Module Design for Membrane Chromatography Applications in Downstream Bioprocessing: Flow Distribution Matters

Nonuniform flow is a major issue in membrane chromatography (MC) applications, compromising the efficiency of downstream purification due to poor accessibility of proteins to the binding sites of membranes. Yet, the importance of flow dynamics in MC modules is often overshadowed by that of membrane materials. Here, a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study was conducted to explore the design of flow distributors for enhanced membrane binding performance, facilitating flow distribution through its peripheral region. With the validated model, a series of analyses were done: first, benchmarking with the control design, modules with a front-placed flow distributor (FD) and front- and rear-placed flow distributor (FRD) enhanced the membrane binding capacity by 18% and 31%, respectively, due to equalized flow and better utilization of binding sites. Optimal module configurational parameters were identified, i.e., a distance of the distributor (from membrane) between 0.2 and 0.5 mm and a central segment width of 2 mm. This study will inspire module design for membrane chromatography applications in downstream bioprocessing.