CFD analysis of liquid flow pattern and floc particulates in a new multi-environment wastewater treatment system

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The investigation of bioreactor hydrodynamics is a prerequisite for its proper design and scale up which are required for full-scale operation of industrial bioreactors. These studies provide information about liquid retention time and flow patterns, gas hold up, oxygen transfer coefficient and power input per liquid volume in the bioreactor. Hydrodynamic evaluations have been traditionally carried out at laboratory- or pilot-scale setups, requiring elaborate experiments and rigorous methodologies conducted at an extended period of time. The use of multi-environment bioreactors that use hybrid designs and require lower capital and operational costs are encouraged in industrial operations due to the numerous technical and economical advantages that they offer compared to the conventional technologies. However, these bioreactors, due to their unconventional design and operation strategies, require a thorough hydrodynamic evaluation in order to ensure their adequate design and scale up. In view of this, industries often complement hydrodynamic characterization studies with computer modeling and simulation analysis in order to expand the examined range of parameters in a shorter time and at a fraction of usual expenses. It is the objective of the proposed project to employ computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of new multi-environment bioreactors, advancing the understanding of their operation principles while facilitating their optimized design at large-scale operations. Special focus will be on the impact of bioreactor geometry and operating conditions including influent liquid and air flow rates on liquid flow pattern and circulation, residence time distribution in various zones of bioreactors, as well as particulate trajectories and floc precipitation rate. The proposed research project will be carried out under the joint supervision of researchers at Concordia University and SNC-Lavalin. This project will provide excellent training for graduate students, and specialized skills particularly attractive to the water and wastewater treatment industry.