Lab Scale Fermentor
Lab Scale Fermentor
Prototype Development
I have acquired some components and will report on construction progress of a low-cost "lab scale" (~1 liter) microbe fermentor. ChuckH (talk) 04:48, 29 August 2013 (CEST)
Our basic chamber is a small consumer slow cooker ("crock pot"). This unit (Proctor Silex 33116Y) has a glass lid with a soft rubber lip seal and costs about $15.
The lid is made of glass. It appears not to be tempered, as the handle is attached by a screw through a drilled hole. This is good, because it means we can drill our own holes for stirring, sensors, and fluid lines. I will try using some cheap diamond core drills.
The heating jacket is a light-gauge aluminum bowl with a band heater around it. The heater has two elements, measuring 477 ohms and 200 ohms. The front-panel switch selects element 1, element 2, or both in parallel, providing 28W, 66W, and 94W respectively at 115V input. There is no thermostat.
