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Hydrodynamics of a Three‐phase Airlift Reactor with an Enlarged Separator — Application to High Cell Density Systems
Author(s) -
Klein Jaroslav,
Vicente António A.,
Teixeira José A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450810314
Subject(s) - separator (oil production) , airlift , draft tube , materials science , mechanics , chromatography , phase (matter) , bioreactor , nuclear engineering , chemistry , thermodynamics , engineering , physics , organic chemistry
The hydrodynamic study of a three‐phase airlift reactor with an enlarged head zone was carried out. Effects of gas‐solid‐liquid separator design and riser to downcomer cross‐sectional area using different lengths and diameters of the draft tube were investigated. Ca‐alginate beads with entrapped yeast biomass at different loadings up to 21 % (v/v) were used in order to mimic the solid phase of conventional high cell density systems. The main hydrodynamic parameters — liquid circulation velocity, gas and solids holdups in all reactor sections have been measured and experimental values were satisfactorily predicted using an appropriate three‐phase model. The results of this study may be applied to suggest the optimal design (in terms of hydrodynamic behaviour) of a batch/continuous three‐phase ALR for high cell density fermentations.