Abstract

Three-Dimensional Steady-State Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations Were Performed in Mimic Anaerobic Digesters to Visualize their Flow Pattern and Obtain Hydrodynamic Parameters. the Mixing in the Digester Was Provided by Sparging Gas at Three Different Flow Rates. the Gas Phase Was Simulated with Air and the Liquid Phase with Water. the CFD Results Were First Evaluated using Experimental Data Obtained by Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking (CARPT). the Simulation Results in Terms of overall Flow Pattern, Location of Circulation Cells and Stagnant Regions, Trends of Liquid Velocity Profiles, and Volume of Dead Zones Agree Reasonably Well with the Experimental Data. CFD Simulations Were Also Performed on Different Digester Configurations. the Effects of Changing Draft Tube Size, Clearance, and Shape of the Tank Bottoms Were Calculated to Evaluate the Effect of Digester Design on its Flow Pattern. Changing the Draft Tube Clearance and Height Had No Influence on the Flow Pattern or Dead Regions Volume. However, Increasing the Draft Tube Diameter or Incorporating a Conical Bottom Design Helped in Reducing the Volume of the Dead Zones as Compared to a Flat-Bottom Digester. the Simulations Showed that the Gas Flow Rate Sparged by a Single Point (0.5 Cm Diameter) Sparger Does Not Have an Appreciable Effect on the Flow Pattern of the Digesters at the Range of Gas Flow Rates Used. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Airlift loop reactor; Anaerobic digester; CARPT; CFD; Dead zones; Flow pattern

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0006-3592

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2023 Wiley, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

20 Mar 2005

PubMed ID

15685599

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