Numerical simulations of turbulent flows in a stirred dead-end membrane bioreactor are performed by the RNG k-ε model based on finite volume method using Fluent codes. Comparisons of numerical and experimental results confirm the reliability and feasibility of the constructed model. Flow structures such as wake flows and circulation loops in stirred flows were well simulated. An increase of stirring speed is proposed to use to minimize the low velocity region. The single vane stirrer is found to be beneficial for biological separations. Results reveal that the increase of vane number can enhance the mixing effect in flow domains. However, a circular disk stirrer goes against the formation of vertical circulations. The six-vane stirrer is found to be able to provide a uniform distribution of high shear stress.
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Subject: Engineering - Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
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