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Feedback control of an open loop, unstable, continuous flow, stirred-tank biological reactor was investigated theoretically using several microbial growth models. The closed loop system can be made globally stable, but constraints on the manipulated variable can lead to as many as five steady states, which are either saddle points or locally stable nodes.

The existence of multiple stable and unstable steady states in a continuous stirred tank biological reactor (CSTBR) was demonstrated experimentally for the first time. These experiments resulted in the determination of growth rate, yield and intermediate metabolite concentration data entirely from continuous culture. This information was used to qualitatively interpret the stability behavior in terms of the biochemistry and bioenergetics of substrate metabolism.

Resultats d'une etude de stabilite inhabituelle presentee par un reacteur parfaitement agite, lorsque l'on utilise une commande retroactive pour stabiliser un regime permanent naturellement instable, et lorsque l'on applique une contrainte sur la variable manipulee