Modeling multiphase fluid flow, mass transfer, and chemical reactions in bioreactors using large-eddy simulation

Area of Science:

• Biochemical Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Chemical Reaction Engineering

Background:

• Bioreactor systems involve complex interlinked physics, including hydrodynamics, mixing, and reaction kinetics.
• Accurate simulation of these processes is crucial for optimizing bioreactor design and performance.
• Existing models may not fully capture the interplay between fluid dynamics and chemical reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a transient large eddy simulation (LES) modeling approach for bioreactors.
• To simulate the coupled phenomena of free surface hydrodynamics, multiphase mixing, reaction kinetics, and mass transport.
• To investigate the impact of reaction kinetics on species concentration and mass transfer.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a transient large eddy simulation (LES) modeling approach.
• Inclusion of uniform and complex biochemical reaction kinetics (Contois type).
• Simulation of both non-reacting and reacting bioreactor systems.

Main Results:

• The simulation approach effectively models interlinked physics in bioreactors.
• Reaction kinetics were shown to induce non-uniform, spatially varying species concentration fields.
• The extent of non-uniformity directly correlates with reaction rates and local volumetric mass transfer coefficients.

Conclusions:

• The developed LES model provides a robust tool for simulating complex bioreactor physics.
• Understanding the influence of reaction kinetics on species distribution is key for bioreactor optimization.
• This approach aids in predicting and controlling mass transport phenomena in reacting bioreactor systems.