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Calcimator

Fermentation Scale-Up Calculator

Scale bioreactor parameters from lab to production using constant tip speed or constant P/V strategies.

Inputs

Results

Production RPM

25

Production impeller (cm)50
Volume scale factor1,000
Linear scale factor10
Lab tip speed (m/s)0.65
Prod tip speed (m/s)0.65
Reynolds number ratio10
Power input ratio100
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter lab-scale working volume (L), production target volume (L), and lab agitation (RPM).
  2. Set the lab impeller diameter (cm) and select scaling strategy (tip speed or power-per-volume).
  3. Review Production RPM, Volume Scale Factor, and Linear Scale Factor.
  4. Compare tip speed and P/V strategies to choose the best approach for your organism.
  5. Check Reynolds Number Ratio and Power Input Ratio to assess mixing regime changes at scale.

How the result changes with Lab agitation (RPM)

Lab agitation (RPM)Production RPM
20120.1
70170.1
1,300130
1,800180

What each input means

Lab volume (L)
Working volume of the lab-scale bioreactor in liters.
Production volume (L)
Target working volume of the production bioreactor in liters.
Lab agitation (RPM)
Impeller speed in the lab-scale bioreactor (RPM).
Lab impeller diameter (cm)
Impeller diameter in the lab-scale bioreactor (cm).
Strategy (0=tip speed, 1=P/V)
Scaling strategy: 0 for constant tip speed, 1 for constant power per volume.

What each result means

Production RPM
Calculated impeller speed for the production bioreactor.
Production impeller (cm)
Geometrically scaled impeller diameter for production.
Volume scale factor
Ratio of production to lab volume.
Linear scale factor
Cube root of volume scale factor (geometric scaling).
Lab tip speed (m/s)
Impeller tip speed at lab scale.
Prod tip speed (m/s)
Impeller tip speed at production scale.
Reynolds number ratio
Ratio of production to lab Reynolds numbers.
Power input ratio
Ratio of production to lab power input (P ∝ N³D⁵).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Lab volume (L) = 2, Production volume (L) = 2000, Lab agitation (RPM) = 250, Lab impeller diameter (cm) = 5 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Production RPM
    Production RPM
    25 = 25
  3. Calculate Production impeller
    Production impeller = labImpellerDiamCm * linearScaleFactor
    50 = 50
  4. Calculate Volume scale factor
    Volume scale factor = prodVolumeL / labVolumeL
    1000 = 1000

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