Kerry Hourigan
  1. Current research activities

    2. The main aim of the ARC Discovery project DP0452664, commenced in 2004, is to design new bioreactors that optimise the flow conditions for cell growth. This involves: the construction and experimental analysis of a mixed flask bioreactor model; the construction and experimental analysis of an enhanced-flow rotating bioreactor model; the development of a stereo PIV system; and direct testing of bioreactor models with respect to biological outcomes. A VPAC grant in 2003 initiated the computational fluid dynamics design of bioreactors. We are predicting the shear rates throughout bioreactors and tracking cells to determine their movement throughout the vessel, their shear rate history and their exposure to nutrients. The group has established methods for analysing the complexity of mixing vessel flows including jet mixing, vortex breakdown control, shear-stress assessment and turbulence. These techniques can detail the micro environment within vessel chambers and are vital to understanding the dynamics of cell-fluid interaction. These parameters have direct relevance to distribution of shear stress,
    mixing of nutrients, yields, cell signalling mechanisms within changing microenvironments and ultimately bioreactor scale up requirements. This analysis will enable bioreactor assessment to optimise flow, mass transfer, cell response and reactor design.

  2. Keywords

    3. Bioreactor design, mixing optimization, computational fluid dynamics, laser flow diagnosis, cell proliferation.

  3. End-user applications

    • The ARC Discovery project concentrates on the engineering aspects of bioreactor design for common cell culture and tissue engineering applications relevant to bioreactor design, such as Hybridoma Cell Culture, Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) Cell Culture, Neural Stem Cell (NSC) Culture, Haematopoietic Cell Culture, Articular Cartilage Tissue Culture, Bone Culture and Cardiac Culture.
    • In the renal circulation research, by understanding how the kidneys normally prevent high blood pressure from developing in healthy individuals operate under normal conditions, it is hoped to find out what effects their malfunction would have on blood pressure control, and so what contribution this might make to the development of high blood pressure.
    • The research into stenosis is aimed at understanding the effect of separated flow and the growth and control of flow constictions.

  4. Key publications

    5. I. Thompson, M.C. & Hourigan, K., The sensitivity of steady vortex breakdown bubbles in confined cylinder flows to rotating lid misalignment, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 496, 129 - 138, 2003.
    II. Mills, R., Sheridan, J. and Hourigan, K., Particle image velocimetry and flow visualisation of flow around rectangular cylinders, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 478, 299-323, 2003.
    III. Sheard, G.J., Thompson, M.C. and Hourigan, K., From Spheres to Circular Cylinders: The Stability and Flow Structures of Bluff Ring Wakes, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 492, 147 – 180, 2003.
    IV. Dusting, J., Sheridan, J. and Hourigan, K., Flows within a cell culture bioreactor with a free-surface and a rotating lid, submitted to ICTAM04, Warsaw, Poland, 2004.
    V. Hourigan, K., McBean, I., Thompson, M.C. and Liu, F., Numerical prediction of flow instabilities and aeroelastic effects, Springer series "Notes on Numerical Fluid
    Mechanics and Multidisciplinary Design (NNFM): Coupling of Fluids, Structures and Waves in Aeronautics”, eds. Barton and Periaux, 2003, XII, 316 p., 3-540-40222-5)

  5. Outreach activities

    6. None as Yet.

  6. Key organisation membership

    7. None as Yet

  7. Early career researcher?

    8. No.

  8. Young investigator?

    9. No.

  9. Skills and expertise

    • Computational fluid dynamics
    • Particle image velocimetry
    • Mixing dynamics
    • Bioreactors
    • Flow control
    • Flow stability
    • Vortex dynamics
    • Particle growth

  10. Specialist equipment and infrastructure

    • Laser Particle Image Velocimetry (stereographic, holographic)
    • Various mixing vessels, bioreactors
    • High Performance Computers (Beowulf, APAC, VPAC)

  11. Contact Details 

    Professor Kerry Hourigan
    Address: Mechanical Engineering Monash University
    Clayton Campus, Wellington Road
    Country: Australia
    Phone: +61 3 9905 3628
    Fax: +61 3 9905 9602
    Email: kerry.hourigan@eng.monash.edu.au

© 2004

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