Bioreactor for culturing microorganisms

1. A bioreactor ( 1 ) for culturing microorganisms comprising a reactor vessel ( 2 ) which is constructed as a heat exchanger, a plurality of gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) and a gas-introduction system ( 6 ) for introducing gas into a culture medium in the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) via injectors ( 26 ), wherein the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are connected by their respective lower end ( 17 ), in the vertical direction, to the reactor vessel ( 2 ) and by their opposite upper end ( 19 ) to an upper end ( 16 ) of an upright vessel ( 4 ) which is likewise connected by its lower end ( 14 ) to the reactor vessel ( 2 ), and at the upper end ( 14 ) of the upright vessel ( 4 ) an expansion vessel ( 5 ) is arranged, said reactor vessel ( 2 ) having a reactor lower part ( 7 ) having a biomass chamber ( 12 ), and the reactor lower part ( 7 ) is covered by an attachment lid ( 8 ) which has attachment flanges ( 18 ) for the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ), attachment flanges ( 45 ) for sensors ( 28 ) and an attachment flange ( 13 ) for the upright vessel ( 4 ).

2. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are constructed so as to be at least in part transparent for the culture phototrophic microorganisms.

3. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upright vessel ( 4 ) is constructed as a standpipe ( 15 ) having a circular cross section.

4. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the upright vessel ( 4 ) has an open cross-sectional area which approximately corresponds to the total of all open cross-sectional areas of the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ).

5. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the expansion vessel ( 5 ) has a lid ( 30 ) on which are disposed a feed device ( 36 ) and an exhaust gas apparatus ( 33 ) having exhaust-gas cooler ( 34 ) and exhaust-gas filter ( 35 ).

6. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are connected via the expansion vessel ( 5 ) to the upright vessel ( 4 ).

7. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the gas-introduction tubes are connected via tube bends ( 20 ) to the upright vessel ( 4 ).

8. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ), the tube bends ( 20 ), the expansion vessel ( 5 ) and the upright vessel ( 4 ) are constructed of glass.

9. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the reactor lower part ( 7 ) has an outwardly dished base ( 9 ).

10. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the reactor lower part ( 7 ) has, in the biomass chamber ( 12 ), an inwardly dished intermediate base ( 10 ) which, together with the outwardly dished base ( 9 ), forms a heating or cooling chamber ( 11 ).

11. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the heating or cooling chamber ( 11 ) can be heated or cooled via a heating or cooling device ( 27 ) by feeding a heating or cooling medium, and, via the heating or cooling chamber ( 11 ), heat can be exchanged between the culture medium in the biomass chamber ( 12 ) and the heating or cooling medium in the heating or cooling chamber ( 11 ).

12. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the heating or cooling device ( 27 ) consists of a closed hot water pressure system having a circulation pump and a heat exchanger for cooling water, and the temperature of the culture medium can be used as control parameter.

13. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a plurality of light sources ( 38 ) of an illumination device ( 37 ) are arranged adjacently to the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) and the upright vessel ( 4 ).

14. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the upright vessel ( 4 ) has at least one vertical hollow chamber in which at least one light source ( 38 ) is arranged.

15. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the vertical hollow chamber is formed by a tube arranged in the upright vessel ( 4 ).

16. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the light sources ( 38 ) are constructed as fluorescent tubes ( 39 ) which are arranged in parallel to the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) and to the upright vessel ( 4 ).

17. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the illumination device ( 37 ) can be dimmed.

18. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 16 , wherein a digital measurement and control system ( 29 ) is provided for monitoring and open-loop control of the culture process.

19. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the digital measurement and control system ( 29 ) is suitable for the measurement and display of temperature, pH, pO 2 and optical density.

20. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the standpipe ( 4 ) is constructed centrally to the reactor vessel ( 2 ) which is constructed so as to be circular transversely to the vertical and the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are arranged in a circle shape around the standpipe ( 4 ).

21. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the upright vessel ( 4 ) and at least a part of the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are arranged in at least one vertical plane.

22. The bioreactor as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the reactor vessel ( 2 ) transforms at least in part into a horizontal lower connection tube to which the lower ends of the gas-introduction tubes are flanged, and an upper connection tube is provided to which the upper ends ( 19 ) of the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are connected to the upper end ( 16 ) of the upright vessel ( 4 ), or to the expansion vessel ( 5 ) arranged at the upper end ( 16 ) of the upright vessel ( 4 ).