Scale-up

describes the increase of the working volume in a biotechnological production. The scale-up is often conducted empirically according to the “trial and error” principle, which is both very time and labor-intensive. Quantitative models and similarity laws can improve the scale-up. This includes, for example, identical height and diameter proportions, an identical specific energy input or the same volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, or an identical stirrer tip speed in bioreactors of different sizes.