A Theoretical Basis for Laboratory Aeration

Control of aeration has been investigated most fre- quently in connection with the cultivation of micro- organisms of industrial significance, often using culture apparatus of pilot plant or commercial scale.As a result most theoretical studies in this area have been developed with reference to such systems (Cooper, Fern- strom, and Miller, 1944; Hixon and Gaden, 1950; Bartholomew et al., 1950; Karow, Bartholomew, and Sfat, 1953).A complex interaction of variables is in- volved, and the theoretical basis for experimental re- sults sometimes remains obscure.Workers in general have depended on empirical relationships, defining their respective systems in as great detail as possible.In many laboratories, controlled aeration in relatively small culture volumes is becoming an established procedure.The theoretical considerations developed here for these less complex systems are intended to establish a basis for prediction of oxygen availability by demonstrating the factors which make significant contributions to oxygen absorption rates.