Pilot plant separation system Culturefuge 100 Many new biological products are derived from fragile organisms. Although relatively easy to separate the trick is accomplishing the separation in a gentle manner without destroying the shear sensitive cell wall membranes that isolate the comlex intracellular proteins from the extracellular liquid. If this can be avoided, downstream purification of the target proteins becomes much easier. Unique hollow spindle design Alfa Laval has worked for many years with machines that are bottom fed through a hollow spindle. Liquids entering the Culturefuge 100 are gradually accelerated as they move upwards through the spindle. The feed zone of the machine is completely filled with rotating liquid and there is no air/liquid interface. This smooth acceleration minimizes shear forces acting on the liquid and thus prevents cell lysis. Hermetic outlet Another feature of the Culturefuge 100 is the completely hermetic outlet. Clarified centrates are discharged via a sealed outlet that precludes any contact with air. This is particularly desirable when the liquids are prone to foam or where the products are susceptible to oxidation. Hygienic design Hygienic considerations were of the utmost importance in the design of the Culturefuge 100. It is fully steam sterilizable and has a cleaning-in-place capability. Pressure vessel designs according to ASME or PED are available. Cooling jackets surrounding the centrifuge bowl provide efficient temperature control and also contribute to a low noise level. The “dosing ring” solids-ejecting system with its rapid, distinct discharge action ensures low product losses and drier solids. Flushing nozzles spray the outside of the centrifuge bowl, cyclone and the inside of the frame hood for maximum hygiene. Complete system The centrifuge is mounted on a fixed base frame, which in-cludes process piping for service liquids and process liquids entering and leaving the centrifuge. Typically, a steam sterilizable pump removes the solids phase. The built-in electrical system includes starter, PLC control system and pneumatic unit. An integral motor with built-in VFD is standard and this provides considerable space savings for a complete system. A steam sterilizable, aseptic and contained Culturefuge 100 separation system. Its small size but high performance makes it ideal for pilot plants and small-scale production.

Materials All product contact parts are made of high-grade stainless steel. Various grades of surface finish are available 1.2 ìm Ra, 0.8 ìm Ra or 0.5 ìm Ra with electropolish. Gaskets are made of FDA-approved EPDM elastomer. Available configurations The skid-mounted modular design can be delivered for open operation, contained running, steam sterilizable aseptic operation or steam decontamination-only operation. Working principles The feed is introduced to the rotating centrifuge bowl (see figure 1) from the bottom through a hollow spindle (1). It is accelerated in a distributor (2) before entering...