Modeling of the velocity profile of a bioreactor: the concept of biochemical process

C. P. Ukpaka and F. U. Igwe

Abstract

This research covers the modeling of the velocity profile of a bioreactor with recycle; the concept of biochemical process. The biochemical process adopted is fermentation and a plug-flow fermenter (PFF) was taken as a case study. The
derivation of workable model equations for monitoring and predicting the velocity profile of a PFF were obtained, together with obtaining the model equations for investigating the effect of microbial and substrate concentrations on the discharge coefficient, bioreactor’s volume. Constant data were sourced from literatures, together with hypothetical values to simulate the derived model equations using Mathlab. The substrate concentration decreases with time as biomass population increases with time. Effect of biomass concentration on discharge coefficient, shows that increase in biomass concentration brings a corresponding increase in the discharge coefficient as well as the bioreactor’s volume revealed that substrate concentration is depleting alongside with bioreactor’s volume follows the same trend of change when substrate concentration is decreasing irrespective of whether the length or area of the bioreactor is varied. The effect of microbial concentration on bioreactor volume when area and length of bioreactor are varied reveals that the process followed same trend only that there is a presence of lag phase upon the influence of inhibitors. The inverse substrate concentration increases, the space velocity also increases, and there is a linear trend of change on the inverse substrate concentration with respect to space velocity.