Patent ID: 8304232
Filing Date: 2012-11-06
Classification: C12M

Abstract:
1. A method for thermal control of a culture medium containing a phototrophic organism for the production of a fuel or carbon-based product in a photobioreactor, the method comprising: (a) measuring the temperature of the culture medium contained in a reactor chamber of the photobioreactor, the reactor chamber being positioned substantially horizontally to provide a headspace above the culture medium and being one of a plurality of channels positioned in parallel and having a substantially longer length than width; wherein at least part of the reactor chamber is transparent for light of a wavelength that is photosynthetically active in the phototrophic microorganism; (b) measuring the temperature of a heat exchange liquid contained in a heat exchange chamber, the heat exchange liquid being in controllable thermal contact with the culture medium in the reactor chamber through a separating layer; (c) determining if a change in thermal contact between the culture medium and the heat exchange liquid is desired; and (d) controlling the thermal contact between the culture medium and the heat exchange liquid by controlling the extent of a gas space above the heat exchange liquid in the heat exchange chamber; wherein the gas space is thermally insulating.