CONSTANT FLOW-RATE FILTRATION OF HYBRIDOMA CELLS SUSPENSIONS

The fouling mechanism of rotating sieves (also called spinfilters) in suspended mammalian cells reactors is still poorly understood, and the ir design is consequently largely empirical. A laboratory set-up enabl ing constant flowrate filtration experiments is reported and its use d escribed in order to study the fouling kinetics of 10 mum opening siev es by suspended hybridomas. Significant differences were obtained depe nding upon cell type and cell viability, under similar operating condi tions. A roughly linear pressure drop increase, as predicted by consta nt flowrate incompressible cake filtration models, was obtained for mo st experiments. However, the influences of pumping flowrate and cell c oncentration on pressure drop evolution do not obey incompressible cak e constant flowrate filtration laws; a surface colonization approach c ould possibly lead to a better description in that case.