Aerated bioreactors, including heat exchangers, compressors, and agitators, constitute a major capital investment and utility expenditure in a bioprocess. For example, the cost of the microbial oil bioreactor system alone has been estimated to cost 17.5 million USD at 3x the baseline fermentation productivity considered in this study and at a production capacity comparable to the DC configuration. Because the economic design of an aerated bioreactor is critical for financial viability, a full discussion on the design and costing algorithm is warranted.