Epoxidation of Cyclohexene with Oxygen in Ultrasound Airlift Loop Reactor

Epoxidation of cyclohexene to cyclohexene oxide was studied in a new type reactor—the ultrasound airlift loop reactor. The influences of ultrasound intensity, molar ratio of isobutyraldehyde to cyclohexene and oxy-gen gas flow rate on the conversion of cyclohexene and selectivity of cyclohexene oxide were investigated and dis-cussed, and the optimal operation condition was found, under which 95.2% conversion of cyclohexene and 90.7% selectivity of cyclohexene oxide were achieved. The ultrasonic airlift loop reactor utilizes the synergistic effect of sonochemsitry and higher oxygen transfer rate. Possible reaction mechanisms were outlined and the reason of ul-trasound promotion of epoxidation reactionwas analyzed.

Modeling and Analysis of Airlift System Operating in Three-Phase Flow

Based on the momentum theorem, the fluid governing equation in a lifting pipe is proposed by use of the method combining theoretical analysis with empirical correlations related to the previous research, and the performance of an airlift pump can be clearly characterized by the triangular relationship among the volumetric flux of air, water and solid particles, which are obtained respectively by using numerical calculation. The meso-scale river sand is used as tested particles to examine the theoretical model. Results of the model are compared with the data in three-phase flow obtained prior to the development of the present model, by an independent experimental team that used the physical conditions of the present approach. The analytical error can be controlled within 12% for predicting the volumetric flux of water and is smaller than that （±16%） of transporting solid particles in three-phase flow. The experimental results and computations are in good agreement for air-water two-phase flow within a margin of ±8%. Reasonable agreement justifies the use of the present model for engineering design purposes.

Hydrodynamics and Mass Transfer in a Modified Three-phase Airlift Loop Reactor

A modified internal-loop airlif reactor （MIALR） with a continuous slurry phase was studied to investigate the local hydrodynamic characteristics, including gas holdup, bubble size, bubble rise velocity and local mass transfer properties. Based on the analysis of geometrical construction and fluid properties of gas and slurry, MIALR was divided into six flow regions. In these flow regions, the local hydrodynamic characteristics were investigated over a wide range of operating variables. Furthermore, a new method was developed to measure the dissolved oxygen concentration. The volumetric mass-transfer coefficient in six flow regions was also calculated for comparison.

Treatment of Dimethoate Aqueous Solution by Using Ultrasonic Airlift Loop Reactor

Ultrasonic airlift loop reactor （UALR） shows potential and wide application for wastewater treatment. In this paper the performance and efficiency of UALR in dimethoate degradation were presented. The effects of O3 flow rate, ultrasonic intensity and initial concentration of dimethoate on degradation rate were investigated. UALR imposed a synergistic effect combining sonochemical merit with high O3 transfer rate. The results showed that UALR not only increased degradation rate, but also was better than the simole sum of degradation by O3 and ultrasound separately. Under the operation conditions of O3 flow of 0.34 m^3·h^-1, ultrasonic intensity 3.71 W.cm^-2, and initial concentration of dimethoate at 20 mg·L^- 1, the degradation rate of dimethoate increased to 80%. UALR seems an advisable choice for treating organic wastewater and this process may have wide application prospect in industry.

HYDRODYNAMIC STUDIES ON LOOP REACTORS (Ⅱ) AIRLIFT LOOP REACTORS

Hydrodynamics of airlift loop reactors was studied in detail experimentally andtheoretically.An internal airlift loop reactor was designed and set up for this study.An instru-mentation system based on the electrochemical method was adapted to measure local gas holdup andliquid velocity.A two-dimensional two-fluid model based on the first principles was established andimplemented to model the flow in airlift loop reactors.A corrected turbulent model was incorporatedin the simulation.The shear rate,shear stress and energy dissipation are evaluated from the flowfield.The numerically predicted results and experimental data obtained from this work as well as thesereported in literature are analyzed and compared.

Investigation of the hydrodynamics of slug flow in airlift pumps

A slug flow model considering the dispersed bubbles entrained from the tail of Taylor bubble(TB) and recoalesced with the successive TB was proposed. Experiment was conducted to test the validity of this model by using a high-speed camcorder and particle image velocimetry(PIV). It was found that the model was valid for predicting the characteristics of slug flow in airlift pump within average error of 14%. Moreover, large pipe diameter was found to accelerate the rise velocity of TB and decreases void fraction in liquid slug by a small margin.

Modeling of Continuous Cross-flow Microfiltration Process in an Airlift External-loop Slurry Reactor

New modified combination mathematical models including the pores blocking models and the cake layer models were developed to describe the continuous cross-flow microfiltration in an airlift external loop slurry reactor. The pores blocking models were created based on the standard blocking law and the intermediate blocking law, and then the cake layer models were developed based on the hydrodynamic theory in which the calculation method of porosity of cake layer was newly corrected. The Air-Water-FCC equilibrium catalysts cold model experiment was used to verify the relevant models.Results showed that the calculated values fitted well with experimental data with a relative error of less than 10%.

Hydrodynamics and bubble behaviour in a three-phase two-stage internal loop airlift reactor

Local hydrodynamics of a gas–liquid–solid system,such as bubble circulation regime,gas holdup,liquid velocity and axial profile of solid concentration,are studied in a two-stage internal loop airlift reactor.Empirical correlations for gas holdup and liquid velocity are proposed to ease the reactor design and scale-up.Different bubble circulation regimes were displayed in the first(lower) and second(upper) stages.Increasing superficial gas velocity and solid loading can promote regime transition of the second stage,and the gas holdup of the second stage is higher than that of the lower stage.In addition,the effects of solid loading on bubble behaviour are experimentally investigated for each stage.It is found that bubble size in the downcomer decreases with the presence of solid particles,and bubble size distribution widens under higher superficial gas velocity and lower solid loading.

Production of Validamycins from Crude Substrates by Streptomyces hygroscopicus in an External-loop Airlift Bioreactor with a Low Height-to-Diameter Ratio

Fermentation experiments to produce validamycins from crude substrates by Streptomyces hygroscopicus were carried out in an external-loop airlift bioreactor (0.0115 m^3 ) with a low ratio of height to diameter of the riser of 2.9 and a ratio of riser to downcomer diameter of 6.6. The influences of gas flow rate and liquid volume on fermentation of validamycins were investigated. Comparisons of validamycin fermentation were made among the external-loop airlift bioreactor, a mechanically stirred tank bioreactor (0.010m^3 ) and shaking flasks. Under the same operation conditions including fermentation medium composition, inoculum ratio and culture temperature, the fermentation time in the external-loop airlift bioreactor (45 h) was shorter than that in the shaking flasks (100 h) and the same as that in the mechanically stirred tank bioreactor. After a total fermentation time of 45 h under optimized operation conditions, average validamycin concentration obtained in the external-loop airlift bioreactor was close to 19630 μg·ml^-1 validamycin concentration in the mechanically stirred tank bioreactor. It was demonstrated that the external-loop airlift bioreactor could substitute for the mechanically stirred tank bioreactor in production of validamycins from crude substrates with dregs by Streptomyces hygroscopicus.

Inorganic nitrogen removal of toilet wastewater with an airlift external circulation membrane bioreactor

Removal of inorganic nitrogen （inorganic-N） from toilet wastewater, using a pilot-scale airlift external circulation membrane bioreactor （AEC-MBR） was studied. The results showed that the use of AEC-MBR with limited addition of alkaline reagents and volumetric loading rates of inorganic-N of 0.19-0.40 kg inorganic-N/（m^3·d） helped achieve the desired nitrification and denitrification. Furthermore, the effects of pH and dissolved oxygen （DO） on inorganic-N removal were examined. Under the condition of MLSS at 1.56-2.35 g/L, BODs/ammonia nitrogen （NH4＋-N） at 1.0, pH at 7.0-7.5, and DO at 1.0-2.0 mg/L, the removal efficiencies of NH4^＋-N and inorganic-N were 91.5% and 70.0%, respectively, in the AEC-MBR. The cost of addition of alkaline reagent was approximately 0.5-1.5 RMB yuan/m^3, and the energy consumption was approximately 0.72 kWh/m^3 at the flux of 8 L/（m^2-h）.

Simple Model for Gas Holdup and Liquid Velocity of Annular Photocatalytic External-Loop Airlift Reactor Under both Bubble and Developing Slug Flow

Based on the momentum conservation approach, a theoretical model was developed to predict the superficial liquid velocity, and a correlation equation was established to calculate the gas holdup of an annular external-loop airlift reactor(AELAR)in the bubble flow and developing slug flow pattern. Experiments were performed by using tap-water and silicone oil with the viscosity of 2.0 mm^2/s(2cs-SiO)and 5.0 mm^2/s(5cs-SiO)as liquid phases. The effects of liquid viscosity and flow pattern on the AELAR performance were investigated. The predictions of the proposed model were in good agreement with the experimental results of the AELAR. In addition, the comparison of the experimental results shows that the proposed model has good accuracy and could be used to predict the gas holdup and liquid velocity of an AELAR operating in bubble and developing flow pattern.

Analysis and Measurement of Mass Transfer in Airlift Loop Reactors

Inter-phase mass transfer is important to the design and performance of airlift loop reactors for either chemical or biochemical applications, and a good measurement technique is crucial for studying mass transfer in multiphase systems. According to the model of macro-scale mass transfer in airlift loop reactors, it was proved that the airlift loop reactor can be regarded as a continuous stirred tank reactor for measuring mass transfer coefficient. The calculated mass transfer coefficient on such a basis is different from the volumetric mass transfer coefficient in the macro-scale model and the difference is discussed. To describe the time delay of the probe response to the change of oxygen concentration in the liquid phase, a model taking into account the time constant of response is es-tablished. Sensitivity analysis shows that this model can be used to measure the volumetric mass transfer coefficient. Applying this model to the measurement of volumetric mass transfer coefficient in the loop reactor, results that co-incide with the turbulence theory in the literate were obtained.

Preliminary Study on Airlift Membran-Bioreactor

A new type of membrane bioreactor named 'airliftmembrane-bioreactor' is discussed. For municipal wastewaterreclamation, the preliminary study on airlift membrane-bioreactorshows its good performance such as higher flux and lower energyconsumption. The airlift membrane-bioreactor is potentiallyapplicable in bioengineer- ing and environmental protection fields.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Gas-Liquid Flow in a Sectionalized External-Loop Airlift Reactor

The external loop airlift reactor(ELALR)is widely used for gasliquid reactions.It’s advantage of good heat and mass transfer rates compared to conventional bubble column reactors.In the case of fermentation application where a medium is highly viscous and coalescing in nature,internal in riser helps in the improvement of the interfacial area as well as in the reduction of liquidphase back mixing.The computational fluid dynamic(CFD)as a tool is used to design and scaleup of sectionalized external loop airlift reactor.The present work deals with computational fluid dynamics(CFD)techniques and experimental measurement of a gas holdup,liquid circulation velocity,liquid axial velocity,Sauter mean bubble diameter over a broad range of superficial gas velocity 0.0024≤UG≤0.0168 m s 1.The correlation has been made for bubble size distribution with specific power consumption for different plate configurations.The effects of an internal on different mass transfer models have been completed to assess their suitability.The predicted local mass transfer coefficient has been found higher in the sectionalized external loop airlift reactor than the conventional ELALR.

Effects of Different Draft Baffles on the Hydrodynamics in Internal-Loop Airlift Reactors

In this paper, a 2-D airlift reactor was developed. The streamline and hydrodynamic parameters were measured in a 2-D airlift loop reactor(ALR)with different draft baffles. Three regimes were observed under different conditions. Particle image velocimetry(PIV)measurement showed that the liquid velocity distribution in horizontal direction presented different profiles in the three regimes. The length, the height and the spacing of draft baffles were applied in the experiments to optimize the ALR structure. It was found that the draft tube structure is of great importance in determining the hydrodynamics of ALRs. Additionally, the experimental results may serve as a step to the further optimization and design of ALR.

Oilfield produced water treatment in internal-loop airlift reactor using electrocoagulation/flotation technique

Oilfield produced water is large quantities of salty water trapped in underground formations and subsisted under high temperatures and pressures that are brought to the surface along with oil during production. Produced water(PW) contains a lot of pollutants such as hydrocarbons and metals, this water must be treated before disposal. Therefore, different techniques are being used to treat produced water. Electrocoagulation is an efficient treatment technique involving the dissolution of anodes and formation of electro-coagulants, while the simultaneous generation of H_2 bubbles at the cathode leads to the pollutant removal by flotation. Electrocoagulation(EC)method is one of the most promising and widely used processes to treat oilfield produced water. In the present work, a conventional internal-loop(draught tube) airlift reactor was utilized as electrocoagulation/flotation cell for PW treatment by inserting two aluminum electrodes in the riser section of the airlift reactor. The EC airlift reactor was operated in a batch mode for the liquid phase. Different experimental parameters were studied on the oil and turbidity removal efficiencies such as current density, initial pH, electrocoagulation time, and air injection.The experimental results showed that mixing of the oil droplets in the PW was accomplished using only the liquid recirculation resulted by H_2 microbubbles generated by EC process which enhanced the oil removal. The experimental results further showed that the EC time required achieving ≥ 90% oil removal efficiency decreases from 46 to 15 min when operating current density increases from 6.8 to 45.5 mA·cm^(-2). This reactor type was found to be highly efficient and less energy consuming compared to conventional existing electrochemical cells which used mechanical agitation.

Influences of top clearance and liquid throughput on the performances of an external loop airlift slurry reactor integrated mixing and separation

A new developed external loop airlift slurry reactor, which was integrated with gas–liquid–solid three-phase mixing, mass transfer, and liquid–solid separation simultaneously, was deemed to be a promising slurry reactor due to its prominent advantages such as achieving continuous separation of clear liquid from slurry and cyclic utilization of solid particles without any extra energy, energy-saving, and intrinsic safety design. The principal operating parameters, including gas separator volume, handling capacity, and superficial gas velocity, are systematically investigated here to promote the capabilities of mixing, mass transfer, and yield in the pilot external loop airlift slurry reactor. The influences of top clearance and throughput of the clear liquid on flow regime and gas holdup in the riser, liquid circulating velocity, and volumetric mass transfer coefficient with a typical high solid holdup and free of particles are examined experimentally. It was found that increasing the gas separator volume could promote the liquid circulating velocity by about 14.0% at most. Increasing the handling capacity of the clear liquid from 0.9 m3·h-1 to 3.0 m3·h-1 not only could increase the output without any adverse consequences, but also could enhance the liquid circulating velocity as much as 97.3%. Typical operating conditions investigated here can provide some necessary data and guidelines for this new external loop airlift slurry reactor to upgrade its performances.

Mass Transfer, Gas Holdup, and Kinetic Models of Batch and Continuous Fermentation in a Novel Rectangular Dynamic Membrane Airlift Bioreactor

Compared with conventional cylinder airlift bioreactors(CCABs)that produce coarse bubbles,a novel rectangular dynamic membrane airlift bioreactor(RDMAB)developed in our lab produces fine bubbles to enhance the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient(k_(L)a)and gas holdup,as well as improve the bioprocess in a bioreactor.In this study,we compared mass transfer,gas holdup,and batch and con-tinuous fermentation for RNA production in CCAB and RDMAB.In addition,unstructured kinetic models for microbial growth,substrate utilization,and RNA formation were established.In batch fermentation,biomass,RNA yield,and substrate utilization in the RDMAB were higher than those in the CCAB,which indicates that dynamic membrane aeration produced a high k_(L)a by fine bubbles;a higher k_(L)a is more bene-ficial to aerobic fermentation.The starting time of continuous fermentation in the RDMAB was 20 h ear-lier than that in the CCAB,which greatly improved the biological process.During continuous fermentation,maintaining the same dissolved oxygen level and a constant dilution rate,the biomass accumulation and RNA concentration in the RDMAB were 9.71% and 11.15% higher than those in the CCAB,respectively.Finally,the dilution rate of RDMAB was 16.7% higher than that of CCAB during con-tinuous fermentation while maintaining the same air aeration.In summary,RDMAB is more suitable for continuous fermentation processes.Developing new aeration and structural geometry in airlift bioreac-tors to enhance k_(L)a and gas holdup is becoming increasingly important to improve bioprocesses in a bioreactor.

The Preparation of 2-Chloro-5-chloromethylpyridine in an Airlift Loop Reactor

A new process for the direct chlorination of 2-chloro-5-methylpyridine to yield 2-chloro-5-chloro-methylpyridine in an airlift loop reactor (ALR) has been studied. Five main reaction conditions including TR, na/ns, cp, Qg and dD/dR were optimized. The average molar yield and purity of 2-chloro-5-chloromethylpyridine obtained were 79% and 98.5% respectively under the optimum operating conditions. Finally, the efficiency for the preparation of 2-chloro-5-chloromethylpyridine with ALR and stirred tank reactor (STR) respectively was compared.

CFD Simulation of Scale Influence on the Hydrodynamics of an Internal Loop Airlift Reactor

In this work, the overall gas hold-up in the riser and down-comer of three internal airlift reactors with a working volume of 10.5, 32 and 200 l at the range of temperatures 18℃ - 21℃, under atmospheric pressure was simulated using Com-putational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The range of superficial gas velocity was 0.5 - 3 cm/s. The three reactors geometrically were similar to each other. CFD simulation and experimental data showed that the gas hold-up in the riser and down-comer increased by increasing the reactor scale. It was concluded that the simulated data were in good agreement with the experimental ones obtained from the literature.