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Reactor Configurations (reactor + configuration)
Selected AbstractsSubcritical Water Reaction Behavior of D -Glucose as a Model Compound for Biomass Using Two Different Continuous-Flow Reactor ConfigurationsCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 4 2009T. Saito Abstract Recently, cellulosic materials have been considered as a useful resource for the recovery of valuable chemicals and liquid fuels, etc. Cellulose is a homopolymer of D -glucose, which is often used as a model compound for biomass. Reactions of D -glucose in subcritical water as the reaction solvent were conducted using a single-flow-type reactor (S1) and an admixture-type reactor with feed and preheated-water flow (S2) at temperatures from 200 to 240,°C, pressures from 15 to 20 MPa, residence times from 40 to 120 s, and initial feed concentrations of 1.5,10 wt %. D -Glucose was converted into aldehydes, organic acids and furans, with mainly organic acids obtained at 240,°C. D -Glucose decomposition using reactors S1 and S2 revealed that the conversion rate of D -glucose was promoted more using S2 than by S1. The yield of furans with S1 was higher than with S2, while the yield of organic acids from S1 was lower than that from S2. [source] Microbial Fuel Cells in Relation to Conventional Anaerobic Digestion TechnologyENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2006H. Pham Abstract Conventional anaerobic digestion based bioconversion processes produce biogas and have as such been widely applied for the production of renewable energy so far. An innovative technology, based on the use of microbial fuel cells, is considered as a new pathway for bioconversion processes towards electricity. In comparison with conventional anaerobic digestion, the microbial fuel cell technology holds some specific advantages, such as its applicability for the treatment of low concentration substrates at temperatures below 20,°C, where anaerobic digestion generally fails to function. This provides some specific application niches of the microbial fuel cell technology where it does not compete with but complements the anaerobic digestion technology. However, microbial fuel cells still face important limitations in terms of large-scale application. The limitations involve the investment costs, upscale technical issues and the factors limiting the performance, both in terms of anodic and cathodic electron transfer. Research to render the microbial fuel cell technology more economically feasible and applicable should focus on reactor configuration, power density and the material costs. [source] Modeling the Effects of Reactor Inlet Configuration on Isothermal CVI Process of C/SiC CompositesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Xi Wei Two comparative models were proposed to simulate the effects of the reactor configuration on the isothermal chemical vapor infiltration (ICVI) process of C/SiC composites. The difference in the two models is that there is an expansion zone near the reactor inlet in one model while no expansion zone exists in another model. Calculation results show that the existence of the expansion zone has rather negligible effects on the ICVI process. It is accordingly suggested that the simplification of the reactor configuration by neglecting the expansion zone of the reactor is reasonable and acceptable for the ICVI process of C/SiC composites. [source] Effluent treatment using a bipolar electrochemical reactor with rotating cylinder electrodes of woven wire meshesJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Javier M Grau Abstract BACKGROUND: The behaviour of a bipolar electrochemical reactor consisting of one or more rotating cylinder electrodes of woven wire meshes is reported using copper and cadmium deposition from dilute solutions as test reactions. RESULTS: The best performance related to electrode number was determined for copper deposition and was achieved by an arrangement with two bipolar electrodes, for which the conversion in a single pass was approximately 47%. The specific energy consumption was 3.27 kWh kg,1 with a normalised space velocity of 23.05 h,1. The copper powder obtained showed a nodular and dendritic surface morphology. This reactor configuration was also analysed for cadmium deposition, in which hydrogen evolution takes place simultaneously as a side cathodic reaction, considering the effect of flow rate and total current. The maximum conversion per pass for cadmium removal was 38.91%. In this case the reactor with two bipolar electrodes showed a performance similar to that of a monopolar reactor operated at a rotation speed three times higher. CONCLUSION: A continuous electrochemical reactor with two rotating bipolar electrodes of woven wire meshes presents a good performance for copper or cadmium removal from dilute solutions. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Effect of seeding sludge type and hydrodynamic shear force on the aerobic sludge granulation in sequencing batch airlift reactorsASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2009K. Y. Koh Abstract Two sequencing batch airlift reactors (SBARs) were operated simultaneously for two separate runs. In the first run, two different types of seeding sludge were cultivated in two separate reactors under the same superficial air velocity (SAV). In the second run, the same seeding sludge was cultivated in both reactors but under different SAV, i.e. 1.2 and 3.6 cm s,1. Both runs were carried out for a period of about 20 days, during which the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and morphology of sludge were examined. Batch tests using sodium acetate as the main carbon source were conducted to investigate the COD removal efficiency, and the morphologies of sludge were examined under light microscopy. Results showed that the COD removal efficiency improved with cultivation time. Morphological study showed that all cultivated sludge lost their filamentous species after a few days of cultivation, leaving behind communities of loosely packed pellet-like groups. Although the SAV recommended by other researchers was applied to the SBAR, granulation did not take place at the end of both experimental runs. It was suspected that the failure for aerobic sludge to granulate under the selected operating strategies and reactor configuration was partly due to the intrinsic traits of the sludge microbial community. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Autothermal reforming of methane with integrated CO2 capture in novel fluidized bed membrane reactorsASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2009F. Gallucci Abstract Hydrogen production with integrated CO2 capture by autothermal reforming of methane has been investigated in a novel fluidized bed membrane reactor configuration. With a phenomenological reactor model the reactor performance has been investigated over a wide range of operating conditions, viz. temperature, pressure, H2O/CH4 ratio, and membrane area. The results obtained show that pure hydrogen production with integrated CO2 capture is feasible, however, only with a relatively low load/surface ratio (L/S) (<1 m3/m2 h). On the other hand, if complete CO2 capture is not the major aim, the reactor can be operated in a much wider range of L/S (1,10 m3/m2 h) obtaining much higher conversions than achievable with a reactor without membranes, and H2 recoveries higher than 80%, which open up possibilities for industrial application of membrane reactors. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Bioproduction of the aroma compound 2-Phenylethanol in a solid,liquid two-phase partitioning bioreactor system by Kluyveromyces marxianusBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 2 2009Fang Gao Abstract The rose-like aroma compound 2-phenylethanol (2-PE) is an important fragrance and flavor ingredient. Several yeast strains are able to convert l -phenylalanine (l -phe) to 2-PE among which Kluyveromyces marxianus has shown promising results. The limitation of this process is the low product concentration and productivity primarily due to end product inhibition. This study explored the possibility and benefits of using a solid,liquid Two-Phase Partition Bioreactor (TPPB) system as an in situ product removal technique. The system applies polymer beads as the sequestering immiscible phase to partition 2-PE and reduce the aqueous 2-PE concentration to non-inhibitory levels. Among six polymers screened for extracting 2-PE, Hytrel® 8206 performed best with a partition coefficient of 79. The desired product stored in the polymer was ultimately extracted using methanol. A 3,L working volume solid,liquid batch mode TPPB using 500,g Hytrel® as the sequestering phase generated a final overall 2-PE concentration of 13.7,g/L, the highest reported in the current literature. This was based on a polymer phase concentration of 88.74,g/L and aqueous phase concentration of 1.2,g/L. Even better results were achieved via contact with more polymers (approximately 900,g) with the aqueous phase applying a semi-continuous reactor configuration. In this system, a final 2-PE concentration (overall) of 20.4,g/L was achieved with 1.4,g/L in the aqueous and 97,g/L in the polymer phase. The overall productivities of these two reactor systems were 0.38 and 0.43,g/L,h, respectively. This is the first report in the literature of the use of a polymer sequestering phase to enhance the bioproduction of 2-PE, and exceeds the performance of two-liquid phase systems in terms of productivity as well as ease of operation (no emulsions) and ultimate product recovery. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 332,339 © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A Novel Radial-Flow, Spherical-Bed Reactor Concept for Methanol Synthesis in the Presence of Catalyst DeactivationCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 11 2008R. Rahimpour Abstract A radial-flow, spherical-bed reactor concept for methanol synthesis in the presence of catalyst deactivation, has been proposed. This reactor configuration visualizes the concentration and temperature distribution inside a radial-flow packed bed with a novel design for improving reactor performance with lower pressure drop. The dynamic simulation of spherical multi-stage reactors has been studied in the presence of long-term catalyst deactivation. Model equations were solved by the orthogonal collocation method. The performance of the spherical multi-stage reactors was compared with a conventional single-type tubular reactor. The results show that for this case study and with similar reactor specifications and operating conditions, the two-stage spherical reactor is better than other alternatives such as single-stage spherical, three-stage spherical and conventional tubular reactors. By increasing the number of stages of a spherical reactor, one increases the quality of production and decreases the quantity of production. [source] Bioprocesses for air pollution controlJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2009Christian Kennes Abstract Bioprocesses have been developed as relatively recent alternatives to conventional, non-biological technologies, for waste gas treatment and air pollution control in general. This paper reviews major biodegradation processes relevant in this field as well as both accepted and major innovative bioreactor configurations studied or used nowadays for the treatment of polluted air, i.e. biofilters, one- and two-liquid phase biotrickling filters, bioscrubbers, membrane bioreactors, rotating biodiscs and biodrums, one- and two-liquid phase suspended growth bioreactors, as well as hybrid reactor configurations. Some of these bioreactors are being used at full-scale for solving air pollution problems, while others are still at the research and development stage at laboratory- or pilot-scale. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Application of Cavitational reactors for cell disruption for recovery of intracellular enzymesJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2008Parag R. Gogate Abstract Cavitational reactors are a novel and promising form of multiphase reactors, based on the principle of release of a large amount of energy owing to the violent collapse of cavities. This paper presents an overview of cavitational reactors in the specific area of cell disruption for the recovery of intracellular enzymes, in terms of the basic aspects, different reactor configurations including recommendations for optimum operating parameters and review of earlier literature reports. It has been observed that under optimized conditions, cavitational reactors can reduce the energy requirement for the release of intracellular enzymes by an order of magnitude compared with conventional cell disruption techniques used on an industrial scale. However, problems associated with efficient scale-up and operation at conditions required for industrial scale, hamper the successful utilization of cavitational reactors at this time. Some recommendations have been made for the future work required to realize the dream of harnessing the spectacular effects of cavitation phenomena. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Effect of a gas,liquid separator on the hydrodynamics and circulation flow regimes in internal-loop airlift reactorsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Jaroslav Klein Abstract The role of the gas,liquid separator on hydrodynamic characteristics in an internal-loop airlift reactor (ALR) was investigated. Both gas holdup and liquid velocity were measured in a 30,dm3 airlift reactor with two different head configurations: with and without an enlarged separator. A magnetic tracer method using a neutrally buoyant magnetic particle as flowfollower was used to measure the liquid velocity in all sections of the internal-loop airlift reactor. Average liquid circulation velocities in the main parts of the ALR were compared for both reactor configurations. At low air flow rates the separator had no influence on gas holdup, circulation velocity and intensity of turbulence in the downcomer and separator. At higher superficial air velocities, however, the separator design had a decisive effect on the hydrodynamic parameters in the downcomer and the separator. On the other hand, the gas holdup in the riser was only slightly influenced by the separator configuration in the whole range of air flow. Circulation flow regimes, characterising the behaviour of bubbles in the downcomer, were identified and the effect of the separator on these regimes was assessed. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Computational study of staged membrane reactor configurations for methane steam reforming.AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Abstract This article and Part II report a computational study carried out to analyze the performance achievable using a staged membrane reactor in the methane steam reforming process to produce high purity hydrogen. A reaction/separation unit in which reactive stages are laid out in series to permeative stages already proposed in literature (Caravella et al., J Memb Sci. 2008;321:209,221) is modified here to increase its flexibility. The improvement includes the consideration of the Pd-based membrane along the entire length. Two- and ten-staged reactors are examined in terms of methane conversion, hydrogen recovery factor and hydrogen recovery yield, considering co- and counter-current flow configurations. Individual stage lengths are obtained by maximizing either methane conversion or hydrogen recovery yield, comparing the results to the ones of an equivalent traditional reactor and a conventional membrane reactor. The analysis allows demonstrating that the counter-current configuration leads to significant improvements in the hydrogen recovery, but proves almost irrelevant with respect to methane conversion. The influence of the number of stages and the amount of catalyst is quantified in the accompanying part II article. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Computational study of staged membrane reactor configurations for methane steam reforming.AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Abstract The present work complements part I of this article and completes a computational analysis of the performances of staged membrane reactors for methane steam reforming. The influence of the number of stages and catalyst amount is investigated by comparing the methane conversion and hydrogen recovery yield achieved by an equisized-staged reactor to those of an equivalent conventional membrane reactor for different furnace temperatures and flow configurations (co- and counter-current). The most relevant result is that the proposed configuration with a sufficiently high number of stages and a significantly smaller catalyst amount (up to 70% lower) can achieve performances very close to the ones of the conventional unit in all the operating conditions considered. This is equivalent to say that the staged configuration can compensate and in fact substitute a significant part of the catalyst mass of a conventional membrane reactor. To help the interpretation of these results, stage-by-stage temperature and flux profiles are examined in detail. Then, the quantification of the performance losses with respect to the conventional reactor is carried out by evaluating the catalyst amount possibly saved and furnace temperature reduction. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Feasible compositions for random copolymerizations,POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001Raymond L. Smith Using the attainable region approach, feasible compositions and conversions for random copolymers are determined, along with altermatives for the related reactor configurations. This analysis attempts to find all of the possible compositions that can be produced by any system of reactros and mixing. The average copolymer compositions are bounded by the feed composition and the instantaneous copolymer composition produced at the initial conditions. Since the instantaneous copolymer composition can be found through the Mayo-Lewis equation, that case and the feed composition mark the limiting feasible compositions. The results can also be used to determine the range of feed compositions for which a specific copolymer product composition is possible. If the addition of monomer at any point in the reactor system is possible, e.g., by side-feeding, the analysis indicates that any desired copolymer composition can be obtained. [source] Kinetic modeling of cellulosic biomass to ethanol via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation: Part I. Accommodation of intermittent feeding and analysis of staged reactorsBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2009Xiongjun Shao Abstract The model of South et al. [South et al. (1995) Enzyme Microb Technol 17(9): 797,803] for simultaneous saccharification of fermentation of cellulosic biomass is extended and modified to accommodate intermittent feeding of substrate and enzyme, cascade reactor configurations, and to be more computationally efficient. A dynamic enzyme adsorption model is found to be much more computationally efficient than the equilibrium model used previously, thus increasing the feasibility of incorporating the kinetic model in a computational fluid dynamic framework in the future. For continuous or discretely fed reactors, it is necessary to use particle conversion in conversion-dependent hydrolysis rate laws rather than reactor conversion. Whereas reactor conversion decreases due to both reaction and exit of particles from the reactor, particle conversion decreases due to reaction only. Using the modified models, it is predicted that cellulose conversion increases with decreasing feeding frequency (feedings per residence time, f). A computationally efficient strategy for modeling cascade reactors involving a modified rate constant is shown to give equivalent results relative to an exhaustive approach considering the distribution of particles in each successive fermenter. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 59,65. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] CFD Modeling of a Bubble Column Reactor Carrying out a Consecutive A , B , C ReactionCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 4 2004J.M. van Baten Abstract In this paper, we develop a CFD model for describing a bubble column reactor for carrying out a consecutive first-order reaction sequence A , B , C. Three reactor configurations, all operating in the homogeneous bubbly regime, were investigated: (I) column diameter DT = 0.1 m, column height HT = 1.1 m, (II) DT = 0.1 m, HT = 2 m, and (III) DT = 1 m, HT = 5 m. Eulerian simulations were carried out for superficial gas velocities UG in the range of 0.005,0.04 m/s, assuming cylindrical axisymmetry. Additionally, for configurations I and III fully three-dimensional transient simulations were carried out for checking the assumption of cylindrical axisymmetry. For the 0.1 m diameter column (configuration I), 2-D axisymmetric and 3-D transient simulations yield nearly the same results for gas holdup ,G, centerline liquid velocity VL(0), conversion of A, ,A, and selectivity to B, SB. In sharp contrast, for the 1 m diameter column (configuration III), there are significant differences in the CFD predictions of ,G, VL(0), ,A, and SB using 2-D and 3-D simulations; the 2-D strategies tend to exaggerate VL(0), and underpredict ,G, ,A, and SB. The transient 3-D simulation results appear to be more realistic. The CFD simulation results for ,A and SB are also compared with a simple analytic model, often employed in practice, in which the gas phase is assumed to be in plug flow and the liquid phase is well mixed. For the smaller diameter columns (configurations I and II) the CFD simulation results for ,A are in excellent agreement with the analytic model, but for the larger diameter column the analytic model is somewhat optimistic. There are two reasons for this deviation. Firstly, the gas phase is not in perfect plug flow and secondly, the liquid phase is not perfectly mixed. The computational results obtained in this paper demonstrate the power of CFD for predicting the performance of bubble column reactors. Of particular use is the ability of CFD to describe scale effects. [source] | ||||||||||||||||