Mixing dynamics in uncovered unbaffled stirred tanks

Abstract The present work is aimed at providing experimental information on mixing rates in an unbaffled vessel under free surface vortexing conditions. The planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique was used for measuring the dispersion dynamics of a passive tracer over a vertical section of the vessel. In agreement with the quite scant literature information available for these systems, results confirm the existence of two well defined, partially segregated, zones that give rise to a double mixing dynamics behavior. A suitable mixing time definition is proposed and applied to a number of experimental runs with different stirrer geometries and agitation speeds. Results confirm that…

SOLID-LIQUID SUSPENSIONS IN UNBAFFLED TANKS

Unbaffled stirred tanks are seldom employed in the process industry as they are considered poorer mixers than baffled tanks. However, they might provide significant advantages in a wide range of applications like crystallization processes as well as for food and pharmaceutical industries, where the presence of baffles is often undesirable. In the present work solid-liquid suspension in an unbaffled stirred tank was investigated. A novel experimental method (steady cone radius method) was devised to ease the evaluation of the minimum impeller speed for complete particle suspension (Njs). Experiments encompassed a quite wide range of particle sizes, densities and solids concentration. The Njs…

Combined gasification-oxidation system for waste treatment with supercritical water: Lca and performance analysis

In this study the environmental performance of a first-of-its-kind integrated process based on supercritical water gasification and oxidation (SCW-GcO), was evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). The process was applied to the treatment of carbon black and used oil as model wastes. Mass and energy balances were performed using Aspen Plus, and the environmental assessment was carried out through SimaPro. A “from cradle to grave” approach was chosen for the analysis, considering impact categories such as climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, land use, resource depletion, and other relevant indicators. The environmental profile of the SCW-GcO process was co…

A novel self-ingesting stirred vessel for gas-liquid and three-phase operations

Unsuspended mass of solid particles in stirred tanks

On propose une technique originale pour la determination de la fraction de particules solides non suspendues a des vitesses d'agitation inferieures a N js . La technique repose sur le concept des systemes jumeles et est completee par une technique de tracage et de detection pour la phase solide. Les resultats obtenus avec un reservoir chicane agite par une turbine Rushton, montrent que la fraction de solides ne quittant jamais le fond du reservoir peut etre simplement correlee au rapport entre la vitesse d'agitation et la vitesse de suspension complete de Zwietering. On montre qu'a des vitesses de l'agitateur d'environ 80% de la vitesse de suspension complete de Zwietering, pratiquement tou…

Turbulent Fluid Flow in Closed- and Free-Surface Unbaffled Tanks Stirred by Radial Impellers

SIMULAZIONI CFD DEL CAMPO DI MOTO A BASSO NUMERO DI REYNOLDS IN BIOREATTORI AGITATI CON E SENZA SETTI FRANGIVORTICE

I recipienti meccanicamente agitati sono apparecchiature frequenti dell’industria chimica di processo. Questi sono tipicamente dotati di setti frangivortice (recipienti baffled) atti a rompere il moto prettamente tangenziale tipico dei recipienti sprovvisti di setti (recipienti unbaffled) e convertirlo in moto assiale e radiale. La presenza dei setti evita inoltre nella zona centrale del sistema la formazione del vortice d’aria che può talvolta essere indesiderato o in taluni casi creare instabilità una volta arrivato alla girante. I recipienti unbaffled sono considerati quindi dei miscelatori meno efficienti rispetto a quelli provvisti di setti. Tali sistemi sono pertanto ad oggi impiegati…

CFD simulation of gas-liquid hydrodynamics in a rectangular air–lift loop reactor

Computational Fluid Dynamics is an increasingly important tool for carrying out realistic simulations of process apparatuses. As a difference from single phase systems, for multi phase systems the development of CFD models is still at its early stages. Moreover, gas-liquid systems are characterised by an additional complexity level, related to the fact that, as a difference with solid-liquid systems, bubble sizes are not known in advance, being rather the result of formation and breakage-coalescence dynamics, and therefore of complex phenomena related to flow dynamics and interfacial effects. In the present work CFD simulations of gas-liquid air-lift reactors are reported. All bubbles are a…

On vortex shape in unbaffled stirred vessels as measured by digital image analysis

In this work, digital image analysis coupled with a suitable shadowgraphy-based technique is employed to investigate the shape of the free-surface vortex that forms in uncovered unbaffled tanks stirred by either a D=T/3 Lightnin A310 or a D=T/3 Rushton turbine. The technique is based on back-lighting the vessel and suitably averaging vortex images over time. Data obtained show that the two different impellers give rise to quite different vortex shapes. A novel 2-parameter model is proposed that successfully describes vortex shapes obtained with both impellers.

Liquid viscosity and flow rate effects on interfacial area in packed columns

Abstract The influences of liquid kinematic viscosity and liquid flow rate on effective interfacial area for chemical absorption in a Raschig ring packed column were studied by absorbing carbon dioxide into potassium carbonate-bicarbonate-arsenite solutions. The viscosities of the absorbing liquid were varied by the addition of sugar. Analysis of the data shows that an increase in liquid flow rate increases the effective interfacial area over the whole viscosity range considered. The influence of liquid viscosity is more complex as the interfacial area increases with viscosity for low values, while decreasing at higher viscosities. Two correlations have been developed to express this behavi…

Particle distribution in unbaffled stirred vessels

The present work is devoted to providing an insight into the solid-particle distribution within top-covered unbaffled stirred tanks via purposely collected local experimental data. Experiments were carried out on a lab- scale unbaffled stirred tank by making use of a recently introduced technique named Laser Sheet Image Analysis (LSIA). In its original formulation, the technique includes an image post-processing procedure to delete reflection effects on results. In the framework of the present work, a method combining the use of purposely produced fluorescent particles and a suitable camera high pass filter was devised and presented. Results collected with (new method) and without (old fash…

A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR MEASURING LOCAL BUBBLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

A novel experimental technique for measuring the local gas hold-up and the statistical distribution of local bubble size, is proposed. The technique is based on laser sheet illumination of the gas-liquid dispersion and synchronized camera, i.e. on equipment typically available in PIV set-ups. The liquid phase is made fluorescent by a suitable dye, and a band-pass optical filter is placed in front of the camera optics, in order to allow only fluoresced light to reach the camera CCD. In this way bubbles intercepted by the laser sheet are clearly identified thanks to the neat shade resulting in the images. This allows excluding from subsequent analysis all bubbles visible in the images but not…

Mass transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics of unbaffled stirred bio-reactors: Influence of impeller design

Abstract Unbaffled stirred tanks are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to common baffled tanks for a range of processes where the presence of baffles is undesirable for some reason. For instance, in the case of shear sensitive cell cultivation (e.g. human cells), unbaffled tanks have been recently found to be able to provide sufficient mass transfer through the free surface vortex. As a consequence the need for bubble formation and subsequent bursting, along with relevant cells damage, is conveniently avoided. In this work the influence of impeller geometry on mass transfer performance and power demand of an unbaffled stirred vessel operating both in sub-critical conditions (t…

Large Eddy Simulation of Unbaffled Stirred Tanks

Local gas-liquid hold-up and interfacial area via light sheet and image analysis

Particle Image Velocimetry techniques coupled with advanced Image Processing tools are receiving an increasing interest for measuring flow quantities and local bubble-size distributions in gas-liquid contactors. In this work, an effective experimental technique for measuring local gas hold-up and interfacial area, as well as bubble size distribution, is discussed. The technique, hereafter referred to as Laser Induced Fluorescence with Shadow Analysis for Bubble Sizing (LIF-SABS) is based on laser sheet illumination of the gas-liquid dispersion and synchronized camera, i.e. on equipment typically available within PIV set-ups. The liquid phase is made fluorescent by a suitable dye, and an opt…

Particle distribution in dilute solid liquid unbaffled tanks via a novel laser sheet and image analysis based technique

The availability of experimental information on particle distribution inside stirred tanks is a topic of great importance for many industrial applications such as catalysis and polymerization. The measurement of solid particle distribution is not simple and the development of suitable measuring techniques is still an open problem in chemical engineering research. In this work, a non-intrusive optical technique for measuring particle concentration fields in solid–liquid systems is discussed. The “Laser Sheet Image Analysis” (LSIA) technique described here makes use of a laser sheet, a digital camera for image acquisition and a suitable procedure for post-processing. It is able to provide sol…

Gas-liquid-solid operation of a Long Draft Tube Self-ingesting Reactor (LDTSR)

Gas-liquid stirred vessels are widely employed to carry out chemical reactions involving a gas reagent and a liquid phase. The usual way for introducing the gas stream into the liquid phase is through suitable distributors placed below the impeller. An interesting alternative is that of using “self ingesting” vessels where the headspace gas phase is injected and dispersed into the vessel through suitable surface vortices. In this work the performance of a Long Draft Tube Self-ingesting Reactor dealing with gas-liquid-solid systems, is investigated. Preliminary experimental results on the effectiveness of this contactor for particle suspension and gas-liquid mass transfer performance in pres…

Modeling and simulation of dense cloud dispersion in urban areas by means of computational fluid dynamics

Abstract The formation of toxic heavy clouds as a result of sudden accidental releases from mobile containers, such as road tankers or railway tank cars, may occur inside urban areas so the problem arises of their consequences evaluation. Due to the semi-confined nature of the dispersion site simplified models may often be inappropriate. As an alternative, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has the potential to provide realistic simulations even for geometrically complex scenarios since the heavy gas dispersion process is described by basic conservation equations with a reduced number of approximations. In the present work a commercial general purpose CFD code (CFX 4.4 by Ansys®) is employe…

CFD MODELLING OF PARTICLE SUSPENSION IN STIRRED TANKS

Mixing of solid particles into liquids in mechanically agitated vessels is a topic of primary importance for several industrial applications. A great deal of research efforts has been devoted so far to the assessment of the minimum impeller speed (Njs) able to guarantee that all particles are suspended. Conversely, only little attention has been paid to the evaluation of the amount of solid particles that are suspended at impeller speeds N lower than Njs, despite the fact that in a number of industrial applications agitation speeds smaller than Njs are actually adopted [1,2]. The present work deals with dense solid-liquid partial suspensions in baffled stirred tanks and particularly focuses…

A continuous plug flow reactor for magnesium recovery from concentrated brine

Magnesium is one of the eight most abundant elements on the world and the third most abun- dant in the sea, buc practically only two countries (Russia and China) control the world market for this compound. Product purity, Mg recovery, crystal morphology and granulometric distribution of precipitated particles were examined through careful laboratory analysis and results from different tests were compared, in order to identify the effect of allcaline species’ nature and concentration on precipitation phenomena.

Heavy Gas Dispersion Modelling Over a Topographically Complex Mesoscale: A CFD Based Approach

Abstract: Potentially dangerous events involving heavy gas dispersion and their severe consequences have been largely publicized by the media. Simplified models have been widely applied to describe the effects of these accidents. However, most simplified models deal with flat terrain scenarios and are based on quite crude simplifications of the complex phenomenology involved. In this paper the possibility of simulating the dispersion of heavy gas clouds over a large topographically complex area (tens of km) by a general purpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code is investigated. The aim is that of setting up a tool able to produce a realistic description of such dispersion processes, w…

Experimental and fluid dynamic study of continuous supercritical water gasification of glucose

Abstract The supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of glucose as a model compound for H 2 production is studied in term of process development at 25 MPa and 650 °C. Gasification has been investigated using a laboratory scale continuous plant comprising a continuous down flow reactor with a volume of 200 cm 3 , a heat recovery section and pre-heat of the biomass to simulate more closely an industrial design. Feed streams (pure water and glucose solution) are introduced at the top of the vessel and products are extracted from the bottom. The reactor is equipped with various inlet points that allow to modify the inlet position of reacting streams in order to study the effect of stream mixing…

MULTIFUNCTION REACTOR

Described herein is a reactor (1) includes: a first reaction volume (V1), a second reaction volume (V2), wherein: the first reaction volume (V1) is in fluid communication with an inlet port for an oxidizer agent (OX_IN), an inlet port for at least one first reactant (R1_IN) and an outlet port for at least one reaction product (P1_OUT), said second reaction volume (V2) is in fluid communication with an inlet port for at least one second reactant (R2_IN), an outlet port for at least one second reaction product (P2_OUT) and is furthermore in thermal exchange relationship with said first reaction volume (V1), wherein, during operation, in said first reaction volume (V1) an oxidation reaction oc…

Comparison between experimental data and CFD simulations of a continuous heavy gas plume in an atmospheric wind tunnel

Photochemical Reactors Engineering Fundamentals

For the rapidly developing area of Photochemical Reactors Engineering an assessment of some fundamentals is reported. Topics surveyed are light sources, types of photoreactors and radiation modelling approaches. Some general remarks are also reported from which the need for further development of the general research area arises.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flow in an Unbaffled Stirred Tank Driven by a Rushton Turbine

The turbulent flow fieldgeneratedin an unbaffledstirredtank by a Rushton turbine was computedby large-eddy simulation (LES). The Smagorinsky model was used to model the unresolved, or sub-grid, scales. A general purpose CFD code was appropriately modified in order to allow the computation of the sub-gridviscosity andto perform statistics on the computedresults. The numerical predictions were comparedwith the literature results for comparable configurations andwith experimental data obtainedusing particle image velocimetry. A very goodagreement was foundas regards both time-averagedresolv edfield s andturb ulence quantities. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi Stage Flash Desalination with Direct Mixing Condensation

Multi Stage Flash desalination technology has been a leading technology in the desalination market for the last four decades. However as a result of the continuous increase of costs for the special materials required for the tube bundles the share of MSF technology in the market is nowadays steadily shrinking. Aim of the present work is to present a novel configuration for the MSF process. In the proposed arrangement evaporation occurs in a multi stage vertical column filled with packing material to enhance the achievement of flashing equilibrium in each stage, while condensation occurs in a second column through direct mixing with a colder water stream. Thermal integration for the recovery…

A phenomenological model for the quantitative interpretation of partial suspension conditions in stirred vessels

Publisher Summary Many important chemical engineering operations involve the suspension of solid particles in a liquid phase inside stirred tanks. Relevant examples include adsorption, crystallization, dissolution, leaching, precipitation, ion exchange and catalytic multiphase processes. This chapter describes a phenomenological model for the quantitative determination of the suspended solids mass fraction in stirred tanks operated at partial suspension conditions. Experimental data on fractional suspension, obtained by the “Pressure Gauge Technique” in vessels stirred by a downward-pumping pitched-blade-turbine, are presented. Furthermore, model predicted trends are compared with experimen…

Indagine PIV e modellazione CFD di getti pesanti inclinati

Apparato di sintesi su letto catalitico e separazione di fasi liquido-gas

Apparato di sintesi su letto catalitico e di separazione dei prodotti di sintesi comprendenti una fase gassosa e due fasi liquide, una fase liquida più pesante e l’altra fase liquida più leggera, l’apparato comprendente - un modulo di sintesi (M1) comprendente un primo tubo (1) provvisto ad una prima estremità di un’apertura e chiuso ad una seconda estremità da una griglia (7), il primo tubo (1) essendo atto a contenere al suo interno un letto catalitico (6); - ed un modulo di separazione (M2) per separare le due fasi liquide e la fase gassosa provenienti dal modulo di sintesi (M1), comprendente un secondo tubo (1’) disposto adiacente alla seconda estremità del primo tubo (1), comunicante c…

Modelling and Simulation of Gas–liquid Hydrodynamics in a Rectangular Air-lift Reactor

Abstract Computational Fluid Dynamics is a quite well established tool for carrying out realistic simulations of process apparatuses. However, as a difference from single phase systems, for multiphase systems the development of CFD models is still in progress. Among the two-phase systems, gas–liquid systems are characterised by an additional complexity level, related to the fact that bubble sizes are not known in advance, being rather the result of formation and breakage-coalescence dynamics and therefore of complex phenomena related to flow dynamics and interfacial effects. In the present work, Euler–Euler Reynolds-averaged flow simulations of an air-lift reactor are reported. All bubbles …

Solid-liquid mass transfer coefficients in gas-solid-liquid agitated vessels

The research on mass transfer coefficients in solid-liquid agitated systems has received substantial attention in the past, due both to the interest in fundamental aspects of mass transfer between particles and turbulent fluids and to the importance of practical applications. In contrast, little information is available on solid-liquid mass transfer when a third gaseous phase is also dispersed into the system, in spite of the importance of the applications of gas-solid-liquid agitated systems. In this work a suitable dissolution technique was used to measure the solid-liquid mass transfer coefficient in gas-solid-liquid vessels stirred by either radial or axial impellers. The mechanical pow…

Particle Suspension in Vortexing Unbaffled Stirred Tanks

Three-phase processes in which particle suspension has to be achieved in conjunction with gas dispersion are traditionally carried out in sparged, baffled stirred tanks. The operation of such tanks can suffer, however, from particles tending to block the sparger holes. A viable alternative might be provided by uncovered unbaffled stirred tanks (UUSTs), where gas self-injection can occur when the free-surface vortex reaches the impeller blades and gas bubbles begin to be ingested by the liquid. In this work, the particle suspension and liquid aeration performances in three-phase UUSTs were experimentally investigated and compared with relevant literature correlations concerning baffled syste…

CFD prediction of solid particle distribution in baffled stirred vessels under partial to complete suspension conditions

Solid-liquid mixing within tanks agitated by stirrers can be easily encountered in many industrial processes. It is common to find an industrial tank operating at an impeller speed N lower than the minimum agitation speed for the suspension of solid particles: under such conditions the distribution of solid-particles is very far from being homogeneous and very significant concentration gradients exist. The present work evaluates the capability of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to reliably predict the particle distribution throughout the tank under either partial or complete suspension conditions. A flat bottomed baffled tank stirred by a Rushton turbine was investigated. Both tr…

ASSESSMENT OF THE MINIMUM POWER REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETE SUSPENSION IN TOP-COVERED UNBAFFLED STIRRED TANKS

CFD Predictions of Sufficient Suspension Conditions in Solid-Liquid Agitated Tanks

Abstract Most research efforts on mechanically agitated solid-liquid contactors have been devoted to the assessment of the minimum impeller speed for complete off-bottom suspension, N js . Actually, many industrial vessels are operated at impeller speeds slightly lower than N js (Oldshue, 1983; Rieger et al., 1988). This suggests that the sufficient suspension condition, which is quantitatively specified in this paper by introducing a suitably defined quantity N ss , may represent a valid alternative to that of complete suspension. In the present work time-dependent RANS simulations were carried out with the aim of predicting the achievement of sufficient suspension conditions. The Eulerian…

Supercritical water gasification of microalgae and their constituents in a continuous reactor

The supercritical water gasification of Nannochloropsis gaditana microalgae has been studied in term of process development at 24 MPa and 663 °C. Gasification has been investigated using a 200 cm3 down flow reactor working continuously. The effect of microalgae slurry concentration, with or without alkali catalysts, was studied. Moreover, the role played by different constituents of microalgae on gasification was investigated. Particularly, gasification of amino acids, carbohydrates and model mixtures among them was studied. Nannochloropsis gaditana was successfully gasified up to 97.4 wt% as gasification efficiency and 86.0 wt% as carbon efficiency. The product gas is mainly composed of hy…

On the Simulation of Solid Particle Distribution in Multiple Impeller Agitated Tanks via Computational Fluid Dynamics

Prediction of flow fields in a dual-impeller stirred vessel

Numerical simulations were connected for the flow field in a baffled tank stirred by a dual Rushton impeller. For this geometry, LDV measurements show a characteristic dependence of the flow patterns upon the position of the impellers. Two advanced modeling approaches were tested. In the first, the vessel was divided info two concentric blocks, coupled by, a sliding grin technique, and simulations were conducted in time-dependent mode. In the second approach, the vessel was modeled as two partially over-lapping I regions, the inner one rotating with the impeller and rite outer one stationary simulations were run in steady-state mode for each of the two regions, while information was iterati…

CFD simulations of dense solid–liquid suspensions in baffled stirred tanks: Prediction of solid particle distribution

Abstract Industrial tanks devoted to the mixing of solid particles into liquids are often operated at an impeller speed N less than Njs (defined as the lowest speed allowing the suspension of all particles): under such conditions the distribution of solid-particles is very far from being homogeneous and very significant concentration gradients exist. The present work is devoted to assessing the capability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in predicting the particle distribution throughout the tank. The CFD model proposed by Tamburini et al. [58] and successfully applied to the prediction of the sediment amount and shape was adopted here to simulate the particle distribution under partia…

Heavy Gas Dispersion Modelling Over a Topographically Complex Mesoscale

Potentially dangerous events involving heavy gas dispersion and their severe consequences have been largely publicized by the media. Simplified models have been widely applied to describe the effects of these accidents. However, most simplified models deal with flat terrain scenarios and are based on quite crude simplifications of the complex phenomenology involved. In this paper the possibility of simulating the dispersion of heavy gas clouds over a large topographically complex area (tens of km) by a general purpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code is investigated. The aim is that of setting up a tool able to produce a realistic description of such dispersion processes, whose resul…

Reactive crystallisation process for magnesium recovery from concentrated brines

Seawater brines, generated either by natural or anthropic processes, often cause significant environmental issues related to their disposal. A clear example is the case of brines from desalination plants, which can have severe environmental impacts on the receiving water body. On the other side, brines can represent a rich and appealing source of raw materials, especially when they are very concentrated, as it happens with bitterns (i.e. exhausted brines) produced in saltworks. In particular, magnesium concentration can reach values up to 30-40 kg/m3 of brine, which is 20-30 times that of typical seawater. An experimental campaign has been carried out in the present work for assessing the p…

Quasi-isoactinic reactor for photocatalytic kinetics studies

Photochemical reactors characterized by almost uniform values of the local volumetric rate of photon absorption (LVRPA), i.e., quasi-isoactinic photoreactors, are particularly suitable for assessing the influence of radiant field intensity in kinetic studies. In this work, Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to obtain LVRPA values in a flat photoreactor irradiated on both sides. This configuration appears to be particularly suitable for obtaining quasi-isoactinic conditions. The influence of catalyst albedo and scattering phase function is assessed, and the conditions for obtaining iso-actinicity are discussed. Finally, these conditions are related to an easy-to-measure parameter, n…

Numerical Simulation of Low Reynolds Number Flow Fields in Unbaffled Stirred Vessels

Analysis of the differences in kLa values determined by different variants of the dynamic method in stirred tanks

Inoculum of Indigenous Microalgae/Activated Sludge for Optimal Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters and Biochemical Composition of Residual Biomass for Potential Applications

In this work, municipal wastewater was treated with microalgal/activated sludge consortia. We aimed at obtaining a positive interaction between the microalgae and the heterotrophic bacteria and identifying the best combination for bioremediation purposes. A strain of Chlorella sp CW2 employed in this work was isolated from AS and molecularly characterised in this work for the first time. This strain and another previously isolated strain (Chlorella sp Pozzillo) were inoculated alone and in combination with AS in different ratios in wastewaters. Microalgae/activated sludge growth curves were obtained by using a UV–vis spectrophotometer and a fluorimeter to distinguish the contribution of the…

Dense jet modelling applied to the design of dense effluent diffusers

A model aimed at predicting the behavior of inclined dense jets in a stagnant environment was proposed. The model takes into account four jet parameters (flow rate, density, inclination and diameter) and results in a set of algebraic and ordinary differential equations, which are easily solved by simple (standard) numerical methods. Model results include information on the trajectory, spreading and dilution of the inclined dense jets. Model predictions were compared with experimental data obtained with different nozzle diameters, jet flow rates, jet densities and nozzle inclinations. Despite the wide range encompassed by the experimental data analyzed, model predictions were always found to…

Particle flow modelling in slurry-fed stirred vessels

In this paper experimental information on the retention time distribution (RTD) of solid particles in a high-aspect-ratio vessel, stirred by three equally spaced Rushton turbines, is presented. The relevant data were obtained by a special technique named twin system approach (TSA) that greatly simpli+es the handling of particle-laden streams and is therefore particularly suited for investigating particle RTD in 9ow systems. The technique fundamentals are +rst summarized, together with the data analysis procedure. This lastly requires a numerical deconvolution operation that is easily performed with the help of Z-transforms. Two di;erent approaches for excluding the spurious contributions of…

A probabilistic approach to radiant field modeling in dense particulate systems

Radiant field distribution is an important modeling issue in many systems of practical interest, such as photo-bioreactors for algae growth and heterogeneous photo-catalytic reactors for water detoxification.In this work, a simple radiant field model suitable for dispersed systems showing particle size distributions, is proposed for both dilute and dense two-phase systems. Its main features are: (i) only physical, independently assessable parameters are involved and (ii) its simplicity allows a closed form solution, which makes it suitable for inclusion in a complete photo-reactor model, where also kinetic and fluid dynamic sub-models play a role. A similar model can be derived by making us…

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF DILUTE SOLID-LIQUID SUSPENSION IN AN UNBAFFLED STIRRED VESSELS BY A NOVEL PULSED LASER BASED IMAGE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE

The availability of experimental information on solid distribution inside stirred tanks is a topic of great importance in several industrial applications. The measurement of solid particle distribution in turbulent multiphase flow is not simple and the development of suitable measurement techniques is still in progress. In this work a novel non-intrusive technique for measuring particle concentration fields in solid-liquid systems is employed. The technique makes use of a laser sheet, a high sensitivity digital camera for image acquisition and a Matlab procedure for post-processing the acquired images. Experimental data are here obtained for the case of an unbaffled stirred tank. Stable tor…

Combined Oxidation-Gasification system for waste treatment with supercritical water: LCA and performance analysis

In this study the environmental performance of a first of a kind integrated process based on supercritical water gasification and supercritical water oxidation, was evaluated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The process was applied to the treatment of carbon black and used oil as model waste. Mass and energy balances were performed using Aspen Plus, and the environmental assessment was carried out through SimaPro. For the analysis was chosen a “From cradle to grave” approach, considering impact categories like climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, land use, resource depletion and others relevant indicators. The environmental profile of SCW-GcO process was co…

CFD simulations of dense solid–liquid suspensions in baffled stirred tanks: Prediction of the minimum impeller speed for complete suspension

Abstract In the literature on mechanically agitated solid–liquid systems, several methods are described to estimate the minimum impeller speed Njs at which all particles are suspended, but few studies have been devoted so far to their critical comparative assessment [67] . In the present paper, several alternative Njs prediction methods are applied to CFD results obtained for selected test cases covering a broad range of suspension conditions and impeller speeds. Results are compared with one another and with classic empirical correlations [88] . The aim of the work is to assess the adequacy of different methods for predicting Njs and, more generally, to contribute to a viable CFD-based str…

Free surface oxygen transfer in large aspect ratio unbaffled bio-reactors, with or without draft-tube

Abstract It is widely accepted that animal cell damage in aerated bioreactors is mainly related to the bursting of bubbles at the air–liquid interface. A viable alternative to sparged bioreactors may be represented by uncovered unbaffled stirred tanks, which have been recently found to be able to provide sufficient mass transfer through the deep free surface vortex which takes place under agitation conditions. As a matter of fact, if the vortex is not allowed to reach impeller blades, no bubble formation and subsequent bursting at the free-surface, along with relevant cells damage, occurs. In this work oxygen transfer performance of large aspect ratio unbaffled stirred bioreactors, either e…

On the simulation of stirred tank reactors via computational fluid dynamics

Abstract Predictions of flow fields in a stirred tank reactor, obtained by computational fluid dynamics, were used for the simulation of a mixing sensitive process consisting of two parallel reactions competing for a common reagent: A + B → Prod .1 A + C → Prod .2. Experimental data were obtained for A = OH − , B = 1 2 Cu ++ and C=ethyl-chloroacetate. For this reaction scheme the final selectivity of the process, easily measured by a simple colorimetric analysis of the residual Cu++, was found to depend on agitation speed and therefore on the mixing history during the batch process. The flow field-based three-dimensional simulations performed here led to predictions that compared very well …

Estimating radiant fields in flat heterogeneous photoreactors by the six-flux model

Heterogeneous photoreactor modeling is a task complicated by the integro-differential nature of the Radiation Transfer Equation (RTE) when scattering phenomena are important. In the present work, a novel “Six Flux Model” (SFM) is proposed, which may be regarded as a step forward with respect to the previously proposed “Two Flux Model” (TFM). In order to validate the newly proposed model, Monte Carlo simulations of an indefinite plane-slab photoreactor have been performed. As no simplifying assumptions are involved in this case, the information obtained may be regarded as “pseudo-experimental,” and therefore compared with the predictions of both TFM and SFM models. Results show that the nove…

CFD simulation of solid-liquid suspension startup in a stirred tank

Autochthonous microalgae grown in municipal wastewaters as a tool for effectively removing nitrogen and phosphorous

Abstract Microalgae have promising applications in wastewater treatment because of their ability to use inorganic compounds such as nitrates and phosphates as nutrients for their growth. Microalgae are applied to the secondary and tertiary bio-treatment with two benefits: i) pollutants removal from wastewater; ii) production of microalgal biomass, that can be exploited as a source of biomass and biomolecules. In the present work, four different microalgal strains (two from culture collections and two isolated from Sicilian littoral) were tested in municipal sewage bioremediation. The sewage of a municipal plant, already processed with primary treatment, was used for the cultivation of micro…

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SEDIMENT RESUSPENSION IN MECHANICALLY STIRRED VESSEL

Modelling and bench scale investigation of inclined dense jets

Simplified Modeling of Radiant Fields in Heterogeneous Photoreactors. 2. Limiting “Two-Flux” Model for the Case of Reflectance Greater Than Zero

In the first part of this work a simple model for the description of the radiant field in heterogeneous photoreactors was developed, based on the assumption of zero reflectance of the particles. In this second part of the investigation a limiting model is developed in which the above hypothesis is removed. In this last model, scattering phenomena are dealt with in a very simple “two-flux” way, so that analytical solutions are obtained again. The case here developed is the same as in part 1, namely slab geometry with orthogonal parallel irradiation, giving special reference to the important case of semi-infinite reactor thickness. Both cases of solid catalysts with single particle size and w…

On the measurement of bubble size distribution in gas–liquid contactors via light sheet and image analysis

Abstract Particle image velocimetry techniques coupled with advanced image processing tools are receiving an increasing interest for measuring flow quantities and local bubble-size distributions in gas–liquid mechanically agitated vessels. When trying to analyze image information the problem arises that bubble sizes are generally underestimated, due to the fact that the laser sheet used for lighting the system randomly cuts bubbles over non-diametrical planes, leading to an apparent bubble size distribution even in the ideal case of single sized bubbles. Clearly in the case of bubbles with a size distribution the experimental information obtained is affected by the superposition of effects.…

Experimental study of the pyrolysis of waste bitumen for oil production

Abstract This work focuses on bitumen slow pyrolysis. Mass and energy yields of oil, solid and gas were obtained from pyrolysis experiments using a semi-batch reactor in a nitrogen atmosphere, under three non-isothermal conditions (maximum temperature: 450 °C, 500 °C and 550 °C). The effect of temperature on the product yields was discussed. The gas compositions were analysed using gas chromatography (GC) and the heating value of oil and solid residue was also measured. Using a thermo-gravimetric analyser, kinetic parameters were evaluated through Ozawa-Flynn-Wall (OFW) method. Results showed that oil yield is maximum at 500 °C (50%). Moreover, gas yield increased with increasing pyrolysis …

MISURA DELLA CONCENTRAZIONE DI SOLIDI PARTICELLARI IN SISTEMI SOLIDO-LIQUIDO AGITATI MEDIANTE LASER PULSATO E ANALISI DI IMMAGINI

On the Reduction of Power Consumption in Vortexing Unbaffled Bioslurry Reactors

Bioremediation of polluted soils via bioslurry reactors is an interesting option among those available nowadays, especially when recalcitrant pollutants are present. Vortexing unbaffled stirred tanks may be a valuable choice to this purpose as they were recently found to be more efficient than baffled vessels for solid suspension processes where mixing time is not a controlling factor. When operated at sufficiently high agitation speeds, the central vortex bottom reaches the impeller and air bubbles start to be distributed throughout the system, thus avoiding any sparger and related clogging issues. In the present work, a vortexing unbaffled stirred tank with solid loadings ranging from 2.5…

Computational modelling of flow and turbulence in submerged dense jets

Residence time distribution of solid particles in a continuous, high-aspect-ratio multiple-impeller stirred vessel

Abstract In this paper experimental information on the retention time distribution (RTD) of solid particles in a high-aspect-ratio vessel, stirred by three equally spaced Rushton turbines, is presented. The relevant data were obtained by a special technique named twin system approach (TSA) that greatly simplifies the handling of particle-laden streams and is therefore particularly suited for investigating particle RTD in flow systems. The technique fundamentals are first summarized, together with the data analysis procedure. This lastly requires a numerical deconvolution operation that is easily performed with the help of Z -transforms. Two different approaches for excluding the spurious co…

MIXING TIME IN UNBAFFLED STIRRED TANKS

Unbaffled stirred tanks, despite their poorer mixing performance with respect to baffled vessels, are gaining a growing industrial interest as they provide significant advantages in selected applications, including a number of biochemical, food and pharmaceutical processes. There still is however a general lack of information on their mixing performance, that needs to be addressed in order to fully exploit their application potential. The present work is aimed at providing experimental information on mixing rates in an unbaffled vessel operated without top-cover (Uncovered Unbaffled Stirred Tank, UUST). The planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique was adopted for measuring the dis…

CFD simulation of heavy pollutants in urban areas: the case study of Messina.

Special Issue: 12th European Conference on Mixing

POWER CONSUMPTION IN UNBAFFLED TANKS: SUB AND SUPER-CRITICAL REGIMES

Unbaffled stirred tanks are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to common baffled tanks for a range of processes (e.g. crystallization, food and pharmaceutical processes, etc) where the presence of baffles is undesirable for some reason. Also, in the case of bioreactors for animal cell cultivation, where cell damage is mainly related to bubbles bursts at the air –liquid interface, unbaffled tanks have been shown to be able to provide sufficient mass transfer through the free surface vortex. As a consequence bubble formation and subsequent bursting is conveniently avoided (Scargiali et al., 2012). The same feature clearly makes unbaffled vessels potentially advantageous for any f…

Biological and chemical characterization of new isolated halophilic microorganisms from saltern ponds of Trapani, Sicily

Abstract Halophilic microorganisms inhabiting hypersaline environments such as salt lakes, Dead Sea, or salt evaporation ponds, have acquired specific cell adaptation to grow within stressful conditions. In this study, we isolated heterotrophic and autotrophic microorganisms from several saltern ponds located at the Natural Reserve “Saline di Trapani e Paceco”, Sicily, Italy. The aim of the study was to investigate the biotechnological potential of new microbial strains from saltern ponds, by capturing their biological and chemical diversity. After the isolation and identification of the sampled strains, their growth capacity was determined under low and high salinity conditions. The metabo…

CFD simulation of dense plumes in an atmospheric wind tunnel

Top-covered unbaffled stirred tanks: experiments and numerical simulations

In this work computational fluid dynamics was employed to predict the flow field of an unbaffled stirred tank from steady to turbulent conditions

Combined effect of nutrient and flashing light frequency for a biochemical composition shift in Nannochloropsis gaditana grown in a quasi-isoactinic reactor

Artificial lighting may be an interesting opportunity for the cultivation of microalgae as an alternative to natural sunlight. In particular, light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be employed to tailor the lighting to the microalgal culture in a controlled mode in order to create flashing light. In order to establish the effect of the flashing frequency on growth and biochemical composition of a model microalga, a quasi-isoactinic reactor, in which the light distribution is almost homogeneous, was set up. In this work, it was employed for the cultivation of the heterokont Nannochloropsis gaditana in two growth media with limiting and nonlimiting nutrients. The combined effect of nutrient concent…

MODELLING OF THE GROWTH OF NANNOCHLOROPSIS GADITANA IN DIFFERENT REACTOR GEOMETRIES, EXPERIMENTAL KINETIC PARAMETERS FROM BATCH CULTURES AND BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE OBTAINED BIOMASS

Microalgae are unicellular and photosynthetic microorganisms that grow using inorganic salts, CO2 and light, and are applied in numerous industrial sectors due to their variety and properties. Due to the lack of information on how microalgae respond to external inputs and to the different environments in which they grow, today the industrial application is not exploited as it should. It is therefore necessary to create models that allow to predict microalgal growth in different photobioreactors to improve our knowledge, still poorly investigated. In this work the Monod equation for the specific growth rate was combined with the Lambert-Beer law for the non-homogeneous light distribution in …

Free turbulence effects on bubble terminal velocity

Simplified Modeling of Radiant Fields in Heterogeneous Photoreactors. 1. Case of Zero Reflectance

A strongly simplified model is proposed for the estimation of the radiant flow field, and related quantities such as the local volumetric rate of energy absorption, in heterogeneous photoreactors. The model is based on the assumption that a photon carrying energy greater than that of the catalyst band gap, when interacting with a catalyst particle, is invariably absorbed. The model equations allow, for simple geometries, analytical integral solutions to be obtained. These have the advantage of giving an immediate grasp on how the main physical parameters affect the radiation field:  an important feature especially for engineering purposes. The case developed here is that of a plane slab, fo…

An Ion Exchange Membrane Crystallisation reactor for Magnesium recovery from brines

CrIEM technology is a novel ion exchange application that allows reactive crystallization for separation of valuable species (e.g. Mg from brines) with a large flexibility in the choice of reactants.

The absorption of light energy in flat fluidized photoreactors

Abstract A flat fluidized bed with transparent walls is an ideal reactor for gas-solid photocatalytic or photoassisted reactions. This paper presents the relati

Mass transfer and hydrodinamic characteristics of a high aspect ratio self-ingesting reactor for gas-liquid operations

Abstract The mass transfer performance of a gas–liquid self-ingesting stirred reactor is reported both for coalescing and non-coalescing systems. The vessel features are a high aspect ratio and a rather narrow multiple-impeller draft tube, through which the gas phase is ingested and led down to the vessel bottom, where it is finely dispersed into the liquid rising in the annular portion of the vessel. Comparison is made between k L a values determined by several variants of the dynamic method, among which pure oxygen absorption in a previously de-gassed liquid phase. Results show that the gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient values obtained with the last approach are remarkably larger than …

Vacuum air-lift bioreactor for microalgae production

Microalgae production is receiving an increasing interest both by research institutions and commercial companies (Di Caprio et al., 2016). This is due to the growing consciousness of the need to move towards renewable, sustainable feedstoks for commodities production (Wang et al., 2012). However, process development at industrial scale, either based on open or closed photobioreactors, still is in a rather early stage and there is room for further development (Morweiser et al., 2010), especially aimed at reducing process costs. In this work an innovative low-cost technology for microalgae production, currently under development at Palermo University, is described. The main ways through which…

Direct numerical simulations of creeping to early turbulent flow in unbaffled and baffled stirred tanks

Abstract It has been known for a long time that the fluid flow and several global quantities, such as the power and pumping numbers, are about the same in baffled and unbaffled mechanically stirred vessels at low Reynolds numbers, but bifurcate at some intermediate Re and take drastically different values in fully turbulent flow. However, several details are not yet completely understood, notably concerning the relation of this bifurcation with the flow features and the transition to turbulence. In order to shed light on these issues, computational fluid dynamics was employed to predict the flow field in two vessels stirred by a six-bladed Rushton turbine at Reynolds numbers from 0.2 to 600…

An experimental study of double-to-single-loop transition in stirred vessels

The velocity characteristics of the flows in a fully baffled vessel of diameter T = 290 mm stirred by a Rushton impeller of diameter D = T/3 were investigated by means of laser-Doppler anemometry measurements. The effects of clearance and rotational speed on the flow patterns in the vessel were studied. It was found that at impeller clearances from the bottom of the vessel (C) around 0.2 T the characteristic double-loop flow pattern undergoes a transition to a single-loop one with the impeller stream direction becoming partly axial and being inclined at around 25 to 30° to the horizontal. The impeller stream inclination varied with radial distance from the impeller, as well as with angular …

Vortex shape in unbaffled stirred vessels: experimental study via digital image analysis

There is a growing interest in using unbaffled stirred tanks for addressing certain processing needs. In this work, digital image analysis coupled with a suitable shadowgraphy-based technique is used to investigate the shape of the free-surface vortex that forms in uncovered unbaffled stirred tanks. The technique is based on back-lighting the vessel and suitably averaging vortex shape over time. Impeller clearance from vessel bottom and tank filling level are varied to investigate their influence on vortex shape. A correlation is finally proposed to fully describe vortex shape also when the vortex encompasses the impeller.

Axial dispersion model for solid flow in liquid suspension in system of two mixers in total recycle

The measurement of residence time distribution of solid particles in solid-liquid suspension is experimentally difficult. However, the twin system approach is particularly suited for the assessment of particle RTD in flow systems as it allows overcoming some of the usual difficulties generally encountered in this kind of measurement. Twin system consists of two vessels and external piping in total recycle. Experimental results from this system can be evaluated using Z-transforms to derive particle RTD for subsequent testing of alternative flow models. Recently, the axial dispersion model was applied using the "advection diffusion equation" (sometimes called the"diffusion with bulk flow equa…

CFD Simulation of Particle Distribution in a Multiple-impeller High-Aspect-Ratio Stirred Vessel

Publisher Summary This chapter describes fully predictive simulations of solid–liquid suspensions in a high-aspect-ratio, multiple-impeller stirred tank. These are performed by using the Inner Outer impeller modeling technique coupled with the Multi Fluid Model (MFM) for the treatment of the dispersed phase. The strongly simplified Settling Velocity Model (SVM) is also tested. The effects of free-stream turbulence on the drag coefficient CD and particle settling velocity are accounted for by means of a recently proposed correlation. Comparison of simulation results with experimental particle concentration profiles shows that the MFM approach leads to fair agreement with experimental data. R…

Complete Numerical Simulation of Flow Fields in Baffled Stirred Vessels: The Inner-Outer Approach

Particle Distribution in an Unbaffled Stirred Vessel by a Novel laser Sheet Image Analysis Technique

The availability of experimental information on solid distribution inside stirred tanks is a topic of great importance in several industrial applications. The measurement of solid particle distribution in turbulent multiphase flow is not simple and the development of suitable measurement techniques is still in progress. In this work a novel non-invasive technique for measuring particle concentration fields in solid-liquid systems is presented and employed. The technique makes use of a laser sheet, a high sensitivity digital camera for image acquisition and a Matlab procedure for post-processing the acquired images. Experimental data are here obtained for the case of an unbaffled stirred tan…

Numerical simulations of the dependency of flow pattern on impeller clearance in stirred vessels

The flow and turbulence fields in a fully baffled vessel stirred by a Rushton turbine have been simulated by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The simulation techniques adopted (the "Sliding-grid" and "Inner-outer" methods) are fully predictive and require no experimental data as boundary or initial conditions. The effect of clearance (C) on the flow patterns in stirred vessels was simulated as the flow field transition observed can be considered a particularly stringent benchmark for the testing of CFD techniques. The results are compared with previously obtained LDA data and show that the double- to single-loop transition experimentally observed when impeller clearan…

Simplified dynamic pressure method for kLa measurement in aerated bioreactors

Abstract A simplified version of the dynamic pressure method for measuring mass-transfer coefficients in gas–liquid systems is proposed. With this method oxygen concentration in the liquid phase is monitored after a sudden change of total pressure is applied to the system. With respect to the original technique introduced by Linek [14] the simplified version here proposed greatly simplifies the data treatment, yet resulting in good accuracy for most practical purposes. In practice, with the help of a simple mathematical model, it is found that the dynamic oxygen concentration response, when plotted as residual driving force versus time in a semi-log diagram, should be expected to finally se…

Experiments and predictions of the transition of the flow pattern with impeller clearance in stirred tanks

In the present work, the double- to single-loop flow pattern transition in a stirred vessel equipped with a Rushton turbine is investigated by Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA). In particular, the clearance at which such transition occurs is assessed by comparing axial velocity profiles underneath the impeller. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the same system are carried out, by employing the 'inner-outer' fully predictive computation strategy. The comparison of predicted results with the experimental data collected shows that the transition is well reproduced by simulations. A good agreement on the mean velocities is also observed but for the impeller discharge stream angle t…

The Six Flux Model for the modelling of radiant fields in heterogeneous photoreactors

GRICU2019 special issue section preface

Particle suspension in top-covered unbaffled tanks

Abstract Unbaffled stirred tanks are seldom employed in the process industry as they are considered poorer mixers than baffled vessels. However, they may be expected to provide significant advantages in a wide range of applications (e.g. crystallization, food and pharmaceutical processes, etc.), where the presence of baffles is often undesirable. In the present work solid–liquid suspension in an unbaffled stirred tank is investigated. The tank was equipped with a top-cover in order to avoid vortex formation. A novel experimental method (the “steady cone radius method”, SCRM) is proposed to determine experimentally the minimum impeller speed at which solids are completely suspended. Experime…

Experiments and CFD Predictions of Solid Particle Distribution in a Vessel Agitated with Four Pitched Blade Turbines

The distribution of solid particles in a high aspect-ratio baffled tank agitated with four 45° pitched blade turbines (PBT) was investigated using both experimental measurements and CFD simulations. Dilute suspensions of glass beads in water and moderately viscous liquids were considered. The measurement of axial particle concentration profiles was conducted by means of a light attenuation technique. Fully predictive simulations of solid-liquid suspensions were performed using a Sliding-Grid approach coupled with the Eulerian-Eulerian Two Fluid Model and the ‘homogeneous’ two-phase k-ɛ turbulence model. The simulated particle axial concentration profiles were compared with the experimental …

Two Dimensional (2-D) Modeling of a Flat Plate Photocatalytic Reactor for Oxidation of Indoor Air Pollutants

In this paper we present a two-dimensional (2-D) analysis of a narrow-slit, flat-plate, single-pass, flow-through photocatalytic reactor for air purification. The continuity equation for convection and diffusion in two dimensions, under un-steady-state conditions, was coupled with radiation field modeling and photocatalytic reaction kinetics to model the transient and steady-state behavior of the reactor. The model was applied to the photocatalytic oxidation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in humidified air streams under different experimental conditions. The kinetic parameters determined by a three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamics model of the reactor were used in the 2-D model si…

Power Consumption in Uncovered Unbaffled Stirred Tanks: Influence of the Viscosity and Flow Regime

Notwithstanding the increasing industrial interest toward unbaffled tanks, available experimental information on their behavior is still scant, even for basic quantities such as the mechanical power drawn. In this work, the influence of the Reynolds and Froude numbers on the power consumption characteristics is presented for unbaffled stirred tanks operating both in nonaerated conditions (subcritical regime) and in aerated conditions (supercritical regime), i.e., when the free surface vortex has reached the impeller and the gas phase is ingested and dispersed inside the reactor. Experimental results obtained at various liquid viscosities show that power numbers obtained in subcritical condi…

Computational modelling of submerged dense jets

Heavy gas dispersion modelling by means of computational fluid dynamics

On the measurement of local gas hold-up and interfacial area in gas–liquid contactors via light sheet and image analysis

Abstract Particle image velocimetry techniques coupled with advanced image processing tools are receiving an increasing interest for measuring flow quantities and local bubble-size distributions in gas–liquid contactors. Aim of this work is that of providing a numerical procedure able to reconstruct local gas hold-up and specific interfacial area from images obtained by laser sheet illumination. A correction for measured quantities accounting for laser sheet thickness is proposed and tested by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The algorithms proposed are robust and independent of any measured parameters of the actual bubble size distribution.

Oxygen transfer performance of unbaffled stirred vessels in view of their use as biochemical reactors for animal cell growth

Cultivation of microorganisms, plants or animal cells requires liquid agitation in order to ensure oxygen and nutrient transfer and to maintain cell suspension. However, In such suspensions both mechanical agitation and sparging aeration can cause cell death. Many studies on animal cell damage due to mechanical agitation and sparging aeration have shown that mechanical damage of freely suspended animal cells is in most cases associated with bursting bubbles at the air–liquid interface (Barrett et al., 2010, Nienow et al., 1996). Gas bubbles are usually generated by direct air sparging to propagate oxygen in a culture suspension. Mechanical agitation may also introduce gas bubbles to the cul…

Gas-liquid-solid Operation of a High Aspect Ratio Self-ingesting Reactor

Gas-liquid stirred vessels are widely employed to carry out chemical reactions involving a gas reagent and a liquid phase. The usual way for introducing the gas stream into the liquid phase is through suitable distributors placed below the impeller. An interesting alternative is that of using “self ingesting” vessels where the headspace gas phase is injected and dispersed into the vessel through suitable surface vortices. In this work the performance of a Long Draft Tube Self-ingesting Reactor (LDTSR) dealing with three-phase (gas-liquid-solid) systems, is investigated. Preliminary experimental results on the effectiveness of this contactor for particle suspension and gas-liquid mass transf…

Studio di cinetiche di reazione in un reattore fotocatalitico quasi-isoattinico

Oscillation dynamics of free vortex surface in uncovered unbaffled stirred vessels

Abstract The main feature of unbaffled stirred tanks is the highly swirling liquid motion, which leads to the formation of a central vortex on the liquid free surface, when the vessel is operated without top-cover (Uncovered Unbaffled Stirred Tanks, UUST). One of the main drawbacks of such vessels, that limits their industrial applicability, is the possible onset of low-frequency sloshing of the free surface. In this work, original data on oscillation dynamics in UUST are presented. In particular, data focus on the oscillation amplitude as well as on their frequency. Data were obtained by means of a novel experimental technique based on digital image analysis. The effect of impeller geometr…

ON THE PERFORMANC E OF A TAYLOR-COUETTE REACTOR FOR NANO-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION

CFD simulation of a parallel-competitive reaction scheme in an unbaffled vessel

CFD Simulation of Particle Suspension Height in Stirred Vessels

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation capabilities for stirred solid–liquid dense systems are explored. These systems may give rise to the formation of a thick and well defined clear liquid layer in the upper part of the vessel, whose extension progressively reduces with increasing impeller speed. Experimental measurements of the suspension height (the height of the particle laden layer) were carried out at various agitation speeds for a variety of solid–liquid systems in a fully baffled transparent tank. A clear layer of liquid was actually observed in all runs, with the suspension height almost linearly dependent on agitation speed. CFD simulations of the above described systems w…

On the measurement of local gas hold-up, interfacial area and bubble size distribution in gas–liquid contactors via light sheet and image analysis: Imaging technique and experimental results

Abstract In this work a novel experimental technique for measuring local gas hold-up, interfacial area and bubble size distribution, in gas–liquid systems is proposed. The technique is based on advanced Image Processing coupled with experimental set-ups typically available for Particle Image Velocimetry. A fluorescent dye dissolved in the liquid phase allows to identify in-plane bubbles among all visible bubbles in the images. To this end, a suitable algorithm is proposed. The raw data so obtained are processed by previously developed statistical methods that result in a reliable reconstruction of actual dispersion properties. The technique is applied to the case of a gas-dispersed mechanic…

Influence of drag and turbulence modelling on CFD predictions of solid liquid suspensions in stirred vessels

Abstract Suspensions of solid particles into liquids within industrial stirred tanks are frequently carried out at an impeller speed lower than the minimum required for complete suspension conditions. This choice allows power savings which usually overcome the drawback of a smaller particle-liquid interfacial area. Despite this attractive economical perspective, only limited attention has been paid so far to the modelling of the partial suspension regime. In the present work two different baffled tanks stirred by Rushton turbines were simulated by employing the Eulerian-Eulerian Multi Fluid Model (MFM) along with either the Sliding Grid algorithm (transient simulations) or the Multiple Refe…

Comparison of Agitators Performance for Particle Suspension in Top-Covered Unbaffled Vessels

Power savings is a problem of crucial importance nowadays. In process industry, suspension of solid particles into liquids is usually obtained by employing stirred tanks, which often are very power demanding. Notwithstanding tanks provided with baffles are traditionally adopted for this task, recent studies have shown that power reductions can be obtained in top-covered unbaffled vessels. In the present work experiments were carried out in a top-covered unbaffled vessel with a diameter T=0.19m and filled with distilled water and silica particles. Two different turbines were tested: a standard six-bladed Rushton Turbine (RT) and a 45° four bladed Pitched Blade Turbine (PBT). For the case of …

On the Performance of A Long Draft Tube Self-Ingesting Reactor for Gas-Liquid Operations

A novel self-inducing reactor, is presented. Its main features are a high aspect-ratio and a fairly narrow multiple-impeller draft tube, through which the gas phase is ingested and drowned down to the vessel bottom, where it is dispersed into the rising liquid. Preliminary experimental results on the apparatus performance are presented.

Bench-scale investigation of inclined dense jets

In this work experimental data on the geometry of dense inclined jets issuing in a lab-scale glass rectangular tank are presented. The surrounding fluid was always tap water at room temperature while the dense jets were water solutions of NaCl. Four parameters were changed in the experiments, namely nozzle diameter and inclination, and jet density and flow rate. Jet trajectories were revealed by a colored tracer. Images of the jet were recorded by a digital camera and then further digitally processed, eventually resulting in a time-averaged tracer intensity field. All the jet geometrical parameters, once normalized, were found to be very well correlated to the densimetric Froude number. Mod…

CFD simulations of early- to fully-turbulent conditions in unbaffled and baffled vessels stirred by a Rushton turbine

Abstract Laboratory scale unbaffled tanks provided with a top cover and a baffled tank both stirred by a Rushton turbine were simulated by carrying out RANS simulations. Three different turbulence models were adopted (k- ω SST, k- e and the SSG Reynolds stress model) to predict the flow field and the relevant performance parameters (power and pumping numbers) of the tank operated from early to fully turbulent conditions. CFD results were compared with literature experimental data and DNS simulation results to validate and properly compare the models. In the range of Reynolds numbers investigated, results showed that, for the unbaffled tank, the SSG model based on Reynolds stresses is a bett…

AN INITIAL STUDY INTO THE ENERGETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SEVERAL VEGETATIVE SPECIES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MAQUIS

Recent years have seen an ever increasing interest in renewable energy resources. The use of these renewable resources plays a key role in the reduction of greenhouse gases and in guaranteeing a supply of energy for the future. A promising alternative to fossil fuels are lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks; a widely available, versatile source of energy able to substitute fossil fuels in many ways. The continuing growth of the Biomass sector is leading to a flurry of research into new plant species with good calorific properties and combustion persistence. It would seem that a large number of native Mediterranean maquis shrubs, once used by the local populations for heating and cooking, (car…

Oxygen Transfer Performances of Unbaffled Bio_Reactors with Various Aspect Ratios

Cultivation of microorganisms, plants or animal cells requires liquid agitation in order to ensure oxygen and nutrient transfer and to maintain cell suspension. Many studies on animal cell damage due to mechanical agitation and sparging aeration have shown that mechanical damage of freely suspended animal cells is in most cases associated with bursting bubbles at the air–liquid interface (Barrett et al., 2010). Gas bubbles are usually generated by direct air sparging aimed at supplying oxygen to the culture medium. Mechanical agitation may also introduce gas bubbles in the culture medium via vortexing entrainment from the free surface. In this work oxygen transfer performance of an unbaffle…

Dense solid–liquid off-bottom suspension dynamics: Simulation and experiment

Dense solid–liquid off-bottom suspension inside a baffled mechanically stirred tank equipped with a standard Rushton turbine is investigated. Dynamic evolution of the suspension from start-up to steady-state conditions has been determined by both visual experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFDs). A classical Eulerian–Eulerian multifluid model (MFM) along with the “homogeneous” k–ε turbulence model is adopted to simulate suspension dynamics. In these systems the drag inter-phase force affects both solids suspension and distribution. Therefore, different computational approaches are tested in order to compute this term. Simulation results are compared with images obtained from the re…

CFD simulations of the clear liquid layer formation in dense solid-liquid suspension

Modelling of light transmittance and reflectance in flat fluidized photoreactors

In recent years several photon induced chemical reactions involving the use of a solid catalyst have been studied. Flat fluidized beds have proved to be promising devices for carrying out these photocatalytic reactions. There is therefore a need for the modelling of light interactions within such kinds of photoreactors. In this paper, a phenomenological model is proposed for simulating the light transmission and reflection in flat fluidized gas-solid photoreactors. A detailed description of the model is presented. The model predictions were compared with experimental data and a satisfactory agreement was found. Correlations were also suggested for the estimation of model parameters. Depuis …

Unbaffled, Stirred Bioreactors for Animal Cell Cultivation

One of the main features of animal cell bioreactors is that the cultured cells lack a strong membrane and are therefore more prone to shear damage. It is widely accepted that animal cell damage in aerated bioreactors is mainly related to burst bubbles at the air–liquid interface. A viable alternative to sparged bioreactors, aimed at minimizing cell damage, may be represented by uncovered, unbaffled, stirred tanks, which are able to provide sufficient mass transfer through the deep free surface vortex that takes place under agitation. As a consequence the need for bubble formation and subsequent bursting accompanied by cell damage is conveniently avoided. In this chapter, mass transfer perfo…

A Six Flux Model for the estimation of radiant fields in flat heterogeneous photoreactors

Assessment of particle suspension conditions in stirred vessels by means of pressure gauge technique

In this work the quantitative assessment of the mass of suspended solid particles in stirred vessels is performed using the Pressure Gauge Technique. This is based on the measurements of the pressure increase on the tank bottom due to the presence of suspended solid particles at any agitation speed. The method has the advantages of not utilising visual observations and of easy and inexpensive application to both laboratory and industrial equipment. Very few data are available in literature and the experimental results collected using the present PGT technique and the correlations here proposed are of considerable academic and industrial interest.

Bubble formation at single nozzles

A mathematical tool for describing the behaviour of a dense effluent discharge

In many cases a dense effluent has to be discharged in the environment with possible harmful consequences. The preferred design for the relevant discharge unit is that of a simple or multi-port diffuser issuing jets at a given inclination above the horizontal. This work presents the follow-on developments of a model previously proposed to predict the behaviour of inclined dense jets issuing in a stagnant environment. It consists of a set of three ordinary differential equations that can be solved by standard numerical methods. Model outputs include information on the trajectory, spreading and dilution of inclined dense jets, return point position and concentration. Interestingly the model a…

Reflection-refraction effects on light distribution inside tubular photobioreactors

One of the main parameters affecting autotrophic algae cultures is photon absorption distribution inside the photobioreactor. This clearly depends on the geometry of both the radiation source and the photobioreactor, as well as on algae suspension optical properties. In this work the local volumetric rate of photon absorption LVRPA in a cross-section of a horizontal-pipe photobioreactor was investigated by means of simplified Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, the fate of a number of photons perpendicularly hitting the photobioreactor circular section was simulated in relation to different values of algae concentration. The model takes into account refraction/reflection phenomena at th…

Mass transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics of a Long Draft Tube Self-ingesting Reactor (LDTSR) for gas-liquid-solid operations

Gas-liquid stirred vessels are widely employed to carry out chemical reactions involving a gas reagent and a liquid phase. The usual way for introducing the gas stream into the liquid phase is through suitable distributors placed below the impeller. An interesting alternative is that of using “self ingesting” vessels where the headspace gas phase is injected and dispersed into the vessel through suitable surface vortices. In this work the performance of a Long Draft Tube Self-ingesting Reactor dealing with gas-liquid-solid systems, is investigated. Preliminary experimental results on the effectiveness of this contactor for particle suspension and gas-liquid mass transfer performance in pres…

Modelling and simulation of gas-liquid hydrodynamics in mechnically stirred tanks

Abstract Computational fuid dynamics (CFD) is an increasingly important tool for carrying out realistic simulations of process equipment. In the case of multiphase systems the development of CFD models is less advanced than for single-phase systems. In the present work CFD simulations of gas–liquid stirred tanks are reported. An Eulerian–Eulerian multi-fluid approach is used in conjunction with the simplest two-phase extension of the k–ɛ turbulence model. All bubbles are assumed to share the same size. The effect of inter-phase forces on simulation results is separately considered. As concerns drag, it is shown that the sole parameter needed to characterize the dispersed phase behaviour is …

Bubble formation at variously inclined nozzles

Bubble formation at variously inclined submerged nozzles, fed with a continuous gas flow rate, is investigated. Results confirm previous findings, such as a substantial independence of bubble size of nozzle diameter and its dependence on the cubic root of gas flow rate at sufficiently high values of this parameter. Nozzle inclination in the range between 0 and 135° from the vertical upward orientation is found to have a negligible effect on bubble size. Observed bubble rise velocities lead to an estimation of the average liquid velocity induced by bubbles motion, leading in turn to a very simple correlation for the estimation of the liquid velocities induced by the repeated passage of bubbl…

Modeling of an annular photocatalytic reactor for water purification: oxidation of pesticides.

Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) over titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a “green” sustainable process for the treatment and purification of water and wastewater. However, the application of PCO for wastewater treatment on an industrial scale is currently hindered by a lack of simple mathematical models that can be readily applied to reactor design. Current models are either too simplistic or too rigorous to be useful in photocatalytic reactor design, scale-up, and optimization. In this paper a simple mathematical model is presented for slurry, annular, photocatalytic reactors that still retains the essential elements of a rigorous approach while providing simple solutions. The model extends the appl…

Solid–Liquid Suspensions in Top-Covered Unbaffled Vessels: Influence of Particle Size, Liquid Viscosity, Impeller Size, and Clearance

Particle suspension in liquids is a unit operation commonly encountered in the process industry. Although it is usually carried out in baffled stirred tanks, there are some specific applications where the presence of baffles may be undesirable. In the present work solid-liquid suspensions are investigated in a radially stirred unbaffled tank provided with a top cover. The minimum impeller speed at which all solid particles get suspended (Njs) and the relevant power requirements (Pjs) are assessed. The dependence of these two parameters on physical properties (liquid viscosity, particle concentration, and size) and system geometrical configurations (impeller diameter and clearance) is invest…

Scale-up and viscosity effects on gas–liquid mass transfer rates in unbaffled stirred tanks

Abstract The interest in the process industry on unbaffled stirred tanks has greatly expanded in the last years because they may bring about significant advantages in a number of applications, including biochemical, food and pharmaceutical processes where the presence of baffles is undesirable for several reasons. Despite their application potential, unbaffled vessels still lack fundamental information, due to the fact that only recently their capabilities have started being dug out. The lack of information on scale up effects is possibly the main reason hindering practical applications. In this work the influence of vessel size and liquid viscosity on the mass transfer performance in unbaf…

CFD Simulation of Particle Distribution in Stirred Vessels

In this work the particle concentration distribution in two-phase stirred tanks is simulated on the basis of information on the three-dimensional flow field, as obtained by numerical solution of the flow equations (CFD) using the well known k –ɛ « turbulence model. Two modelling approaches are attempted. In the simpler method the flow field is first simulated neglecting the influence of the solid phase; on the basis of the resulting flow field a very simple sedimentation model is employed for solving the solids mass balance equations in order to compute the particle concentration field. In this case no inertial effects on the solid particles are considered, so that the convective and diffus…

Dimensionless Analysis Of Slurry Photocatalytic Reactors Using Two-Flux And Six-Flux Radiation Absorption-Scattering Models

Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) over titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a "green" sustainable process for the treatment and purification of water and wastewater. However,the application of PCO for wastewater treatment on an industrial scale is currently hindered by a lack of simple mathematical models that can be readily applied to reactor design. Current models are either too simplistic or too rigorous to be useful in photocatalytic reactor design, scale-up, and optimization. In this paper a simple mathematical model is presented for slurry, annular, photocatalytic reactors that still retains the essential elements of a rigorous approach while providing simple solutions. The model extends the appli…

CFD simulation of a mixing-sensitive reaction in unbaffled vessels

Stirred tanks are widely used in the process industry, often to carry out complex chemical reactions. In many of such cases the perfect mixing hypothesis is not applicable for modelling purposes, and more detailed modelling approaches are required in order to accurately describe the reactor behaviour. In this work a fully predictive modelling approach, based on Computational Fluid Dynamics, is developed. Model predictions are compared with original experimental data obtained in un unbaffled stirred vessel with a parallel-competitive, mixing sensitive reaction scheme. Notably, satisfactory results are obtained at all injection rates with no recourse to micro-mixing model, thus confirming the…

Modelling Nannochloropsis gaditana Growth in Reactors with Different Geometries, Determination of Kinetic Parameters and Biochemical Analysis in Response to Light Intensity

Microalgae are unicellular and photosynthetic microorganisms which grow thanks to inorganic salts, CO2 and light, and find applications in several fields thanks to their variety. The industrial application of microalgae has not often been fully exploited because of a lack of information about how microalgae respond to inputs and to different growth environments. In the present work a model able to predict the microalgae growth in reactors with different geometries was developed. We combined a Monod-like model for the specific growth rate with the Lambert-Beer law of homogeneous light distribution in thick photobioreactors. Kinetic parameters related to the cultivation of the microalga Nanno…

Particle drag coefficients in turbulent fluids

Abstract An accurate estimation of particle settling velocities, and/or of particle drag coefficients, is required for modelling purposes in many industrially important multiphase processes involving the suspension of millimetre and sub-millimetre size particles in a liquid phase. It is known that the settling velocity of particles in a turbulent fluid may be significantly different from that in the still fluid, depending on turbulence and particle characteristics. Despite the wide range of processes that would benefit from a thorough understanding of this phenomenon, experimental data and reliable correlations are still lacking in the scientific literature, especially for the case of the a…

Reattore per la precipitazione di micro e nano-particelle

Gas-liquid mass transfer rates in unbaffled tanks stirred by PBT: scale-up effects and pumping direction

Abstract Unbaffled stirred tanks are increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to common baffled tanks for a range of applications such as biochemical, food or pharmaceutical processes where the presence of baffles is undesirable for some reason. In this work, the mass transfer performance of unbaffled stirred tanks with pitched blade turbine, operating either in up-pumping or down-pumping mode, was investigated. The influence of impeller size and liquid viscosity were also investigated. The mass transfer intensity was measured by means of the Simplified Dynamic Pressure. Method The measurements concerned both coalescent and non-coalescent (viscous) batches. Results confirm that incre…

Numerical prediction of flow fields in baffled stirred vessels: A comparison of alternative modelling approaches

Abstract Numerical simulations of the flow field in baffled mixing tanks, based on three alternative methods, are presented and discussed. In the first method, the impeller is not explicitly simulated, and its effects are modelled by imposing suitable, empirically derived, boundary conditions to the external flow. In the second method, the whole vessel volume is divided into two concentric, partially overlapping, regions. In the inner region, containing the impeller, the flow field is simulated in the rotating reference frame of the latter, while in the outer region simulations are conducted in the reference frame of the laboratory. Information is iteratively exchanged between the two regio…

Slow pyrolysis of an LDPE/PP mixture: Kinetics and process performance

Abstract High- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) are the most common polymers among plastic waste as they have multiple commercial applications. This study focused on thermal degradation characteristics and kinetic of a plastic mixture with a composition of 92.5 wt% LDPE and 7.5% PP. Thermal decomposition characteristics of the plastic mixture was analysed through thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The overall kinetic of the process was studied using the modified Coats−Redfern method and the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall (OFW) method. The apparent activation energy (E) and pre-exponential factor (A) obtained were 316.0 kJ/mol; 8.09E+21 min−1 and 311.5 kJ/mol; 4.35E+21 m…

Particle image velocimetry in a gas-sparged stirred tank

Modelling Turbulent Inter-Phase Drag in Mechanically Stirred Solid-Liquid Suspensions

REATTORE E PROCEDIMENTO PER EFFETTUARE REAZIONI SELETTIVE

La presente invenzione riguarda un reattore e un procedimento per eseguire processi di cristallizzazione reattiva con elevata selettività, consentendo di evitare la miscelazione diretta tra le due soluzioni contenenti i reagenti della reazione e di minimizzare l’effetto di reazioni secondarie indesiderate. Per brevità, nel testo seguente tale reattore e procedimento verrà indicato con l’acronimo CrIEM (Crystalliser with Ion Exchange Membrane).

Influence of Viscosity on Mass Transfer Performance of Unbaffled Stirred Vessels

Unbaffled stirred tanks are seldom employed in the process industry as they are considered poorer mixers than baffled vessels. However they may be expected to provide significant advantages in a wide range of applications (e.g. crystallization, food and pharmaceutical processes, etc) where the presence of baffles is often undesirable. Moreover, in plants or animal cell cultivation bioreactors, where cell damage is often caused by bursting bubbles at the air –medium interface (Barret et al., 2010), they can provide sufficient mass transfer through the free surface vortex, so bubble formation and subsequent bursting inside the reactor can be conveniently avoided (Scargiali et al., 2012). In t…

CFD simulations of dense sloid-liquid suspensions in baffled stirred tanks: Prediction of suspension curves

Mixing of solid particles into liquids within contactors mechanically agitated by stirrers is a topic of primary importance for several industrial applications. A great research effort has been devoted to the assessment of the minimum impeller speed (Njs) able to guarantee the suspension of all particles. Conversely, only little attention has been paid so far to the evaluation of the amount of solid particles that are suspended at impeller speeds lower than Njs. In some cases the loss in available interfacial area between particles and liquid could be reasonably counterbalanced by a decreased mechanical power, making it of interest to evaluate the percentage of suspended solids at different…

AREA-TO-VOLUME DATA TRANSLATION IN THE MEASUREMENT OF BUBBLE SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS VIA LASER SHEET AND IMAGE ANALYSIS

Not available.

Dense-Cloud Atmospheric Dispersion in Complex-Terrain Sites