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Residence time distributions of gas flowing through rotating drum bioreactors
Author(s) -
Hardin Matthew T.,
Howes Tony,
Mitchell David A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.1104
Subject(s) - residence time distribution , plug flow , continuous stirred tank reactor , plug flow reactor model , spark plug , residence time (fluid dynamics) , mechanics , dispersion (optics) , chemistry , flow (mathematics) , laminar flow reactor , volumetric flow rate , dead zone , bioreactor , mass transfer , thermodynamics , physics , open channel flow , engineering , oceanography , optics , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , geology
Residence time distribution studies of gas through a rotating drum bioreactor for solid‐state fermentation were performed using carbon monoxide as a tracer gas. The exit concentration as a function of time differed considerably from profiles expected for plug flow, plug flow with axial dispersion, and continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) models. The data were then fitted by least‐squares analysis to mathematical models describing a central plug flow region surrounded by either one dead region (a three‐parameter model) or two dead regions (a five‐parameter model). Model parameters were the dispersion coefficient in the central plug flow region, the volumes of the dead regions, and the exchange rates between the different regions. The superficial velocity of the gas through the reactor has a large effect on parameter values. Increased superficial velocity tends to decrease dead region volumes, interregion transfer rates, and axial dispersion. The significant deviation from CSTR, plug flow, and plug flow with axial dispersion of the residence time distribution of gas within small‐scale reactors can lead to underestimation of the calculation of mass and heat transfer coefficients and hence has implications for reactor design and scale‐up. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 74: 145–153, 2001.