Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics in Facility Fit for
Manufacturing Cell Culture
Abstract
Among many operating parameters that control cell culture environment,
appropriate mixing and aeration are crucial for cells to meet oxygen
demand in aerobic microbial and mammalian production processes. A
model-based manufacturing facility fit approach was applied to define
agitation and air flow rates during cell culture process scale-up from
laboratory to manufacturing, of which computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
was the core modeling tool. The realizable k-ε turbulent
dispersed Eulerian two-fluid model was used to simulate gas-liquid flow
in the bioreactor and predict volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients (
kLa), where the simulation was performed in the
basal medium and the resulting kLa was adjusted
using modification factors for surfactants such as Pluronic F68 and
Antifoam C. The CFD prediction of kLa resulted in
adequate agreement with the empirical values in 15,000-L and 25,000-L
bioreactors. The model was then applied to define a range of agitation
and bottom air flow rates for meeting cellular oxygen demand and
mitigating risks of cell damage and safety hazards. The recommended
operating conditions led to the completion of five manufacturing runs
with a 100% success rate. The model-based approach reduced the required
number of at scale development batches and hence enabled seamless
scale-up, shortened timelines, and cost savings in cell culture process
technology transfer.