Sparger Design Research Articles

Minimization of Attrition and Breakage in an Airlift Crystallizer

Minimization of secondary nucleation by attrition in industrial crystallizers is a major challenge. In this work, a novel airlift crystallizer has been designed, constructed, and experimentally tested aiming at the reduction of attrition by using air for mixing instead of a stirrer or a circulation pump. It is experimentally demonstrated that in this crystallizer ideal growth, i.e., growth of crystals without any nucleation, can be approached up to a seeding load of 0.5% and crystal size of up to 600 μm. Attrition is considerably decreased in an airlift crystallizer compared to conventional impeller-mixed crystallizers. This air-mixed crystallizer enables the production of crystals of high quality and offers a large flexibility of the final crystal size by manipulating the air flow rate and the sparger design. Comparison of different designs showed a large effect of a gas disengagement zone on the performance of the crystallizer, especially when large crystals were desired. The disengagement zone allows high circulation velocities and thus good mixing without entrainment of the gas bubbles in the downcomer, approaching a uniform suspension of the crystals.

Coccolithophorid algae culture in closed photobioreactors

The feasibility of growth, calcium carbonate and lipid production of the coccolithophorid algae (Prymnesiophyceae), Pleurochrysis carterae, Emiliania huxleyi, and Gephyrocapsa oceanica, was investigated in plate, carboy, airlift, and tubular photobioreactors. The plate photobioreactor was the most promising closed cultivation system. All species could be grown in the carboy photobioreactor. However, P. carterae was the only species which grew in an airlift photobioreactor. Despite several attempts to grow these coccolithophorid species in the tubular photobioreactor (Biocoil), including modification of the airlift and sparger design, no net growth could be achieved. The shear produced by turbulence and bubble effects are the most likely reasons for this failure to grow in the Biocoil. The highest total dry weight, lipid and calcium carbonate productivities achieved by P. carterae in the plate photobioreactors were 0.54, 0.12, and 0.06 g L(-1) day(-1) respectively. Irrespective of the type of photobioreactor, the productivities were P. carterae > E. huxleyi > G. oceanica. Pleurochrysis carterae lipid (20-25% of dry weight) and calcium carbonate (11-12% of dry weight) contents were also the highest of all species tested.

A comprehensive comparison of mixing, mass transfer, Chinese hamster ovary cell growth, and antibody production using Rushton turbine and marine impellers

Large scale production of monoclonal antibodies has been accomplished using bioreactors with different length to diameter ratios, and diverse impeller and sparger designs. The differences in these physical attributes often result in dissimilar mass transfer, mechanical stresses due to turbulence and mixing inside the bioreactor that may lead to disparities in cell growth and antibody production. A rational analysis of impeller design parameters on cell growth, protein expression levels and subsequent antibody production is needed to understand such differences. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Rushton turbine and marine impeller designs on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell growth and metabolism, and antibody production and quality. Experiments to evaluate mass transfer and mixing characteristics were conducted to determine if the nutrient requirements of the culture would be met. The analysis of mixing times indicated significant differences between marine and Rushton turbine impellers at the same power input per unit volume of liquid (P/V). However, no significant differences were observed between the two impellers at constant P/V with respect to oxygen and carbon dioxide mass transfer properties. Experiments were conducted with CHO cells to determine the impact of different flow patterns arising from the use of different impellers on cell growth, metabolism and antibody production. The analysis of cell culture data did not indicate any significant differences in any of the measured or calculated variables between marine and Rushton turbine impellers. More importantly, this study was able to demonstrate that the quality of the antibody was not altered with a change in the impeller geometry.

Design and selection of sparger for bubble column reactor. Part II: Optimum sparger type and design

The ease with which residence time could be adjusted, the absence of moving parts, higher values of heat and mass transfer coefficient are the attractive features of bubble columns, hence are widely used for conducting several mass transfer operations/chemical reactions. However selection of sparger design and type is crucial and it affects performance of the reactor implicitly and explicitly. The Part I of this work addressed the roles of various parameters to be considered while designing the sparger for bubble column reactors. The second part, deals with the selection of optimum design and type of the sparger for several designs of bubble column, i.e., effect of column diameter, aspect ratio, operating pressure and volumetric flow rate of gas phase.

Design and selection of sparger for bubble column reactor. Part I: Performance of different spargers

Bubble columns are widely used for conducting gas–liquid and gas–liquid–solid mass transfer/chemical reactions. Sparger is the most important accessory because it decides the bubble size/rise velocity distribution. These, in turn, govern the radial and axial hold-up profiles, the liquid phase flow pattern and hence the performance of bubble columns. In particular, the sparger design is critical if the aspect ratio is low and the sparger design dominates the performance of the bubble column. However, systematic procedure for the selection of sparger design and type are not available in the published literature. This is the specific objective of the present work. In Part I, the performance of different spargers, including the newly developed wheel type of sparger is discussed. Thus the important considerations required for the sparger design are highlighted. The bubble column used in the manufacture of hydrogen peroxide has been considered as a case for illustration.

Design of a Pipe/Ring Type of Sparger for a Bubble Column Reactor

AbstractThe sparger is an important accessory of bubble column reactors which governs the performance of the reactor. Specifically the sparger design becomes more important when the aspect ratio of the bubble column is low. The maldistribution and design of the sparger are of major concern and both these aspects are described in detail in the present work. Various methods for reducing maldistribution have been discussed and a simple method for its reduction is presented experimentally. Further a step‐wise design procedure for a pipe/ring type of sparger for bubble columns is presented together with a work example.

Characteristics of Local Flow Dynamics and Macro-Mixing in Airlift Column Reactors for Reliable Design and Scale-Up

There has been tremendous development within mixing operations in industry. Incomplete knowledge of this process caused serious economic losses to process industries. For optimum yields and the economic potential that goes with better understanding of mixing, research in this field continues to grow. The major forms of mixing in industry are either by mechanical or pneumatic agitation. Airlift bioreactors achieve mixing through pneumatic agitation and have gained attention over two decades for their fluid dynamic characteristics and low power consumption. It has been widely applied in bioprocess industries for production of biochemicals, to wastewater treatment in which the performance of this reactor has been overwhelming with respect to its production levels as compared to the conventional mechanical agitation.In this review, mixing through mechanical and pneumatic agitation is compared. An extensive literature is distilled from various investigators on the hydrodynamics and mixing characteristics of airlift bioreactors. This review has emphasis on factors that affect mixing such as the geometrical parameters of the vessel, gas flow rate, properties of the liquid medium, sparger design and measuring techniques employed. In an attempt to understand process related issues, sophisticated advances in the measuring techniques provides more insight into mixing in this reactor. Thus extensive correlations have been proposed by various investigators to predict the hydrodynamic and mixing parameters. Some design modifications proposed by several scholars have also been reviewed.

Design of ring and spider type spargers for bubble column reactor: Experimental measurements and CFD simulation of flow and weeping

In case of low H/D ratio bubble columns, sparger design governs the performance of bubble column reactors. Therefore, a comprehensive study was undertaken for single ring spargers, multiple ring spargers and spiders covering a wide range of hole diameters (2–6 mm), ring diameter (0.4–1 m), number of holes (19–90), number of rings (1–4), number of arms (3–5) and arm length (0.4–1 m). The flow distribution and critical weep point velocity was related to geometric and operating parameters. CFD simulations (ANSYS CFX-10.0) have been performed for all these cases and very good agreement was observed between the CFD predictions and experimental values of pressure, hole velocity and the critical weep point velocity. A step-wise design procedure for all types of sparger is presented along with a worked example. Further a new sparger (Wheel type) is proposed which would be superior to the existing spargers.

Investigation into Bubble Size Distribution and Transient Evolution in the Sparger Region of Gas−Liquid External Loop Airlift Reactors

It is well-known that the gas sparger can play an important role on the transient evolution of bubbles and bubble size distribution (BSD) in gas−liquid external loop airlift reactors (EL-ALRs). Therefore, the main subject of the present work was to study the influence of sparger design and process parameters on the transient evolution of bubbles and bubble size distribution (BSD) in the sparger region of the considered EL-ALRs. For this purpose, both detailed measurements and prediction of the size of bubbles produced at the sparger were carried out in EL-ALRs with different size and sparger structure parameters. The unique set of BSD curves were obtained by analyzing a large amount of bubbles with a measurement based on an image analysis technique. Additionally, Colella’s model of BSD evolution in bubble columns was further developed by implementing a detailed physical model for predicting the initial BSD at the sparger applied to gas−liquid EL-ALRs where the model input is only based on design/process p...

Computed Tomographic Investigation of the Influence of Gas Sparger Design on Gas Holdup Distribution in a Bubble Column

The effect of gas sparger design on the gas holdup radial profile in a bubble column (with a diameter of 0.162 m) has been studied using γ-ray computed tomography (CT). Six different configurations of gas spargers were examined, using an air−water system for selected superficial gas velocities from 2 cm/s to 30 cm/s, covering the homogeneous and heterogeneous (churn-turbulent) flow regimes. Two operating pressures were used: 1 and 4 atm. Differences were found between the gas holdup distributions produced by different spargers at dimensionless radii of r/R < 0.8 in the central region of the column. The cross and single nozzle spargers produced closely similar gas holdup distributions, while the perforated plate sparger produced a higher gas holdup when compared to other spargers with the same percentage open area (POA). At 4 atm, the sparger design did not have a significant effect on the gas holdup profiles, compared to atmospheric pressure, except for the case of the single-hole sparger, which was found to yield a higher gas holdup.

NS0 cell damage by high gas velocity sparging in protein‐free and cholesterol‐free cultures

Recent developments in high cell density and high productivity fed-batch animal cell cultures have placed a high demand on oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal in bioreactors. The high oxygen demand is often met by increasing agitation and sparging rates of air/O2 in the bioreactors. However, as we demonstrate in this study, an increase of gas sparging can result in cell damage at the sparger site due to high gas entrance velocities. Previous studies have showed that gas bubble breakup at the culture surface was primarily responsible for cell damage in sparged bioreactors. Such cell damage can be reduced by use of surfactants such as Pluronic F-68 in the culture. In our results, where NS0 cells were grown in a protein-free and cholesterol-free medium containing 0.5 g/L Pluronic F-68, high gas entrance velocity at the sparger site was observed as the second mechanism for cell damage. Experiments were performed in scaled-down spinners to model the effect of hydrodynamic force resulting from high gas velocities on antibody-producing NS0 cells. Cell growth and cell death were described by first-order kinetics. Cell death rate constant increased significantly from 0.04 to 0.18 day(-1) with increasing gas entrance velocity from 2.3 to 82.9 m/s at the sparger site. The critical gas entrance velocity for the NS0 cell line studied was found to be approximately 30 m/s; velocities greater than 30 m/s caused cell damage which resulted in reduced viability and consequently reduced antibody production. Observations from a second cholesterol-independent NS0 cell line confirmed the occurrence of cell damage due to high gas velocities. Increasing the concentration of Pluronic F-68 from 0.5 to 2 g/L had no additional protective effect on cell damage associated with high gas velocity at the sparger. The results of gas velocity analysis for cell damage have been applied in two case studies of large-scale antibody manufacturing. The first is a troubleshooting study for antibody production carried out in a 600 L bioreactor, and the second is the development of a gas sparger design for a large bioreactor scale (e.g., 10,000 L) for antibody manufacturing.

Hydrodynamics and Axial Dispersion in a Gas−Liquid−(Solid) EL-ALR with Different Sparger Designs

The gas−liquid−(solid) three-phase hydrodynamics in an external-loop airlift reactor (EL-ALR) with an upward pipe 0.47 m in diameter and 2.5 m in height, two external loop downward pipes 0.08 m in diameter and 2.5 m in height, were investigated using four different gas sparger designs. The microconductivity probe and the three-dimensional (3-D) laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) techniques were, respectively, implemented to measure the local gas holdup in the riser (αGr) and liquid phase velocity in the downcomer (ULd) using air as the gas phase, water as the liquid phase, and alginate gel beads as the solid phase, over a wide range of operation conditions. The tracer age distribution was measured using the pulse-pursuit response technology. Axial dispersion model (ADM) was used to estimate the model parameter Peclet number (Pe) values as a fitted parameter with the measured data, using the gold partition method for nonlinear programming strategy inequation restrict conditions. The ADM gave better fits to the experimental data at high axial locations and lower superficial gas velocity (UG) for an EL-ALR used with a large L/DR ratio. A synergistic effect of ULd, αGr, Pe, solids loading (SL), and sparger designs on the performance of an EL-ALR was observed in our experiments. The sparger designs were determined to have a noticeable effect on the αGr and Pe in the lower gas velocity and lower solid loading ranges (UG < 0.025 m/s and SL < 2%), but only a slight effect in the high gas velocity and high solid loading ranges (UG > 0.030 m/s and SL > 3%). However, the effect of sparger designs on the ULd is greater in the gas velocity from 0.025 m/s to 0.045 m/s. For the lower solids loading, the increase of orifice diameter leads to a decrease in αGr. This is in accordance with what was presented in the gas−liquid two-phase system. Moreover, the influence of orifice diameters of the spargers is negligible for solids loading of >3%. Although the Pe values decreased with the operating gas velocity, the gas velocity change from 0.03 m/s to 0.04 m/s yielded lower Pe values, as a result of the reduced bubble size. As the gas velocity further increased to 0.06 m/s, the αGr and the ULd values increased, while the Pe values negligibly increased. For a gas−liquid two-phase system, Pe decreases with the orifice diameter and, for 1% of solids, Pe is also lower for sparger P-2 (ϕ 0.6 mm) than for sparger P-1 (ϕ 0.3 mm). For higher amounts of solids (3%), Pe does not have a defined trend. In addition to the gas velocity and sparger design effects, the solids loading had the effect of decreasing the ULd values, while such effect became small and flattened at high solid loadings. The ULd values, especially with VO = 100%, are ~20% lower in three-phase flow than that in two-phase flow. In addition, the ULd profiles in three-phase flow are flatter than that in two-phase flow with VO = 50%−100%, actually showing a parabolic shape rather than the almost linear one encountered in two-phase flow. This is very important for design and optimum operation that are used to systemically investigate the synergistic effect of ULd, αGr, Pe, solid loading (SL), and sparger designs on hydrodynamic performance of an EL-ALR.

Analysis of dominant flow structures and their flow dynamics in chemical process equipment using snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition technique

Snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) technique has been applied to reveal the dominant flow structures, their dynamics and length scales in six widely used industrial equipments (stirred tank, bubble column, Taylor–Couette flow (annual contactor), ultrasonic reactor, jet reactor, and channel flow). The variation in length scale of structures within an equipment, with change in its operating conditions (Reynolds number and power input) or change in its geometric configuration (sparger and impeller designs), has been brought out in this work. The planar data set for POD analysis was obtained from particle image velocimetry (PIV) and large eddy simulation (LES) studies. The dominant spatial topology was analyzed by using the velocity and vorticity POD modes. The modes have revealed the following flow structures: the ascending streaks and bursts in channel flow, the vortex tube and leading edge vortices in jets, the irregular small chaotic vortices in Taylor–Couette flow, the variation in plume oscillation and flow structures in the vortical region of bubble column resulting from changes in sparger design, the high intensity vortices near the source of ultrasound in the ultrasonic reactor and the effect of impeller designs on dominant flow structures and near blade vortices in the stirred tank. The length scales of structures are obtained by applying image processing on the spatial modes. The dynamics of these flow structures in each of the items of equipment is captured by reconstructing the flow field using appropriate spatial and temporal modes that contribute to these structures. Further, a unique attempt has been made to correlate the length scale distribution with the mixing time.

Bubble velocity, size, and interfacial area measurements in a bubble column by four‐point optical probe

AbstractThe four‐point optical probe is applied in a bubble column with an air–water system to investigate the bubble properties (local gas holdup, velocity, chord length, specific interfacial area, and frequency) over a range of gas superficial velocities. Both bubbles moving upward and downward are recorded and measured as opposed to only upward bubbles measured and reported in other studies involving probes. The probe worked efficiently in both bubbly flow and highly churn‐turbulent flow at very high superficial gas velocities. Bubble properties at the conditions of churn‐turbulent flow are obtained and investigated for the first time. The changes in the bubble velocity distribution, bubble chord length distribution, and specific interfacial area with superficial gas velocity, sparger design, and with axial and radial positions in the column are discussed. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

Effects of Cultivation Parameters on the Morphology of Rhizopus arrhizus and the Lactic Acid Production in a Bubble Column Reactor

AbstractThe use of filamentous Rhizopus for lactic acid production is facing a challenge due to its low yield mainly caused by the difficulty to control its morphology in submerged fermentation processes. This study was aimed at investigating the impacts of cultivation parameters on the morphology of Rhizopus arrhizus DAR 36017 and lactic acid production using waste potato starch in a laboratory scale bubble column reactor (BCR). The fungal morphology was significantly influenced by carbon sources, process pH, starch concentrations, sparger designs and aeration rates. The favorable morphology for lactic acid production was a freely dispersed small pellet, which was achieved under operation conditions at pH 5.0–6.0, starch concentrations of 60–120 g/L and aeration rates of 0.2–0.8 vvm using a sintered stainless steel disc sparger. Optimal cultivation conditions at pH 6.0 and an aeration rate of 0.4 vvm resulted in the formation of freely dispersed small pellets and 103.8 g/L lactic acid with a yield of 87 % from 120 g/L liquefied potato starch in 48 h. The overall results in terms of lactic acid yield and productivity are comparable to those reported in previous studies using immobilized Rhizopus cells in batch fermentations.

Effect of sparger design on hydrodynamics of a gas recirculation anaerobic bioreactor

The effects of sparger design and gas flow rate on, gas holdup distribution and liquid (slurry) recirculation velocity have been studied in a surrogate anaerobic bioreactor used for treating bovine waste with a conical bottom mixed by gas recirculation. A single orifice sparger (SOS) and a multi-orifice ring sparger (MORS) with the same orifice open area and gas flow rates (hence the same process power input) are compared in this study. The advanced non-invasive techniques of computer automated tomography (CT) and computer automated radioactive particle tracking (CARPT) were employed to determine gas holdup, liquid recirculation velocity, and the poorly mixed zones. Gas flows (Q(g)) ranging of 0.017 x 10(-3) m(3)/s to 0.083 x 10(-3) m(3)/s were used which correspond to draft tube superficial gas velocities ranging from 1.46 x 10(-2) m/s to 7.35 x 10(-2) m/s (based on draft tube diameter). Air was used for the gas, as the molecular weights of air and biogas (consisting mainly of CH(4) and CO(2)) are in the same range (biogas: 28.32-26.08 kg/kmol and air: 28.58 kg/kmol). When compared to the SOS for a given gas flow rate, the MORS gave better gas holdup distribution in the draft tube, enhanced the liquid (slurry) recirculation, and reduced the fraction of the poorly mixed zones. The improved gas holdup distribution in the draft tube was found to have increased the overall liquid velocity. Hence, for the same process power input the MORS system performed better by enhancing the liquid recirculation and reducing the poorly mixed zones.

Gamma ray tomography—An experimental analysis of fractional gas hold-up in bubble columns

Abstract Gas hold-up is one of the most important hydrodynamic parameters involved in the design, development, scale-up and troubleshooting of multiphase systems. Gamma ray tomography (GRT) is an extensively used non-destructive and non-invasive technique for the measurement of the gas hold-up profiles in multiphase system such as bubble columns and stirred vessels. The tomographic measurements can be subsequently used for the qualitative as well as quantitative estimation of the performance of multiphase system under given set of operating conditions. The non-destructive technique of grid scanning which forms the basis of GRT was used to analyze the performance of the laboratory scale bubble column as well as industrial scale sectionalized bubble column. The later had a total height of 8.5 m divided into 10 equal sections. The hydrodynamic performance obtained in the form of chordal gas hold-up was shown to be highly influenced as a result of the sparger design altercations. The non-performance of spargers due to the hole blockage was studied in a bubble column of 0.2 m diameter by analyzing the reconstructed gas hold-up profile at two different axial locations. An industrial sectionalized bubble column was also studied to obtain the desired information on the change in gas hold-up in the axial direction as a result of increased e ¯ G due to intrinsic reaction kinetics giving rise to the formation of additional gas at every stage.

Experimental study of bubble formation at metal porous spargers: Effect of liquid properties and sparger characteristics on the initial bubble size distribution

This work is a study of the effect of liquid properties and pore size on the initial bubble size distribution of a bubble column equipped with fine pore sparger. Various liquids covering a wide range of surface tension and viscosity values are employed, while the gas phase is atmospheric air. A fast video recording technique is used for both the visual observations of the phenomena occurring onto the sparger and the bubble size measurements. A new correlation regarding the prediction of the initial mean Sauter diameter of bubbles formed from porous spargers at the homogeneous regime has been formulated and found to be in good agreement with available data. The experiments show that the mechanisms of bubble formation as well as the initial bubble size distribution depend strongly on the liquid properties, the sparger design and the gas flow rate.

Pressure and flow distribution in pipe and ring spargers: Experimental measurements and CFD simulation

In case of low HD/D ratio bubble columns, the sparger design dominates the performance of the bubble column reactor. However, scanty information is available in the published literature regarding the flow distribution in sparger. In view of this a comprehensive study was undertaken for a single pipe sparger and ring sparger covering a wide range of hole diameters (2–6 mm), pitch (2–8do), pipe length (0.6 m and 1.5 m), ring diameter (0.38–0.57 m) and pipe diameter of rings (0.012–0.019 m). The flow variations have been related to geometric and operating parameters. Theoretical models available in the literature for pipe sparger have been critically analyzed. CFD simulations (ANSYS CFX-10) have been performed for all the pipe spargers and the results have been compared with the model of Acrivos et al. [A. Acrivos, B.D. Babcock, R.L. Pigford, Flow distributions in manifolds, Chem. Eng. Sci. 10 (1959) 112–124]. CFD simulations of all the ring spargers also have been performed, and the predictions show favorable agreement with experimental values of pressure and hole velocity.

Effect of Sparger Design on the Flow in a Bubble Column: Symbolic Analysis of LDA Data

This paper aims at developing a methodology that helps in the characterization of the effects of a single point and multipoint sparger on the flow patterns in a bubble column reactor. The methodology uses the simultaneously measured instantaneous velocity−time data (two orthogonal velocity components) using LDA at different measurement locations. The data sets are transformed into their equivalent description in terms of polar coordinates, viz., resultant velocity vector and angle. This information is further transformed in terms of symbolic representation in a binary number format. The covariance matrices obtained from the binary data are analyzed for their eigenvalues, and the spectrum is used for the identification of the dominant, energy containing modes in the data. In the vicinity of the sparger, the nature of covariance matrix and the eigenvalue spectrum for the single point sparger (SPS) data was significantly different from that of the multipoint sparger (MPS). In the bulk region, for both types of spargers, the nature of the eigenvalues and the number of dominant modes is seen to be different from the near sparger region. In general, more numbers of eigenvalues are required to capture the total energy in the data for a multipoint sparger when compared to a single point sparger. This suggests a higher level of complexities existing due to the intricate hydrodynamics for the multipoint sparger. The possible use of this methodology for practical purposes, e.g., identification of malfunctioning of gas−liquid sparger reactors is discussed.