Gas holdup in a reciprocating plate bioreactor: Non-Newtonian - liquid phase

Abstract

The gas holdup was studied in non-newtonian liquids in a gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid reciprocating plate bioreactor. Aqueous solutions of carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC; Lucel, Lucane, Yugoslavia) of different degrees of polymerization (PP 200 and PP 1000) and concentration (0,5 and 1%), polypropylene spheres (diameter 8.3 mm; fraction of spheres: 3.8 and 6.6% by volume) and air were used as the liquid, solid and gas phase. The gas holdup was found to be dependent on the vibration rate, the superficial gas velocity, volume fraction of solid particles and Theological properties of the liquid ohase. Both in the gas-liquid and gas-liquid-solid systems studied, the gas holdup increased with increasing vibration rate and gas flow rate. The gas holdup was higher in three-phase systems than in two-phase ones under otter operating conditions being the same. Generally the gas holdup increased with increasing the volume fraction of solid particles, due to the dispersion action of the solid particles, and decreased with increasing non-Newtonian behaviour (decreasing flow index) i.e. with increasing degree of polymerization and solution concentration of CMC applied, as a result of gas bubble coalescence.