Effect of tank size on <i>k</i>_L<i>a</i> and mixing time in aerated stirred reactors with non‐newtonian fluids

Abstract

Abstract The most important scale‐up parameters of aerated bioreactors are investigated in 42 and 340 L vessels, with water and various xanthan gum and carboxymethyl cellulose solutions. The study focuses mainly on mass transfer ( k L a ) measurements under various operating conditions. The relevance of existing correlations is discussed. The traditional viscosity‐contribution approach appears unable to predict the changes in k L a during scale‐up and an alternative formulation is proposed. The effect of rheology on power consumption and mixing time is in fair agreement with works published on this topic.