0000000000679839
AUTHOR
A Busciglio
Digital Image Analysis Technique for mixing pattern measurements in bi-dispersed 2D gas fluidized beds
This work concerns a new experimental technique based on Digital Image Analysis aimed at the measurement of the mixing behaviour of the granular phase in a 2D fluidized bed. In particular, the preliminary results obtained about the mixing pattern of a bi-disperse 2D gas fluidized bed are reported. Two different kind of particles were fluidized having the same density but different size. The technique is based on suitable colour-field decomposition of the fluidized bed, in which particles of different colours are employed. The technique here proposed can effectively measure the concentration field in the whole bed during operation, thus obtaining data that can be reliably used for CFD simula…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
kLa MEASUREMENT IN BIOREACTORS
For accurately measuring kLa in bioreactors the dynamic pressure method (DPM) was introduced by Linek et al. (1993). In this work a simplified version of the same method is discussed. With respect to the original DPM, the simplified version greatly simplifies data treatment. In fact final constant slope observable in the usual semi-log diagram of residual driving force versus time may be simply corrected to obtain the real kLa value with negligible inaccuracy. Experimental data obtained on a lab-size stirred tank reactor confirm all model predictions, including the feature that the adoption of large pressure changes may lead to a better accuracy.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…