Question

What do you mean by “kLa”?

(a) Volumetric mass transfer coefficient

(b) Henry’s law coefficient

(c) Volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient

(d) Volumetric Solute transfer coefficient

The question was posed to me in a national level competition.

This key question is from Measurement of KLa in division Mass Transfer of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

Right answer is (c) Volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient

Best explanation: The value of the specific exchange surface (a) is difficult to determine for small bubbles found in a bioreactor. So, the entire term “kLa” is often called the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient.