Patent ID: 9587211
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: C12M

Claim:
1. A photo-bioreactor system for growing and harvesting photosynthetic organisms, comprising: a reactor container having an interior space partitioned into a plurality of independently controlled reactor cells configured to receive and hold a fluid medium for growing photosynthetic organisms, wherein said plurality of cells are stepped downward along a slope from a first elevation to a second elevation, lower than said first elevation, to allow gravity to assist a continuous flow of fluid medium downwardly from reactor cell to adjacent reactor cell; a light source coupled to each of said plurality of reactor cells in said reactor container and configured to illuminate at least some of said photosynthetic organisms in said fluid medium, said light source comprising a controller for independently controlling a plurality of light-emitting panels extending vertically into said reactor container and dividing said interior space of said reactor container into a plurality of vertically oriented cell passages, wherein each of said plurality of light-emitting panels have a first light-emitting surface and a second light-emitting surface on opposing sides of said light-emitting panel; and a fluid circulation system coupled to said reactor container and configured to force said continuous flow of said fluid medium through said plurality of cell passages by pumping said continuous flow of said fluid medium from a reactor cell at said second elevation to a reactor cell at said first elevation, wherein at least one reactor cell includes a downward flowing passage and an upward flowing passage, and wherein at least one reactor cell includes an outlet edge of a vertical outlet wall, over which said fluid medium flows out of the at least one reactor cell, that is lower than an inlet edge of a vertical inlet wall, over which said fluid medium flows into the at least one reactor cell.