Measurement of local gas holdup in bubble columns via a non-isokinetic withdrawal method

Sergio García-Salas, Carlos Orozco-Alvarez, R. Michael Porter, Frederic Thalasso

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

An inexpensive method was developed to measure local gas holdup based on withdrawal of the air-liquid dispersion in bioreactors under non-isokinetic conditions. The method was tested with several suction probe designs and withdrawal pressures using coalescing and non-coalescing model media as well as during yeast fermentations. Simultaneously, gas holdup was measured manometrically. With a straight end probe and vacuum pressure of 3 kPa, local gas holdup measurements presented a relative error <6% compared to the manometric method, independently of the media composition. This method was used to characterize local gas holdup in a bubble column. Two new parameters are proposed to characterize non-gassed volume and gas holdup homogeneity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6929-6938
Number of pages10
JournalChemical Engineering Science
Volume60
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2005

Keywords

  • Bioreactor
  • Bubble column
  • Coalescing
  • Fermentation
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Non-coalescing media

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