Local Distribution of Oxygen Mass Transfer Coefficient in CMC Solutions in Bioreactors Furnished with Different Types of Coaxial Mixers

Abstract

Aerated stirred tank bioreactors are one of the most commonly used systems in various processes such as biofermentation where ensuring adequate mass transfer rate is the sole purpose. In this study, the crucial role of the central impeller type (including Rushton turbine, pitched blade turbine, elephant ear impeller and their combinations) on the performance of an aerated bioreactor equipped with two central impellers and an anchor on the local and overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient was investigated at a variety of operating conditions such as non-Newtonian solution concentrations, and central and anchor impeller speeds. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solution was used as a power-law fluid. Through the use of electrical resistance tomography, simplified dynamic pressure method, and computational fluid dynamics, several aspects of the aerated coaxial mixer namely local and overall gas holdup and mass transfer were studied. The local mass transfer coefficients were measured using three dissolved oxygen sensors installed at three various heights of the bioreactor. The local gas holdup was also measured using tomography. The results showed the positive effect of the anchor impeller on the mass transfer coefficient up to 10 rpm for different coaxial mixing configurations with various impeller type combinations and CMC concentrations. Among different impeller types, the system with two Rushton turbines resulted in the highest volumetric mass transfer coefficient, which was attributed to the higher gas holdup provided by this configuration as well as the flow pattern generated by the coaxial mixer. Moreover, the local distribution of gas holdup and mass transfer coefficient demonstrated a reduction in both parameters from the bottom to the top of the bioreactor.