Patent ID: 7425441

Claim:
A bioreactor ( 1 ) for culturing microorganisms comprising a reactor vessel ( 2 ) which is constructed as a heat exchanger, a plurality of gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) and a gas-introduction system ( 6 ) for introducing gas into a culture medium in the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) via injectors ( 26 ), wherein the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ) are connected by their respective lower end ( 17 ), in the vertical direction, to the reactor vessel ( 2 ) and by their opposite upper end ( 19 ) to an upper end ( 16 ) of an upright vessel ( 4 ) which is likewise connected by its lower end ( 14 ) to the reactor vessel ( 2 ), and at the upper end ( 14 ) of the upright vessel ( 4 ) an expansion vessel ( 5 ) is arranged, said reactor vessel ( 2 ) having a reactor lower part ( 7 ) having a biomass chamber ( 12 ), and the reactor lower part ( 7 ) is covered by an attachment lid ( 8 ) which has attachment flanges ( 18 ) for the gas-introduction tubes ( 3 ), attachment flanges ( 45 ) for sensors ( 28 ) and an attachment flange ( 13 ) for the upright vessel ( 4 ).