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Interpretation of the gas residence time distributions in large stirred tank reactors

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Abstract

The behaviour of dispersed gas in large aerated stirred tank reactors is modelled by means of a Markov-process, which distinguishes between small recirculation bubbles with “stagnant gas” content, large rising bubbles with “active gas” content and exchange of stagnant and active gas contents, the “gas exchange” region at the impeller. The measurements of the gas residence time distributions (RTDs) in an 1.5 m3 aerated stirred tank reactor with water and Penicillium chrysogenum cultivation medium are interpreted by this model.

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Abbreviations

CPR:

CO2 production rate

OTR:

oxygen transfer rate

PRS:

pseudo random signal

RTD:

residence time distribution

V :

gas volume

α :

recirculation coefficient

τ :

mean gas residence time

act :

active gas

ex :

gas exchange

stagn :

stagnant gas

tot :

total gas

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Author notes

  1. H. M. Rüffer

    Present address: Hoechyst Co, Höchst

  2. A. Ross & W. D. Deckwer

    Present address: Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH (GBF), Mascheroder Weg I, D-38124, Braunschweig, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Technische Chemie, Universität Hannover, Callinstr. 3, D-30167, Hannover, Germany

    H. M. Rüffer, A. Pethö, K. Schügerl, A. Lübbert, A. Ross & W. D. Deckwer

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  1. H. M. Rüffer
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  2. A. Pethö
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  3. K. Schügerl
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  4. A. Lübbert
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  5. A. Ross
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  6. W. D. Deckwer
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Additional information

Dedicated to the 65th birthday of Professor Fritz Wagner.

The authors thank Hoechst AG for the strain and the medium components, the GBF for the support of the experiments and H.M. Rüffer thanks the Verband der Chemischen Industrie for a Fond-der-Chemie scholarship.

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Rüffer, H.M., Pethö, A., Schügerl, K. et al. Interpretation of the gas residence time distributions in large stirred tank reactors. Bioprocess Engineering 11, 145–152 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00518736

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00518736

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