55 The solution: reliable, fast and robust sensors
Recent advances in MEMS-based sensors have led to compact, low-power and high- performance solutions that are also suitable for single-use bioreactors (which, compared to conventional bioreactors, require lower volumes of water and detergents and no cleaning or maintenance procedures). Besides environmental reasons, such applications also stand out due to reduced costs and better turnover rates.
Sensirion offers a wide portfolio of compact, high-performance sensors - including single-use sensors - for precise process control and accurate process monitoring in various types of bioreactors, from pilot to commercial manufacturing. Sensirion’s biocompatible new-generation sensors can easily be integrated in existing bioreactors, allowing users to upgrade their apparatus instead of acquiring a new one. The digital sensors of the Swiss manufacturer cover wide measurement ranges without losing their high accuracy, even down to the lowest limits. No wonder that they have become an in-demand component for next-level bioreactors in various pharmaceutical fi elds.
Due to the already addressed mutual dependencies of the different parameters, successful cell growth can turn out to be a complex undertaking. The easiest and most cost-effi cient way to optimise the growth of organic materials is to consistently monitor and control the cultivation condition with a closed-loop system. Stable environments are particularly relevant for any high-volume drugs or during the R&D phase of drug design. In such cases, only small deviations occurring for a short time can affect the desired output of organic material.
State-of-the-art sensors enabling real-time feedback loops not only allow bioreactors to change conditions immediately and with high precision, but also to detect failures. In case of deviating set points, a system automatically triggers an alarm and blocks the vat before any damages occur and expensive materials are wasted (as in the case of overpressure in single-use devices).
Accordingly, different sensor types might be used to detect different failure modes. For example, sensors that monitor liquid concentration may also be deployed to verify that the right liquid is injected into the device. The same applies to liquid fl ow sensors, which might be implemented to measure total dispensed volumes (especially for expensive liquids) as well as to precisely dose multiple liquids in order to obtain the right concentration. This also applies to gas fl ow sensors. In short, feedback loops help to optimise process safety and reliability.
Furthermore, in some bioreactors it can be helpful to implement multiple sensors of the same type – for example, one at the inlet and one at the outlet of the bioreactor. Obtaining spatial information of different locations allows for a better understanding of the physiochemical processes in the cell culture.
An additional benefi t of a smart control system is the ability to log sensor data and store it in a database. Should the growth results not be satisfying, an easily accessible logbook of all measured parameters provides clarifi cation. Especially for safety reasons and research purposes, it can be extremely valuable to have access to the data history of a cultivation process. Thanks to a tracking system, operators can quickly identify root causes for failures, and thus modify processes.
Sensirion’s bioreactor portfolio
Liquid fl ow sensors Liquid fl ow concentration sensors Mass fl ow controllers Mass fl ow sensors Differential pressure sensors Humidity and temperature sensors CO2 sensors
Gas analysers/gas chromatography
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www.labmate-online.com/article New Tensiometer and a QC Solution for Wettability Testing: Advance your interfacial analysis
Under the heading Generation íí, Krüss presented two new measuring instruments at analytica 2022 in Munich, Germany. The Tensiometer Tensíío combines technical innovations with great fl exibility in individual equipment. Ayríís is the world’s fi rst instrument for measuring 3D Contact Angle and, as a mobile stand-alone solution, performs reliable, unambiguous testing for quality control (QC) and is free of user intervention or result interpretation.
Krüss places particular emphasis with Tensíío on individualised equipment options for the respective needs of the user. For example, a force sensor with very high resolution is available, which is suitable for tasks such as measuring low interfacial tensions or the wetting of single fi bres. For standard tensiometry tasks, such as the measurement of critical micelle concentration (CMC), the alternative force sensor in the medium resolution range is completely suffi cient. Temperature control is possible via an external liquid thermostat, but more fl exible and space-saving solutions are integrated covering a range between -15 and 300°C.
The positioning system for the sample stage has the largest dynamic range to date in the segment of tensiometers based on force measurement. The particularly high maximum speed saves preparation time for each measurement. Extremely slow movements with excellent smoothness ensure precise results for analyses of highly viscous liquids or for contact angle measurements using the Wilhelmy method. Another new feature is the electronic bubble level for instrument alignment, which provides feedback when the instrument is not level to ensure high accuracy.
With Ayríís, Krüss has optimised the contact angle method for quality assurance and developed the fi rst solution for measuring the 3D Contact Angle. The instrument creates a virtual 3D model of the water drop dosed during the measurement and determines the contact angle reliably and always automatically on the basis of this spatial image. The measurement takes only seconds and requires no prior knowledge or training. To prepare the QC checks, sample types can be created via the touch display and tolerance limits for the contact angle can be set. Together with the contact angle result, Ayríís gives a clear passed/failed message based on the defi ned limits without any necessary evaluation by the inspector.
The novel, highly complex technology for the 3D Contact Angle works with 90 LEDs arranged in a measuring head with precise positioning, whose refl ections by the drop are recorded by two cameras. A realistic, virtual 3D model of the drop is created from the analysis of several refl ection patterns in rapid succession and a distance measurement by two laser detectors.
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ilmt.co/PL/3zYj and
ilmt.co/PL/2zjk 58155pr@reply-direct.com
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