Development and application of a comprehensive numerical simulation model for microalgal pneumatic photobioreactors

A novel and comprehensive multiphysics numerical simulation model for microalgal pneumatic photobioreactors was developed using the open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM. This model integrates three distinct submodels: multiphase fluid dynamics, light transport, and microalgae growth. In particular, the light transport submodel accounts for light scattering caused by air bubbles. The model effectively addressed the challenges associated with the disparate time scales of the submodels, and its accuracy was validated by comparing with several experiments in different configurations. This study focuses on how an outdoor flat plate photobioreactor can maximize solar energy utilization. The results indicate that the daily productivity of the light-intensity adaptive reactor increased by 12.31 % to 26.31 % compared to those at constant biomass concentrations, demonstrating significant potential for employing this model in conjunction with automated systems to enhance productivity.