What is the gas consumption standard for fermentation companies
Quality standards and process requirements for compressed air in fermentation enterprises
In the field of biological fermentation, compressed air is a key process medium, and its quality standards directly affect fermentation efficiency and product quality. It has been verified by industry practice that the compressed air system of fermentation enterprises must comply with the following technical specifications:
1. Basic parameter standards
- Gas supply pressure requirements
The standard air supply pressure of the fermentation process system is 0.2 – 0.4MPa (2 – 4 bar), which can meet the following requirements:- Fermentation tank agitation system (pressure stability ± 0.02MPa)
- Microporous aeration device (to prevent excessive air bubbles from affecting oxygen dissolution efficiency)
- Automated control system (pressure fluctuation ≤ ± 0.05MPa)
- instantaneous flow demand
Calculation formula for gas consumption of a single fermentation tank: Q = V × k (Q is gas consumption, V is fermentation liquor volume, and k is aeration ratio)- Typical ventilation ratio range: 0.5-1.5vvm (i.e. 30-90m³ of compressed air per hour per cubic meter of fermentation broth)
- Peak flow compensation: Configure the air tank volume ≥ 20% of the total air consumption to cope with the instantaneous large flow demand
2. Air quality specifications
- cleanliness standard
- Oil content: ≤0.01mg/m³ (dual-stage precision filter + activated carbon adsorption device is required)
- Dust content: ≤0.1μm (using HEPA high-efficiency filter, filtration efficiency 99.99%)
- Microbial content: ≤1CFU/m³ (equipped with ultraviolet sterilization device +0.01 μ m absolute filter)
- Humidity control requirements
- Pressure dew point temperature: -20℃ (freeze dryer can meet basic needs)
- Special process requirements: Antibiotic fermentation needs to reach a dew point of-40℃ (equipped with adsorption dryer)
- Drainage system: The air storage tank automatically drains water once an hour to prevent condensed water from entering the fermentation system
3. Key points of system configuration
- Purification process design
Standard configuration process: air compressor → air storage tank → cold dryer → precision filter → fermentation tank
Special process additions:- Pharmaceutical grade fermentation: Add steam sterilization device + sterilization filter
- High-temperature fermentation: Configure heat exchangers to reduce the compressed air temperature below 35℃
- Pipe material requirements
- Main air supply pipe: 304 stainless steel or food grade PVC pipe
- Connection method: Use double clamping pressure or welding connection to eliminate threaded connection
- Slope design: Pipeline slope ≥1/100, ensuring automatic drainage
4. Monitoring and maintenance specifications
- real-time monitoring system
- Pressure sensor: Monitoring points cover the main gas supply pipeline and key fermentation tanks
- Flowmeter: Use vortex flowmeter to monitor the gas consumption of each fermentation unit in real time
- Dew point meter: Online monitoring of compressed air moisture content and early warning of drying system failure
- Regular inspection items
- Cleanliness testing: monthly oil content and dust content testing
- Microbial testing: Conduct compressed air colony counts quarterly
- Filter element replacement: precision filters are replaced every 2000 hours, and evaporator of cold dryer is cleaned every year
5. Typical fault handling
- Insufficient supply pressure
- Check whether the air compressor exhaust pressure meets the standard
- Inspect the tubing for blockages or leaks
- Verify whether the volume of the air storage tank meets the demand for simultaneous gas consumption by multiple tanks
- compressed air pollution
- Check filter integrity and replace failed filter elements
- Check the working status of the cold dryer and remove dirt on the heat exchanger
- Steam sterilize the tubing (suitable for pharmaceutical fermentation)
Understanding the technical requirements of fermentation process compressed air systems will help companies build a highly reliable air supply system. When selecting equipment and designing system, the characteristics of fermentation bacteria, process scale and product quality requirements should be combined, and professional calculations and verification should be used to ensure that the compressed air system is always in the best operating state and provide clean and stable power guarantee for microbial cultivation. For key fermentation equipment, it is recommended to configure an intelligent monitoring system to achieve real-time monitoring and early warning of pressure, flow, dew point and other parameters, and establish a complete air quality traceability system.