A fertilizer mixer includes a housing, a plurality of supporting rods, a roof plate, a mixing room, a lifting mechanism, a stirring mechanism, a control mechanism, a driving mechanism, and a cleaning mechanism. The housing includes a top end and one end of each of the plurality of supporting rods is disposed on the top end. The roof plate is disposed on the other end of each of the plurality of supporting rods. The stirring mechanism is fixed on the roof plate. The mixing room includes a bottom wall and the housing includes an inner bottom surface. The mixing room includes a discharge port disposed on the bottom wall, and a seal plug disposed in the discharge port. The lifting mechanism is disposed between the bottom wall and the inner bottom surface and an outer sidewall of the mixing room abuts against an inner sidewall of the housing.

The disclosure relates to a drive shaft system (1) for use with a container for mixing a fluid, being a container for a bioreaction, and a container holder for holding the container, comprising: a drive shaft coupling (4) having: a container connection (5) for connecting the drive shaft coupling to the container; a motor connection (6), for detachably connecting the drive shaft coupling to a stationary part of a motor of the container holder, provided with a first alignment element (25, 26) to be rotationally aligned with a second alignment element (27, 28) provided on the stationary part; a drive shaft (9), rotatably arranged in the drive shaft coupling, having: a first drive shaft end (10) configured for detachable coupling to a rotatable output shaft end of the motor; a second drive shaft end (12); and an agitation device (13), connected to the drive shaft.

A bioproduction mixing system includes a flexible compartment having a first end, a second end, and a sidewall extending therebetween, a center axis passing through the flexible compartment between the first end and the second end. A helical assembly is disposed within the flexible compartment and is suspended between the first end and the second end, the helical assembly being offset from the center axis of the flexible compartment.

A method of installing a flexible bioprocess container in a bioprocessing system having a rigid housing with an interior compartment and extending between a top and an opposing base. The method includes coupling a first surface of the flexible bioprocess container to a moveable platform positioned within the interior compartment of the rigid housing; coupling a second surface of the flexible bioprocess container to the base of the rigid housing; and moving the movable platform relative to the rigid housing and toward the top of the rigid housing so as to at least partially expand the flexible bioprocess container within the interior compartment of the rigid housing.

The stirring device, in particular for a fluid-mixing bioreactor, comprises a drive shaft including a rod, an agitating element and a sleeve of tubular shape. The sleeve forms a coupling sleeve receiving the shaft therethrough and is directly rotationally coupled to the rod. The agitating element, which has a hub with an annular side wall delimiting an inner space and an impeller assembly comprising blades, is indirectly rotationally coupled to the rod via the sleeve that is engaged in the inner space. One of an inner surface of the wall and an outer surface of the sleeve is a guiding surface with progressively reduced cross section. Axial movement between the hub and the sleeve is prevented in a locked configuration of a sleeve fastening arrangement. Hub-sleeve contact areas can be axially distributed.

Ingredient blending devices and associated methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an ingredient blending device includes a cup holder assembly, a straw displacement assembly, a gas pumping assembly, and a controller. The controller can be configured to (i) operate the straw displacement assembly to position a straw such that a proximal end of the straw is adjacent the gas pumping assembly and a distal end of the straw is at least partially inside a cup, (ii) operate the cup holder assembly to move the cup relative to the straw, (iii) operate the gas pumping assembly to pump the gas into the proximal end of the straw such that the gas exits at the distal end of the straw and into ingredients in the cup, thereby blending the ingredients, and (iv) operate the straw displacement assembly to dispense the straw into the cup.

A fluid mixing system includes a flexible bag having a first end, an opposing second end, and an interior surface bounding a compartment; a retainer coupled to the second end of the flexible bag, the retainer having a retention cavity formed thereon that communicates with the compartment of the flexible bag; and an elongated member having a first end rotatably coupled to the first end of the flexible bag and an opposing second end freely disposed within the retention cavity of the retainer so that the second end of the elongated member can rotate within the retention cavity relative to the retainer.

A fluid mixing system includes a flexible bag having a first end, an opposing second end, and an interior surface bounding a compartment; a retainer coupled to the second end of the flexible bag, the retainer having a retention cavity formed thereon that communicates with the compartment of the flexible bag; and an elongated member having a first end rotatably coupled to the first end of the flexible bag and an opposing second end freely disposed within the retention cavity of the retainer so that the second end of the elongated member can rotate within the retention cavity relative to the retainer.

A method of installing a flexible bioprocess container in a bioprocessing system having a rigid housing with an interior compartment and extending between a top and an opposing base. The method includes coupling a first surface of the flexible bioprocess container to a moveable platform positioned within the interior compartment of the rigid housing; coupling a second surface of the flexible bioprocess container to the base of the rigid housing; and moving the movable platform relative to the rigid housing and toward the top of the rigid housing so as to at least partially expand the flexible bioprocess container within the interior compartment of the rigid housing.

The disclosure relates to a shaft support for supporting a lower portion of a rotatable shaft of an agitator configured to be installed in a tank, the shaft support comprising a support ring with an inwardly facing bearing surface configured to form a slide bearing journaling a lower portion of the rotatable shaft, wherein the bearing surface has a non-circular shape in a plane having a normal parallel to the shaft axis.