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Axial Dispersion Model for Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactors
Author(s) -
Singhal Ashish,
Gomes James,
Praveen V. V.,
Ramachandran K. B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
biotechnology progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6033
pISSN - 8756-7938
DOI - 10.1021/bp980042f
Subject(s) - blanket , dispersion (optics) , plug flow reactor model , plug flow , mixing (physics) , flow (mathematics) , environmental science , wastewater , mechanics , fluid dynamics , nuclear engineering , waste management , materials science , environmental engineering , continuous stirred tank reactor , physics , chemical engineering , engineering , quantum mechanics , optics , composite material
Fluid flow in UASB reactors is usually described by multicompartment models consisting of separate ideally mixed zones, plug flow zones, and stagnant zones linked with bypassing flows and back‐mixing flows. A closer look at UASB reactor behavior indicates that this complexity is unnecessary. Our study on the startup and steady‐state operation of a UASB reactor shows that its fluid flow can be explained just as well with a simple axial dispersion model. The physical transitions, which occur in different zones of the UASB reactor as the microorganisms acclimate to the wastewater, are adequately described by the model. Further, the number of parameters, which is six in standard UASB reactor models, is reduced to four in the case of the axial dispersion model.