Scale influence on the hydrodynamics of an internal loop airlift reactor

The overall circulation velocity, the overall riser and downcomer gas hold-ups and the effect of reactor scale on a two-phase circulation regimes were studied in this work in three airlift reactors of different scale. The measurements were carried out in airlift reactor with internal loops (IALRs) with a working volume of 10.5, 32 and 200 l at the range of temperatures 18–21 °C, under atmospheric pressure. Air and water were used as gas and liquid media. The three reactors were of similar geometry, the ratio between riser and downcomer cross-sectional areas, the aspect ratio of the column and the shape of the column bottom were taken as similarity criteria. In order to determine the linear circulation velocities, the magnetic tracer method was used. The riser and the downcomer were studied separately. Based on gas hold-up in both the riser and the downcomer, two regimes (homogeneous bubble (HMG) and heterogeneous churn-turbulent (HTG)) of the two-phase flow were observed. These were defined by Daniels [Chem. Eng. 70 (1995)] and described using the correlation proposed by Chisti [Airlift Bioreactors, Elsevier, London, 1989]. The average of the liquid circulation velocities increased with increasing reactor scale for the same superficial gas velocity. The overall circulation velocity was modelled on the basis of the momentum balance proposed in paper [Chem. Eng. Sci. 52 (1997) 25]. The parameters of both the correlation and the model tend to be constant for larger reactor scales. The value of the driving force (_R−_D) was found to be important only for lower values of gas flow rate, because at higher values, the circulation velocity seemed to be governed only by friction in the reactor vessel.     

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in an internal loop airlift reactor with sieve plates

Effects of the sieve plate on hydrodynamics and mass transfer in an annulus sparged airlift reactor (0.08 m³, 1.3 m tall, and 0.284 m in diameter) were investigated. It is found that the sieve plate can significantly enhance gas holdup and volumetric mass transfer coefficient. The sieve pore plays an important role in breaking up bubbles. With a given free area ratio, the sieve plate with a larger sieve pore diameter is more efficient in increasing the volumetric mass transfer coefficient. Four different free area ratios between 37% and 73% are tested, and then an optimal free area ratio is determined. The effect of the sieve plate is found to be related to sparger types. The sieve plate leads to a larger increase of volumetric mass transfer coefficient with the O-ring distributor as compared to the 4-orifice nozzle. Empirical correlations and a hydrodynamic model are proposed to predict gas holdup, volumetric mass transfer coefficient and liquid velocity in airlift reactors with sieve plates.     

Solid effects on hydrodynamics and heat transfer in an external loop airlift reactor

The effect of a solid presence on global hydrodynamic parameters and heat transfer in an external loop airlift reactor has been experimentally investigated. Results obtained in both two- and three-phase flow are presented in this study. Two different external loop airlift reactor sizes have been used and local hydrodynamic characteristics including local gas hold-up and bubble velocity have been obtained in two-phase flow. Optical and ultrasound probes have been used to obtain this information, respectively. It was found that an increase of solid hold-up leads to a decrease of liquid velocity and heat transfer coefficient. Measured in a two- and three-phase reactor using a horizontal-heating probe, a correlation of the average gas hold-up and heat transfer coefficient is proposed. Correlation parameters are identified in homogeneous and heterogeneous flow regimes, which have been derived from the gas slip velocity concept. The experimental liquid velocity and gas hold-up in the riser have been represented in a satisfactory way by a hydrodynamic model, either in the absence or in the presence of solid particles.     

分段进气多级环流反应器流动与传质特性研究

多级环流反应器通常在段间安装多孔分布板或其他内构件,增加了流体流动的阻力,导致环流液速降低。为此,文中在多级环流反应器研究的基础上,设计了一种新型分段进气、多级环流反应器,利用新通入气体的抽提力和喷射力,缓解了段间的流动压降,并加速气泡的破碎;重点考察了进气量在各段中的分配比例对分段进气多级环流反应器流体力学的影响。应用电导率仪和溶解氧分析仪分别测量环流液速、混合时间及体积传质系数。实验结果表明:分段进气时,第2段和第3段中的环流液速比较高,并明显高于多级环流反应器中的环流液速;不同的操作条件下,上下二端的混合时间差距明显,表现出串联反应器特性;体积传质系数远高于多级环流反应器,最大值约为多级环流反应器的2.4倍。     

气升式外环流反应器的体积传质系数

以Higbie的渗透理论和Kolmogoroff的湍流理论为基础,提出了计算液体旋涡在气液相界面暴露时间的方法,并建立了预测体积传质系数的模型方程。在不同管径比下的外环流反应器中,对空气 水体系测定了操作气速对体积传质系数、循环液速和气含率的影响。将体积传质系数与表观气速和下降管与上升管的面积比按幂函数进行关联,其预测值和试验值符合较好。     

CFD simulation and experimental measurement of gas holdup and liquid interstitial velocity in internal loop airlift reactor

This paper documents experiments and CFD simulations of the hydrodynamics of our two-phase (water, air) laboratory internal loop airlift reactor (40 l). The experiments and simulations were aimed at obtaining global flow characteristics (gas holdup and liquid interstitial velocity in the riser and in the downcomer) in our particular airlift configurations. The experiments and simulations were done for three different riser tubes with variable length and diameter. Gas (air) superficial velocities in riser were in range from 1 to 7.5 cm/s. Up to three circulation regimes were experimentally observed (no bubbles in downcomer, bubbles in downcomer but not circulating, and finally the circulating regime). The primary goal was to test our CFD simulation setup using only standard closures for interphase forces and turbulence, and assuming constant bubble size is able to capture global characteristics of the flow for our experimental airlift configurations for the three circulation regimes, and if the simulation setup could be later used for obtaining the global characteristic for modified geometries of our original airlift design or for different fluids. The CFD simulations were done in commercial code Fluent 6.3 using algebraic slip mixture multiphase model. The secondary goal was to test the sensitivity of the simulation results to different closures for the drag coefficient and the resulting bubble slip velocity and also for the turbulence. In addition to the simulations done in Fluent, simulation results using different code (CFX 12.1) and different model (full Euler–Euler) are also presented in this paper. The experimental measurements of liquid interstitial velocity in the riser and in the downcomer were done by evaluating the response to the injection of a sulphuric acid solution measured with pH probes. The gas holdup in the riser and downcomer was measured with the U-tube manometer. The results showed that the simulation setup works quite well when there are no bubbles present in the downcomer, and that the sensitivity to the drag closure is rather low in this case. The agreement was getting worse with the increase of gas holdup in the downcomer. The use of different multiphase model in the different code (CFX) gave almost the same results as the Fluent simulations.     

Region-dependent mass transfer behavior in a forced circulation airlift loop reactor

The contribution of local regions to global mass transfer holds the key to optimization and scale-up of a reactor. Extensive study has been conducted to investigate gas-liquid mass transfer occurring in the internal airlift loop reactor, but mostly restricted to global mass transfer performance. A cold model forced circulation internal airlift loop reactor was employed and divided into six regions in which dissolved oxygen concentration in slurry and mass transfer interfacial area were measured respectively. Different models were utilized to calculate volumetric mass transfer coefficient. Contributions of individual region to global mass transfer performance were calculated and compared. It was found that mass transfer coefficient and mass transfer interfacial area of individual region increases with increasing superficial gas velocity and slurry feed flowrate. The feed affected region has the greatest mass transfer coefficient and volumetric mass transfer coefficient, contributing more than 30% to global mass transfer in most operating condition. Mass transfer interfacial area is close in the gas distributor region, feed affected region and the gas-slurry separator region. In the present work, circulating bubbles are rare and contribute negligibly to the global mass transfer. Global volumetric mass transfer coefficient is close to that of the gas-slurry separator region, ranging from 0.02 to 0.1 1/s. Comparison of k_La is made between this work and literatures, suggesting a great improvement of mass transfer due to external liquid circulation.     

CFD在气升式环流反应器结构优化上的应用

利用CFD软件ANSYS 14.0及欧拉-欧拉多相流模型,模拟不同高径比、环隙比下气升式环流反应器的气液两相流动,得到反应器内循环液速和气含率等参数的详细分布。对比模拟结果表明,高径比为7,环隙比1时,反应器具有最优流化状态。CFD在气升式环流反应器的结构优化具有明显的指导意义。     

Local and global hydrodynamics in a two-phase internal loop airlift

Two-phase hydrodynamic regimes establishing in a lab-scale internal circulation airlift operated at low superficial gas velocity have been investigated. The airlift was operated with air and bidistilled water at room temperature. The gas-liquid (G-L) behaviour was investigated by visual inspection of the system and by analysis of the time series of the pressure along the loop and of the thermal power exchanged between the G-L suspension and a hot film probe. Local and overall dynamical features have been investigated by analysing the time-resolved signals by means of advanced mathematical tools (Kolmogorov entropy, coherence, Hurst exponent).     

外循环气升式膜反应器中的体积传质系数

传质系数是决定气升式反应器传质特性的主要参数之一,文中介绍了一种新型的将陶瓷膜曝气系统与外环流反应器耦合的外环流膜反应器,考察了不同曝气气量,曝气压力,曝气方式以及曝气位置条件下反应器中体积传质系数的变化情况。结果表明,曝气气量,曝气压力,曝气孔孔径都能影响体积传质系数,孔径的影响尤为显著,采用膜微孔曝气,体积传质系数相比曝气头曝气提高近2倍。将膜管曝气和曝气头曝气耦合起来,可在获得良好气液循环的条件下有较大的气液接触面,从而优化气液传质。     

Oxygen mass transfer and hydrodynamics in a multi-phase airlift bioscrubber system

The addition of select polymer beads to stirred tank bioscrubber systems has been shown to greatly enhance the removal and treatment of toxic VOCs via the capture and sequestration of poorly soluble compounds such as benzene, and the release of these materials, based on equilibrium partitioning, to microorganisms in the aqueous phase. In this study, oxygen volumetric mass transfer coefficients were determined for an 11 L airlift vessel containing tap water alone, tap water with Nylon 6,6 polymer beads (10% v/v), and tap water with silicone rubber beads (10% v/v), over various inlet gas flow rates, with the aim of initially characterizing a low-energy pneumatically agitated reactor (concentric tube airlift). In addition, oxygen transfer rates into the airlift with and without polymers with high oxygen affinity were determined. To further characterize this reactor system, a residence time distribution analysis was completed to determine hydrodynamic parameters including the Peclet number (Pe), circulation time (t_c) and mixing time (t_m) over various gas flow rates for the airlift containing tap water with and without silicone rubber. It was found that the addition of silicone rubber beads, which has a high affinity for oxygen, reduced the measured volumetric mass transfer coefficient relative to a system without polymers due to oxygen sorption during the dynamic period of testing, but increased the overall amount of oxygen that was transferred to the system during the dynamic period. The addition of Nylon 6,6, which has very low oxygen uptake, allowed for estimation of the physical effect of solids addition on gas-liquid mass transfer and it was found that there was no effect on the measured volumetric mass transfer coefficient relative to a system without polymers. However, hydrodynamic parameters revealed that the addition of silicone rubber into an airlift vessel improves liquid phase mixing. This investigation has defined key operational features of a low-energy three-phase airlift bioscrubber system for the treatment of toxic VOC substrates.     

Liquid velocity and dispersion coefficient in an airlift reactor with inverse internal loop

An airlift reactor with inverse internal loop (annulus sparged) is investigated with regard to liquid velocity and dispersion coefficient for the purpose of reactor design. To distinguish between the influence of the individual parts of the reactor (downcomer, riser, bottom) on the liquid velocity and mixing, several draft tubes with different geometries and draft tube bottom clearances are successively installed.     

气-液-固三相气升式环流反应器中牛顿型及非牛顿型流体局部液相传质模型

A small scale isotropic mass transfer model was developed for the local liquid side mass transfer coefficients in gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow airlift loop reactor for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.It is based on Higbie's penetration theory and Kolmogoroff's theory of isotropic turbulence with k1 = 3√2Dε1/3 1/π(η-1/3 1 -λ-1/3 f),where ε1 is local rate of energy dissipation,λf is the local microscale,η1 is the local Kolmogoroff scale and D is the diffusion coefficient.The capability of the proposed model is discussed in the light of experimental data obtained from 12 L gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow airlift loop reactor using Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.Good agreement with the experimental data was obtained over a wide range of conditions suggesting a general applicability of the proposed model.     

电化学反应器流动和传质特性的仿真研究

提出了一种基于双面BDD电极的平行板结构的电化学反应器,它通过阳极和阴极交替排列引导污水多通道蜿蜒流动,实现了三维传质的增强。利用OpenFOAM分析了四阳极结构反应器的流动特性和传质特性,结果表明该结构的反应器在低入口流体雷诺数下传质系数低,分布不均,当入口雷诺数大于500时流体出现不稳定,传质增强。     

自吸式反应器气液传质实验研究和CFD模拟

对一种自吸式反应器的气液分散性能进行了实验研究,并采用计算流体力学(CFD)ANSYS CFX中对自吸式反应器在600,800,1 000,1 200 r/min 4种转速条件下气液二相流的流场、局部气含率及整体气含率进行了数值模拟,并采用Higbie溶质渗透模型模拟研究了反应器的容积传质系数。研究结果表明:气液二相流场与高速摄像机拍摄的结果相同,成对称分布;自吸式反应器的局部气含率分布均匀,上下分布良好,整体气含率的模拟结果与实验结果一致,实验值和模拟值误差为5.1%;局部容积传质系数分布良好,气体出口附近较好,容积传质系数模拟值与实验值变化趋势一致。     

Measurement of fluid flow in the downcomer of an internal loop airlift reactor using an optical trajectory-tracking system

A low cost optical trajectory tracking system (OTTS) for flow studies has been developed in our laboratory. The system was developed with the purpose of identifying flow trajectories, which are required for the mathematical formulation of photosynthetic processes in airlift reactors. It consists of two cameras, which are connected to a PC computer via an Image Process Card. The system is used for the study of fluid trajectories in the downcomer of an airlift reactor. The motion of a single neutrally buoyant fluorescent particle is logged by the system, and the vectors of the trajectories are reconstructed into 3D coordinates. The flow in the downcomer of the airlift reactor was studied using two different draft tube diameters. The superficial gas velocities varied from 0.005 to . Analysis of the experimental results shows that plug flow exists in this region. Shear stress was also analyzed and was found homogeneous. Preliminary results of the measurement of fluid flow in the downcomer of the ALR with helical flow promoters (HFP) are also presented.     

Simulation of algae growth in a bench scale internal loop airlift reactor

The growth of red marine alga Porphyridium sp. cultivated in an internal loop airlift (ALR) photobioreactor was simulated. The model proposed integrates a dynamic formulation of the kinetics of photosynthesis, photoinhibition, and the fluid dynamics of the ALR, including shear stress effects on the kinetics of growth. The kinetic parameters obtained previously for a system under defined light/dark cycles were used, and satisfactory agreement was found. The maintenance term was modified to take into account the detrimental effects of shear stress in the bioreactor on the rate of growth. A hybrid method for approximate solution of the equations is proposed. The conditions of gas flow rate and illuminance required for positive growth were found. This is the first mathematical model that predicts the effect of gas flow rate, column height, column diameter, and cross-sectional areas on the productivity of a photosynthetic process in an airlift bioreactor. Extrapolations done using the model indicate the possibility of predicting the optimal diameter for an assembly of ALR photobioreactors.     

CFD simulation of hydrodynamics of gas-liquid-solid fluidised bed reactor

A three dimensional transient model is developed to simulate the local hydrodynamics of a gas-liquid-solid three-phase fluidised bed reactor using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The CFD simulation predictions are compared with the experimental data of Kiared et al. [1999. Mean and turbulent particle velocity in the fully developed region of a three-phase fluidized bed. Chemical Engineering & Technology 22, 683-689] for solid phase hydrodynamics in terms of mean and turbulent velocities and with the results of Yu and Kim [1988. Bubble characteristics in the racial direction of three-phase fludised beds. A.I.Ch.E. Journal 34, 2069-2072; 2001. Bubble-wake model for radial velocity profiles of liquid and solid phases in three-phase fluidised beds. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 40, 4463-4469] for the gas and liquid phase hydrodynamics in terms of phase velocities and holdup. The flow field predicted by CFD simulation shows a good agreement with the experimental data. From the validated CFD model, the computation of the solid mass balance and various energy flows in fluidised bed reactors are carried out. The influence of different interphase drag models for gas-liquid interaction on gas holdup are studied in this work.     

内循环气升式生物流化床水力学与传质特性研究

通过测定内循环气升式生物流化床的停留时间分布与溶解氧浓度,分析流化床内有效工作体积与氧传质系数的变化,以此研究其水力学与传质特性。结果表明,随着载体含量和气流量的增大,流化床内有效工作体积明显减小;氧传质系数则随着载体含量的增加先增后减,随着气流量和液流量的增大而增大。在本实验范围内,得出最适宜操作参数为载体含量为6％左右、气流量为180～240L／h之间、液流量为90L／h。     

带辐照改性聚丙烯填料的气升式内环流反应器处理废水的研究

应用高能射线辐照技术,在聚丙烯填料表面接枝丙烯酸单体进行改性。将此改性填料应用于气升式内环流反应器中,并对模拟生活废水进行间歇法和连续法处理。实验结果表明,该反应器运行稳定,适应浓度范围广,COD去除率较高,出水COD浓度波动小。