Effects of Height to Diameter Ratio and Aeration rate on Liquid Mixing and Hydrodynamic Properties in a Bubble Column
Experimental measurements of overall gas holdup (eg), residence time distribution (RTD) and liquid mixing time (tm) have been carried out in an air-water system in a 17 lit bubble column with an 11 cm diameter, over a wide range of superficial gas velocity (0.14-1.46 ms -1 ) and height to diameter ratio (1.36-8.84). The bed expansion method was used to obtain holdup values and the change of slope related to eg versus superficial gas velocity (Usg) indicated the transition point from homogeneous to heterogeneous regime at Usg= 0.7-0.9 ms -1 . Besides, the experiments illustrated that H/D ratio had no effect on holdup values. The axial dispersion model was used with semi-closed boundary conditions for prediction of RTD, and hence, the axial dispersion coefficients (Dax). Moreover, fitting results of the model and experimental RTD curves achieved from tracer injection method attained the model parameter, Dax , in three H/D ratios of 4.73, 6.36 and 8.84. Results showed that an elevation in H/D ratio, caused a rise in Dax. On the other hand, the mixing time data declined with an increase in Usg; however enhancement of H/D ratio caused an increase in tm.
Hydrodynamics and mass transfer in miniaturized bubble column bioreactors
Miniaturized bubble columns (MBCs) have different hydrodynamics in comparison with the larger ones, but there is a lack of scientific data on MBCs. Hence, in this study, the effect of gas hold-up, flow regimes, bubble size distribution on volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient at different pore size spargers and gas flow rates in MBCs in the presence and absence of microorganisms were investigated. It was found that flow regime transition occurred around low gas flow rates of 1.18 and 0.85 cm/s for small (16–40 µm) and large (40–100 µm) pore size spargers, respectively. Gas hold-up and KLa in MBC with small size sparger were higher than those with larger one, with an increasing effect in the presence of microorganisms. A comparison revealed that the wall effect on the flow regime and gas hold-up in MBCs was greater than bench-scale bubble columns. The KLa values significantly increased up to tenfold using small pore size sparger. In the MBC and stirred tank bioreactors, the maximum obtained cell concentrations were OD600 of 41.5 and 43.0, respectively. Furthermore, it was shown that in MBCs, higher KLa and lower turbulency could be achieved at the end of bubbly flow regime.
Gas‐Liquid Direct‐Contact Evaporation: A Review
Gas-liquid direct-contact evaporators are characterized by the bubbling of a superheated gas through the solution to be concentrated. In other words, they are nonisothermal bubble columns. Despite their simplicity of construction, these units exhibit rather complex hydrodynamics and, similar to what occurs to isothermal bubble columns, the design of such units still poses a problem. The present paper reviews the literature regarding this kind of equipment, addressing both experimental studies and modeling efforts. The covered issues include classic and potential applications, bubbling regimes, gas holdup and bubble size distributions, as well as mathematical models proposed for simulating the unit. Additionally, pertinent literature on isothermal bubble columns is also discussed. Recommendations are made for future research.