect to hydrodynamic effects and recommendations for process development.