Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons^™

Beneficial Reuse Of Industrial Co2 Emissions Using A Microalgae Photobioreactor: Waste Heat Utilization Assessment, Daniel T. Mohler, Michael H. Wilson, Zhen Fan, John G. Groppo, Mark Crocker

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Microalgae are a potential means of recycling CO₂ from industrial point sources. With this in mind, a novel photobioreactor (PBR) was designed and deployed at a coal-fired power plant. To ascertain the feasibility of using waste heat from the power plant to heat algae cultures during cold periods, two heat transfer models were constructed to quantify PBR cooling times. The first, which was based on tabulated data, material properties and the physical orientation of the PBR tubes, yielded a range of heat transfer coefficients of 19–64 W m⁻² K⁻¹ for the PBR at wind speeds of 1–10 …

Designing And Development Of A Photobioreactor For Optimizing The Growth Of Micro Algae And Studying Its Growth Parameters, Sarmila Katuwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the estimated value of materials required to grow 1g of biomass and the analysis of the light intensity with respect to flow path and flow rate. This thesis aims to design the sparger for a flat plate Photobioreactor, study the flow patterns at different flow rate of air flow and check the performance of flat plate PBR by growing the cyanobacteria. The estimated value to produce 1g of biomass (C_44.6H₇O₂₅N_7.68P_0.9S_0.3) was 0.099g of N, 0.493g of C, 0.160 g of Na, 0.026 g of P, …

Photobioreactor Design For Improved Energy Efficiency Of Microalgae Production, Alexander Burns

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Photobioreactor Design for Improved Energy Efficiency of Microalgae Production

Alexander Burns

The objective of this research was to investigate a new photobioreactor (PBR) design for microalgae production that retains the typical advantages of existing tubular PBRs while reducing power consumption by providing simultaneous culture circulation and gas exchange with airlift alone and no centrifugal recirculating pump. Traditional tubular PBR designs feature a compressed air supply and a centrifugal pump for culture circulation and gas exchange. Circulation and gas exchange in a closed-system PBR is necessary to keep the algae suspended and to provide sufficient mass transfer (mainly for the …

Airlift Column Photobioreactors For Porphyridium Sp. Culturing: Part I. Effects Of Hydrodynamics And Reactor Geometry, Hu Ping Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Photosynthetic Microorganisms Have Been Attracting World Attention for their Great Potential as Renewable Energy Sources in Recent Years. Cost Effective Production in Large Scale, However, remains a Major Challenge to overcome. It is Known to the Field that Turbulence Could Help Improving the Performance of Photobioreactors Due to the So-Called Flashing Light Effects. Better Understanding of the Multiphase Fluid Dynamics and the Irradiance Distribution Inside the Reactor that Cause the Flashing Light Effects, as Well as Quantifying their Impacts on the Reactor Performance, Thus, Are Crucial for Successful Design and Scale-Up of Photobioreactors. in This Study, a Species of Red …

Airlift Column Photobioreactors For Porphyridium Sp. Culturing: Part Ii. Verification Of Dynamic Growth Rate Model For Reactor Performance Evaluation, Hu Ping Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dynamic Growth Rate Model Has Been Developed to Quantify the Impact of Hydrodynamics on the Growth of Photosynthetic Microorganisms and to Predict the Photobioreactor Performance. Rigorous Verification of Such Reactor Models, However, is Rare in the Literature. in This Part of Work, Verification of a Dynamic Growth Rate Model Developed in Luo and Al-Dahhan (2004) [Biotech Bioeng 85(4): 382-393.] Was Attempted using the Experimental Results Reported in Part I of This Work and Results from Literature. the Irradiance Distribution Inside the Studied Reactor Was Also Measured at Different Optical Densities and Successfully Correlated by the Lambert-Beer Law. When Reliable Hydrodynamic …

Verification And Validation Of Cfd Simulations For Local Flow Dynamics In A Draft Tube Airlift Bioreactor, Hu Ping Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Airlift Reactors Have Been Recognized as One of the Promising Photobioreactors for Biomass/bio-Energy Production, Where Mixing Has Significant Impact on the Reactor Performance. in Recent Years, using CFD Simulations to Track Microorganism Cells and to Generate their Trajectories in the Reactor for Reactor Performance Evaluations Becomes More Common. However, there is a Lack of Systematic and Rigorous Verifications and Validations of the Reliability of CFD Models in Particle Tracking Against Experimental Measurements in the Open Literature, Which is Vital for the Faithful Application of CFD in Reactor Design and Scale-Ups. in This Work, We Attempt to Evaluate the Reliability of …

Temperature Influence And Heat Management Requirements Of Microalgae Cultivation In Photobioreactors, Thomas Hagen Mehlitz

Master's Theses

Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuel production for the future. The most efficient way to produce vast amounts of algal biomass is the use of closed tubular photobioreactors (PBR). The heat requirement for a given system is a major concern since the best algae growth rates are obtained between 25-30 °C, depending on the specific strain. A procedure to determine temperature influence on algal growth rates was developed for a lab-scale PBR system using the species Chlorella. A maximum growth rate of 1.44 doublings per day at 29 °C (optimal temperature) was determined. In addition, …

Analyzing And Modeling Of Photobioreactors By Combining First Principles Of Physiology And Hydrodynamics, Hu Ping Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mixing in Photobioreactors is Known to Enhance Biomass Productivity Considerably, and Flow Dynamics Play a Significant Role in the Reactor's Performance, as They Determine the Mixing and the Cells' Movement. in This Work We Focus on Analyzing the Effects of Mixing and Flow Dynamics on the Photobioreactor Performance. based on Hydrodynamic Findings from the CARPT(Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking) Technique, a Possible Mechanism for the Interaction between the Mixing and the Physiology of Photosynthesis is Presented, and the Effects of Flow Dynamics on Light Availability and Light Intensity Fluctuation Are Discussed and Quantitatively Characterized. Furthermore, a Dynamic Modeling Approach is …

Analysis Of Photobioreactors For Culturing High-Value Microalgae And Cyanobacteria Via An Advanced Diagnostic Technique: Carpt, Hu Ping Luo, Abdenour Kemoun, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan, J. M.Fernández Sevilla, J. L.García Sánchez, F. García Camacho, E. Molina Grima

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Photosynthetic Algal Cultures Are a Potential Source of Many High-Value Products. in Photobioreactors (PBR), the Availability and the Intensity of the Light, Which Are Affected by the Cells' Movement, Are the Major Factors Controlling the Biomass Productivity. Hydrodynamics, Hence, Play a Significant Role in the Reactor's Performance, as They Determine Not Only the Flow Field, I.e. Liquid Flow and Mixing, Shear Stresses, Etc., But Also the Movements of the Cells. in This Work, Computer-Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking (CARPT) Technique Was Employed to Evaluate its Feasibility for Characterizing PBRs. Liquid Velocity Profiles, Cells' Movement, and the Temporal Irradiance Patterns Obtained by …