500L pilot → 2,000–20,000L commercial
At commercial scale, hydrostatic pressure effects and extended mixing times create process conditions that don't exist in pilot vessels. A single underperforming commercial run costs $40–200K+. Fermvyne's commercial-scale module accounts for the physics that pilot-scale parameters can't predict.
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The physics that pilot scale doesn't surface.
Hydrostatic pressure and dissolved oxygen
In a 10,000L vessel with a 3m liquid height, the absolute pressure at the vessel base is approximately 1.3 atm. Henry's law dictates that dissolved oxygen partial pressure at the base is 30% higher than at the liquid surface. This means your DO probe — typically mounted mid-height — reports an average value that masks a distinct vertical gradient.
For organisms with oxygen affinity constants (Km_O2) above ~20% saturation, cells spending circulation time in the lower-DO surface zone experience periodic oxygen limitation even when the bulk-average reading stays above setpoint. Fermvyne's commercial module models this vertical DO gradient and flags the fraction of cell circulation time spent in the sub-setpoint zone.
Mixing time and substrate homogeneity
Mixing time at 10,000L typically runs 4–8 minutes, even with well-configured multi-impeller systems. For fed-batch glucose control, this means a local substrate concentration near the feed sparger that can be 5–15× higher than the bulk concentration for several mixing cycles after each feed pulse.
For overflow-sensitive organisms, these substrate spikes can trigger local acetate (or other overflow metabolite) accumulation even if the bulk-average feed rate stays below the overflow threshold. Fermvyne estimates the effective substrate spike concentration from feed inlet position, mixing time, and local flow velocity.
What the commercial-scale simulation produces.
Pressure-corrected kLa and DO profile
kLa estimated at commercial scale accounting for vessel geometry, impeller configuration, and depth-weighted pressure. DO profile includes estimated vertical gradient and surface vs base DO difference — not just a single DO% curve.
Substrate gradient risk window
For fed-batch systems, Fermvyne identifies the periods during the culture where feed inlet substrate concentration spikes are most likely to trigger local overflow — and recommends feed inlet positioning and pulse timing adjustments to reduce spike amplitude.
Impeller configuration comparison
Fermvyne evaluates 2–3 impeller configuration options for your vessel and returns a comparative kLa, shear sensitivity flag, and energy input (Pg/V) for each. Useful when selecting between Rushton, PBT, and Lightnin A315 configurations for a new commercial vessel.
Titer prediction with commercial-adjusted parameters
Final titer prediction incorporating the commercial-scale physical constraints, calibrated to your pilot run phenotype. Output includes a base case and a risk-weighted scenario (assuming 15% kLa underperformance vs prediction — common at first commercial run) for financial planning.
Plan your commercial-scale run.
Upload your pilot run data and commercial vessel specifications. Fermvyne returns a pressure-corrected process protocol and titer prediction before your commercial campaign begins.