Is an interesting question and interesting questions have to give interesting

answers: First you have to know what we want to scale, understand the
phenomenology of the process, which part or parts of the process requires
scale up. If we start from the soul of the bioreactor process is then started to
define whether the process is batch, semi-batch or continuous and here's
the best system characterization: what kind of culture is it? That type of
microorganisms to be used? are aerobic or anaerobic? How many phases are
taken into the system? the fluid is Newtonian or not? if non-Newtonian as
are the majority, what are the rheological characteristics of the system? as
they change over time? based on these data are commonly two different
routes: 1) scaling geometric similarity and 2) similarity transport
parameters. In the first case the K La usually taken as the scaling parameter
and the second from dimensionless numbers. Biotechnological processes
are far from simple to scale the process nature of geometric similarity, it is
not the same shake a 2 liter one 10000.0 liters. Agitation systems are an art
for selecting and scaling, with filamentous fungi cultures behave differently
in different environments: disaggregated and pellets or some cells are
sensitive to shear and require special agitation system, if tissue culture
agitation becomes special. So far I have talked about the reaction or
metabolic reactions that take place, as some are simple and others very
complex when scaling a process of this nature should determine the
effectiveness factor based on the number of Thiele and know who governs
the process: transport or reaction, whether it is the first time we will deal
with agitation, aeration system or without aeration, which kind of reactor ....
and in the second case which is the dominant reaction and determining the
reaction rate, if substrate inhibition or by-product as the reaction time
passes, the desired products or are primary or secondary metabolites in
order what I that for every process must be thoroughly studied to design the
bioreactor and can you support various simulation processes ... so far I have
not mentioned the effects of temperature, practically metabolic processes
are exothermic energy is released and there to remove, is not the same
work with a laboratory system 2 liters to 10,000 liters for one heat away. In
short it is a very nice to study the scaling of these processes. I have in mind
two book titles scaling of processes: Scale up and design of industrial mixing
process, by Gary B. Tatterson and Scale up and design of chemical process
by Marko. Zlokarnik. I have an interesting paper published, where we study
a process with filamentous fungi and obtained the parameters that allow us
to scale the process: experimental and theoretical, as well as their
respective simulation. A Method to Evaluate the Isothermal Effectiveness
Factor for Dynamic Oxygen into Mycelial Pellets in Submerged Cultures. By
EleazarM. Escamilla et al. Biotechnol. Prog. 2001, 17, 95-103.