Abstract
The effect of low-frequency conditioning on the particle size distribution of ethanol-precipitated human albumin protein has been examined. Laboratory-scale data has been extrapolated to the pilot-plant scale recovery of conditioned precipitates by high-speed centrifugation.
Data comparing batch ageing, low-frequency and static mixer conditioning is presented together with data exploring the relationship between pretreatment and the effectiveness of conditioning. Conditioning systems appear to be satisfactorily described in terms of the levels of mixing produced and the associated mechanisms of aggregation and breakage of large aggregates. Observed changes in size-distribution properties due to conditioning are seen to be translated into improved centrifugal recovery. The extent of pretreatment of the material to be conditioned is critical to the efficiency of the conditioning processes.
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Abbreviations
- CRX :
-
conditioning ratio a x% oversize
- d m:
-
amplitude of displacement
- DX μm:
-
volumetric oversize diameter of aggregate where x=% oversize
- f s—1 :
-
frequency of oscillation
- G s−1 :
-
mean shear rate
- k, k 1 :
-
rate constants describing aggregation and breakage respectively, Eqs. (1) and (2)
- N f m−3 :
-
number concentration of fine-sized particles
- N L m−3 :
-
number concentration of large-size particles
- Re f :
-
flow Reynolds number
- t s:
-
time
- V 0 m/s:
-
peak velocity of flow
- W m:
-
channel half-width
- σ :
-
response factor (see [5])
- η m2 s−1 :
-
fluid kinematic viscosity
- μ Ns/m2 :
-
fluid viscosity
- φ V :
-
volume fraction of precipitate particles
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Titchener-Hooker, N.J., McIntosh, R.V. A study of the effect of low-frequency conditioning on the size distribution properties and centrifugal recovery of human albumin precipitate. Bioprocess Engineering 8, 215–222 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369832
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369832