Numerical Simulation of Microcarrier Motion in a Rotating Wall Vessel Bioreactor

Objective To analyze the forces of rotational wall vessel （RWV） bioreactor on small tissue pieces or microcarrier particles and to determine the tracks of microcarrier particles in RWV bioreactor. Methods The motion of the microcarrier in the rotating wall vessel （RWV） bioreactor with both the inner and outer cylinders rotating was modeled by numerical simulation. Results The continuous trajectory of microcarrier particles, including the possible collision with the wall was obtained. An expression between the minimum rotational speed difference of the inner and outer cylinders and the microcarrier particle or aggregate radius could avoid collisions with either wall. The range of microcarrier radius or tissue size, which could be safely cultured in the RWV bioreactor, in terms of shear stress level, was determined. Conclusion The model works well in describing the trajectory of a heavier microcarrier particle in rotating wall vessel.

Estimation of earth pressure against retaining walls with different limited displacement modes based on elastic theory

The earth pressure acting on retaining walls due to creep and consolidation is under limited equilibrium conditions(limited displacement). Linear elastic constitutive theory can be applied to determine earth pressure distribution along retaining walls under limited displacement condition. In addition,tangent modulus in Duncan-Chang nonlinear elastic model was introduced to reflect the variations of soil modulus with confining pressure, and boundary strains were derived from Rankine active earth pressure, Rankine passive earth pressure, static earth pressure and principal stress direction deflection.According to the above four boundary strains, earth pressure on retaining walls was divided into five state zones. By comparing the calculation results obtained from the equations proposed in this paper with those of experimental tests, the following conclusions can be drawn: earth pressure distribution was always nonlinear along retaining walls for translation displacement(T mode), rotation displacement around wall base(RB mode), and translation + rotation displacement around wall base(RBT mode). Also,calculated earth pressure distributions along with the depth of wall were found to be consistent with measured values under three displacement modes.Additionally, a parametric study was carried out to evaluate the effects of internal friction angle and backfill soil cohesion on earth pressure. It could be seen from the above series of studies that the earth pressure equations derived in this work could be well applied in practical engineering in designing retaining walls.

The effect of side walls on particles mixing in rotating drums

In this paper, we study the effects of the presence and shape of side walls and of the overall length of rotating cylindrical drums on the mixing of particles with differing sizes by application of the discrete element method (DEM). By varying the semi-axis of the spheroidally shaped side walls and the length of the overall drum, we observe the formation of circulation patterns near the side walls. Although there is a vast amount of literature studying mixing regimes in rotating drums, little is known about the effect of the side walls of the drum on particle mixing. The results of our study demonstrate that introducing curved side walls induces a strong circulation pattern near these side walls, but has, paradoxically, a negative impact on mixing and actually promotes segregation. The cause for this segregation is the difference in velocity of differently sized particles near the curved side walls. Large particles accumulate at the curved side walls, whereas small particles move away from the curved side walls. When the length of the drum is increased, the overall effect of the side walls is decreased, although it does remain observable, even in very large drums.

Transition of axial segregation patterns in a long rotating drum

Axial segreganon or a bidisperse mixture of particles in a long rotating drum is studied using the discrete element method. Simulation results show that particle interaction is responsible for axial segregation, the patterns of which are influenced by the end wall effect. Axial segregation patterns transform under competing influences of the end walls and the particle interaction forces. The two influential factors vary with various rotational speeds and end wall friction levels. The result is the transition of different axial segregation patterns： two large-particle bands at both ends, two small-particle bands at both ends, or a random segregation pattern where either a large-particle band or small-particle band may appear at either end.