Patent ID: 8110395

Claim:
A photobioreactor system comprising: a plurality of interconnectable photobioreactor sections which, when connected together, form at least one longitudinally-oriented photobioreactor unit of the photobioreactor system, the photobioreactor sections each comprising a liquid flow channel, and a light-transparent cover that forms a gas headspace between the cover and the liquid flow channel, the cover being constructed and arranged to cover at least a substantial portion of the liquid flow channel and configured to provide the gas headspace even when a gas pressure within the photobioreactor unit is less than the atmospheric pressure surrounding the photobioreactor section, at least one photobioreactor unit of the photobioreactor system further including an evaporative cooling area, including a reservoir and a sprayer, the evaporative cooling area being disposed outside of the cover such that the reservoir is open to the atmosphere outside of the cover, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the liquid flow channel, the sprayer_configured to spray a liquid upwardly from within the reservoir.