Hydrodynamic model for liquid‐impelled loop reactors

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Abstract
A new type of bioreactor, in which two liquid phases are used, is introduced and a model description of its hydrodynamic behavior is given. The model is based on the two‐phase drift‐flux model of Zuber and Findlay and on a friction coefficient derived from one‐phase flow theory. Drop sizes, necessary for model calculations, were estimated from literature correlations and photographically verified. The model predicts the continuous‐phase circulation velocity and dispersed‐phase hold‐up within an accuracy of 5% for a pilot‐plant reactor, and within 10% for a lab‐scale reactor. Only at very low ranges, especially on lab scale, is this accuracy not attained.