Flow Control Fundamentals

Understanding the physics
behind the process.

Practical knowledge on fluid handling, valve behaviour, pump mechanics, and process control — written for bioprocess engineers, not textbooks.

Articles

Written by engineers.
For engineers.

Deep technical content on the flow control principles that determine whether your bioprocess succeeds or fails.

Automation

Valve Actuation and Automation Strategies

From manual to intelligent control — how valve actuation strategy determines whether your automation system controls the process or merely monitors it.

Kate Davies · March 4, 2026

Valve Technology

Exploring Valve Types in Bioprocessing

Diaphragm valves, pinch valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, and check valves — understanding which valve type fits each bioprocessing application.

Kate Davies · March 4, 2026

Process Control

Valves as Control Elements

Valves are not passive components. As control elements, they determine how digital commands translate into physical fluid behaviour — and where that translation fails.

Kate Davies · January 19, 2026

Process Variability

Why Valve Behavior Drives Variability

Many bioprocessing systems appear automated but behave unpredictably. This article explains how valve behaviour — not the recipe — is often the root cause of batch variability.

Kate Davies · January 19, 2026

Fundamentals

What a Valve Really Does

In modern bioprocessing, valves act as behavioural control points rather than simple on/off components. Start here if you're new to flow control thinking.

Kate Davies · May 28, 2019

What we write about

The fundamentals that
determine outcomes.

Pump mechanics

How pump architecture determines shear, pulsation, and flow stability.

Valve behaviour

Why valve response characteristics matter more than valve type.

Process control

Closing the loop between sensors, actuators, and process outcomes.

Scale-up physics

Why processes that work at bench scale fail at production scale.

Single-use design

Material selection, flowpath architecture, and hold-up volume trade-offs.

Automation strategy

From PLC/SCADA to cloud-native control — what changes and what doesn't.

Want to go deeper?

Talk to our process engineers.

If you have questions about applying these principles to your specific process, our engineers can help.

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