Cultivation of the photosynthesis microorganism in a Taylor-Couette vortex flow with a small aspect ratio

摘要

This study focuses on the dynamics of the Taylor-Couette Vortex Flow (TVF) in a photo-bioreactor in which CO_(2) is changed to O_(2) with high efficiency by the photosynthesis ability of micro algae. Stirring by means of a screw propeller is generally used for a simple agitation. However, the problem is that there exists a very high shearing flow region just near the propeller, which causes the destruction of the alga cell by the shearing force. In contrast, the TVF mixing is expected to reduce such a local and random shearing force because of their column of steady and orderly vortices. In this study, the relationship between the microorganism growth rate and the flow structures in dilute suspensions of a TVF is investigated and the flow characteristics are measured by using an ultrasonic velocity profiler with a small aspect ratio of 3.