CFD simulation of the hydrodynamics in an internal air-lift reactor with two different configurations

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate the hydrodynamic parameters of two internal airlift bioreactors with different configurations. Both had a riser diameter of 0.1 m. The model was used to predict the effect of the reactor geometry on the reactor hydrodynamics. Water was utilized as the continuous phase and air in the form of bubbles was applied as the dispersed phase. A two-phase flow model provided by the bubbly flow application mode was employed in this project. In the liquid phase, the turbulence can be described using the k-ϵ model. Simulated gas holdup and liquid circulation velocity results were compared with experimental data. The predictions of the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Keywords

airlift reactor / gas holdup / liquid circulation velocity / bubbly flow / computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg