Infors HT Techfors-S 15L Stainless Steel Pilot Bioreactor with Advanced Process Control and Sensors

The Infors HT Techfors-S Pilot Bioreactor is a state-of-the-art 15-liter bioprocessing system designed for scalable microbial fermentation, cell culture, and biotechnological applications including molecular diagnostics and biopharmaceutical production pipelines. This pilot-scale bioreactor integrates a stainless steel vessel with advanced process control and comprehensive sensor arrays to support precise culture environment monitoring and regulation.

Key technical specifications and features include:

• Vessel Specifications:
• Total volume: 15 L; working volume range: 3–10 L
• Vessel jacket volume: 1.3 L; operational temperature range: -10 to +150 °C
• Two 6-blade Rushton impellers driven by a brushless AC servo motor for adjustable stirring speeds between 20 and 1500 min⁻¹ to accommodate different shear requirements in bioprocesses
• Steam valve and safety pressure valve (max 3 barg), vessel pressure manometer (0–4 bar range) for secure sterilization and process safety
• Inoculation needles for sterile addition of reagents, nutrients, or inoculum

• Gassing and Gas Control System:
• Gas supply: Air, O₂, and N₂ delivered via ring sparger
• Three Red-y smart Mass Flow Controllers (MFCs) controlling gas flow from 0.20 to 20.0 L/min with ±2.0% FS accuracy, ensuring precise oxygen and nitrogen supply critical for aerobic and anaerobic bioprocesses
• Exit gas cooler and Novasip filters optimize gas purity and system longevity
• Integrated BlueVary module for exit gas analysis with O₂, CO₂, and humidity sensors supports tight process monitoring in bioprocess engineering

• Peristaltic Pump Systems:
• Six digital peristaltic pumps: three fixed speed (acid/base/antifoam) and three variable speed (feed 1-3), plus an external Watson Marlow 120 U/DV pump, facilitating automated nutrient feeding, pH adjustments, and foam control, vital for bioprocess automation

• Temperature Control & Sterilization:
• Automated steam injection heating via house steam supply
• Cooling via manual switched chilled or tap water lines using 3-way ball valves
• Sterilization in place (SIP) capability with Pt100 temperature sensors assures aseptic conditions essential in molecular cloning and biomanufacturing workflows

• Process Monitoring and Control Sensors:
• pH control and measurement via Easyferm Plus ARC sensor: measurement range 0–14 with ±0.1 accuracy, control range 2–12, suitable for fermentation and cell culture pH regulation
• Optical Visiferm DO ARC sensor for dissolved oxygen: 0–300% saturation range with ±1% accuracy for precise oxygen monitoring
• Antifoam pump with sensor controls foam concentration from 0–100%
• Level detection: 0–100% level sensor to monitor liquid volume
• Pressure control via Brukert valve and sensor, range 0–3 bar
• Weight measurement by triple bending rod load cells with ±100 g accuracy, supporting batch volume quantification and reproducible process scale-up

• Additional Features:
• Mettler Toledo MS32001L precision balance (max capacity 32 kg) included for accurate material quantification
• Firmware version iMC-Board Controller 2.09, Techfors version 3.5.1.0 with customization patches ensure robust and flexible system control
• Fully sealed original manufacturer packaging enables secure transport and storage
• Power requirements: 200–230 V ±5%, 60 Hz, 15 A

This Techfors-S Pilot Bioreactor is widely adopted in biotechnology research fields such as bioprocess development, synthetic biology, and molecular diagnostics. It supports pilot-scale production and scale-up studies from laboratory fermenters to industrial-scale biomanufacturing. The system’s modular design and extensive sensor integration make it an essential instrument for precise bioprocess control, live-cell culture monitoring, and biopharmaceutical production pipeline optimization.

Its robust infrastructure ensures reliable performance in microbial fermentation for biomass and metabolite production, vaccine development through cell cultures, pilot-scale enzyme synthesis, and the small-batch manufacture of bio-based chemicals. The integrated gas analysis and versatile pump system enable comprehensive environmental regulation, critical in advanced bioprocess engineering and bioprocess automation workflows.

Overall, the Infors HT Techfors-S 15L bioreactor offers precision, scalability, and automation needed for sophisticated biotechnological research and development applications, making it an indispensable tool in the pilot bioreactor category for clinical diagnostics, bioprocess scale-up, and synthetic biology research.