Numerical study of mass transfer coefficient in a 3D flat-plate rectangular microchannel bioreactor

Abstract

Microchannel bioreactors have been used in many studies to investigate the fluid microenvironment around cells. In the present study, a three-dimensional numerical model was developed to simulate the fluid flow and mass transfer in a 3D flat-plate rectangular microchannel bioreactor with a monolayer of cells adherent to the bottom. The numerical results of mass transfer were well correlated in terms of two dimensionless parameters: Sherwood number at base (Sh) and effective distance (κ). The generalized results show the mass transfer characteristic in the flat-plate microchannel bioreactors, which may find applications in culturing cells in these bioreactors. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.