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Bubble Experiments on the Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor-Space (HFB-S)The Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor-Space (HFB-S) is being developed as a drop-in replacement for the Rotating Wall Perfused Vessel (RWPV) bioreactor currently planned for use on the International Space Station (ISS). Only the vessel itself is proposed for change, the supporting hardware will remain the same. These bioreactors are used for the growth of three-dimensional tissue culture that cannot be done in normal gravity labs. The bioreactors provide a continual supply of oxygen for cell growth, as well as periodic replacement of cell culture media with nutrients. The RWPV has had many successful flights on the space shuttle, but longer duration missions onboard the Mir Space Station resulted in bubbles inside the vessel that were detrimental to the science. It is believed that procedural changes can prevent bubble formation, but the HFB-S must not only provide a mechanism of bubble removal, but must also meet strict requirements for a low-shear environment and uniform oxygen concentration distribution for optimum cell tissue growth. A detailed technical objective (DTO) flight on the space shuttle to fully evaluate the HFB-S is currently in the planning stages. Ground-based activities are also underway to quanitify the characteristics of the HFB-S. Computational studies are being used to predict the internal fluid flow and cell trajectories. These computations will be compared to ground-based flow visualization experiments. Comparative studies of ground-based cell growth between the RWPV and the HFB-S are also in progress. These studies have shown that the HFB-S functions well as a bioreactor in normal gravity. Bubble motion and bubble removal are being studied using computational predictions as well as experimental validation.
Document ID
20040000164
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Niederhaus, Charles
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Nahra, Henry
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Gonda, Steve
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Lupo, Pamela
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Kleis, Stanley
(Houston Univ. TX, United States)
Geffert, Sandra
(Houston Univ. TX, United States)
Kizito, John
(National Center for Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion Cleveland, OH, United States)
Robinson, Stewart
(Wyle Labs., Inc.)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
July 21, 2002
Subject Category
Space Processing
Meeting Information
Meeting: Gordon Conference on Gravitational Effects on Physico-Chemical Systems
Location: New London, CT
Country: United States
Start Date: July 27, 2003
End Date: August 1, 2003
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 101-51-11
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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