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Secondary flow mixing due to biofilm growth in capillaries of varying dimensions
Author(s) -
Hornemann Jennifer A.,
Codd Sarah L.,
Fell Robert J.,
Stewart Philip S.,
Seymour Joseph D.
Publication year - 2009
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.22248
Subject(s) - capillary action , flow (mathematics) , bioreactor , dynamic similarity , flow velocity , biofouling , chemistry , secondary flow , microscopy , mixing (physics) , analytical chemistry (journal) , mechanics , materials science , chromatography , optics , physics , membrane , composite material , reynolds number , turbulence , biochemistry , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Using a magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) technique, velocity perturbations due to biofouling in capillaries were detected in 3D velocity maps. The velocity images in each of the three square capillary sizes (2, 0.9, and 0.5 mm i.d.) tested indicate secondary flow in both the x ‐ and y ‐directions for the biofouled capillaries. Similar flow maps generated in a clean square capillary show only an axial component. Investigation of these secondary flows and their geometric and dynamic similarity is the focus of this study. The results showed significant secondary flows present in the 0.9 mm i.d. capillary, on the scale of 20% of the bulk fluid flow. Since this is the “standard 1 mm” size capillary used in confocal microscopy laboratory bioreactors to investigate biofilm properties, it is important to understand how these enhanced flows impact bioreactor transport. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 353–360. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.