Hydrodynamic simulation of stirred gas-liquid bioreactor for the optimization of the rotation speed of Rushton impellers using CFD

In the present research, the effect of altering the rotational speed of the Rushton impeller inside the bioreactor was simulated and investigated for proper air distribution and changes in the shear stress rate. The simulation was performed using the multiphase approach of the zero-equation scattered phase model, via the K-Epsilon Standard perturbation model, in stable three-dimensional manner using ANSYS Products 2019 R3 and Ansys CFX software packages. The governing equations of the system were solved by the finite volume method for the entire system. To properly inject air into the bioreactor, a sparger ring was used under the impeller. The results revealed that increasing the impeller rotation speed could help better disperse the air inside the bioreactor. However, it also increases the shear stress rate inside the bioreactor. It was also shown that increasing the speed and getting more energy from it creates turbulence in the liquid. Additionally, its effect on the gas phase is reduced for the rotation speeds more than 150 rpm. Considering the rotation speed of the impeller and its effect on the mixing of gas-liquid phase, the intra-liquid stress and the average mass transfer rate, the speed of 350 to 450 rpm may be considered as the optimal speed. Finally, it was found that by increasing the rotation speed of the impeller, better mixing in the bioreactor could not be achieved and the optimal speed had to be determined.