(Gas-)liquid-solid circulating fluidized beds and their potential applications to bioreactor engineering

• Published in: Canadian journal of chemical engineering 2000-02, Vol.78 (1), p.82-94
• Main Authors: Zhu, Jing-Xu (Jesse), Karamanev, Dimitre G., Bassi, Amarjeet S., Zheng, Ying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Chemical engineering; circulating fluidized bed; Exact sciences and technology; Fluidization; fluidization regimes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas-liquid-solid fluidization; Gases; Hydrodynamics; liquid-solids fluidization; Liquids; Mathematical models; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; modelling; Multiphase flow; Others; Reactors; Solids; Various methods and equipments
• ISSN: 0008-4034; 1939-019X
• DOI: 10.1002/cjce.5450780113

Compared with conventional fluidized beds, circulating fluidized beds have many advantages including better interfacial contacting and reduced backmixing (Lim et al., 1995). While there are many reports on the gas—solid circulating fluidized systems, liquid—solid and gas—liquid—solid circulating fluidized bed systems have been scantily studied. However, extending current knowledge obtained in gas—solid systems to liquid—solids and gas—liquid—solid three‐phase systems is shown to open new horizons for applications of circulating fluidized bed technology and expected to lead to the development of highly efficient liquid—solid and gas—liquid—solid reactors, especially for the ever growing field of biotechnology. In order to fully appreciate the potential of those two types of liquid phase circulating fluidized beds, recent progress is reviewed in this article. Their potential applications to biochemical processes are also discussed. Comparativement aux lits fluidisés classiques, les lits fluidisés circulants offrent de nombreux avantages, dont un meilleur contact interfacial et un rétromélange réduit (Lim et al., 1995). Bien qu'un nombre important d'articles paraissent sur les systèmes fluidisés circulants gaz—solide, les systèmes à lits fluidisés circulants liquide—solide et gaz—liquide—solide ont fait l'objet de peu d'études. On montre cependant que l'utilisation des connaissances actuelles sur les systèmes gaz—solide pour les étendre aux systèmes liquide—solides et aux systèmes triphasiques gaz—liquide—solide ouvre de nouveaux horizons à l'application de la technologie du lit fluidisé circulant et devrait permettre le développement de réacteurs liquide—solide et gaz—liquide—solide hautement efficaces, en particulier pour le secteur de la biotechnologie toujours en croissance. Afin d'apprécier pleinement le potentiel de ces deux types de lits fluidisés circulants en phase liquide, les derniers progrès en la matière sont passés en revue dans cet article. Leurs applications potentielles aux procédés biochimiques sont également examinées.