Airlift fermentation tank for continuous fermentation

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of airlift fermentation tanks, and discloses an airlift fermentation tank for continuous fermentation, a first interface is arranged at the bottom end of a fermentation tank main body, a second interface is arranged at the top end of the fermentation tank main body, the second interface is connected with a gas-liquid separation tank, and the first interface is respectively connected with a first water pump and a second water pump through pipelines; the first water pump and the second water pump are respectively connected with the fermentation tank main body through a return pipeline, a venturi mixer is mounted on the return pipeline, and the gas-liquid separation tank is connected with the venturi mixer through a pipeline. The method does not need to stop the tank for maintenance, can maintain continuous operation of the fermentation system for a long time, and does not affect normal production; the consumption of compressed air can be reduced, and the cost is saved; due to the fact that the gas-liquid separation tank at the top is additionally arranged, the gas suction function of the Venturi mixer and other auxiliary bubble breaking equipment are matched, bubbles generated in the fermentation process can be rapidly broken, the charging coefficient of the fermentation tank body can be increased to 80-90% from 50-60%, and the production efficiency gt is improved; and 50%.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of air-lift fermenters, and particularly relates to an air-lift fermenter for continuous fermentation. Background Art

[0002] An air-lift fermenter is a device applied in the field of biological fermentation. It uses an air nozzle to eject high-speed air, and the air is dispersed in the liquid in the form of bubbles. On the side where air is introduced, the average density of the liquid decreases, while on the non-aerated side, the liquid density is relatively large. Thus, a density difference is generated, forming a liquid circulation in the fermenter, which can keep solid particles or even heavier particles completely suspended, facilitating the full mixing and reaction of the gas-liquid-solid three phases. Therefore, air-lift fermenters are widely used in large-scale microbial fermentations, such as aerobic fermentation processes for antibiotics, amino acids, enzyme preparations, vitamins, organic acids, etc.

[0003] The circulation power of the existing air-lift fermenter is only the gas lift force, and its circulation and mixing effects are relatively poor, requiring more compressed air consumption, resulting in an increase in the cost of compressed air. On the other hand, various sensors are installed inside the air-lift fermenter, and sensors are vulnerable equipment. When a sensor is damaged, the fermenter needs to be stopped for maintenance, which affects normal production.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the defects existing in the above-mentioned prior art has become the direction of efforts for those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an air-lift fermenter for continuous fermentation, which can completely solve the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art. During production, the fermenter device does not need to be stopped for maintenance, and can continuously operate the fermentation system for a long time without affecting normal production; it can reduce the consumption of compressed air and save costs; the charging coefficient of the fermenter main body can be increased from 50 - 60% to 80 - 90%, and the production efficiency can be increased by more than 50%.

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0007] An air-lift fermenter for continuous fermentation includes a fermenter main body. The bottom end of the fermenter main body is provided with a first interface, and the top end is provided with a second interface. The second interface is connected to an air-liquid separation tank. The first interface is respectively connected to a first water pump and a second water pump through pipelines. The first water pump and the second water pump are each connected to the fermenter main body through a return pipeline. A Venturi mixer is installed on the return pipeline, and the air-liquid separation tank is connected to the Venturi mixer through a pipeline.

[0008] Further, a circular draft tube is fixedly installed inside the fermentation tank body. Both the upper and lower ends of the circular draft tube are open, forming a descending channel inside the circular draft tube, and an ascending channel is formed between the outer wall of the circular draft tube and the inner wall of the fermentation tank body. An air inlet hole is provided at the bottom of the fermentation tank body corresponding to the ascending channel, and the air inlet hole is externally connected to a compressed air source through a pipeline.

[0009] Further, an exhaust gas port is provided on the gas-liquid separation tank.

[0010] Further, the gas-liquid separation tank is respectively connected to the two Venturi mixers through pipelines.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the structure is simple and the design is reasonable. The circulating power is provided by gas lift and the forced circulation force of the water pump. Its circulating effect is better than that of the existing air-lift fermentation tank, which can reduce the consumption of compressed air and save the cost of compressed air. Specifically:

[0012] (1) The present invention is provided with two sets of external circulation systems through the first water pump and the second water pump, and they can operate independently. When the sensor on one of the external circulation systems is damaged, only need to stop running this circulation pipeline and replace the sensor, and the other external circulation system can still operate normally without stopping the tank for maintenance, which can maintain the continuous operation of the fermentation system for a long time and does not affect normal production;

[0013] (2) The circulating power of the present invention is provided by gas lift and the forced circulation force of the water pump. Its circulating effect is better than that of the existing air-lift fermentation tank, which can reduce the consumption of compressed air and save the cost of compressed air;

[0014] (3) And due to the addition of the gas-liquid separation tank at the top, combined with the air suction function of the Venturi mixer and other auxiliary foam-breaking equipment, the bubbles generated during the fermentation process can be quickly destroyed, and the charging coefficient of the fermentation tank body can also be increased from 50%-60% to 80%-90%, and the production efficiency of the equipment is increased by more than 50%. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure can be more thoroughly understood and the scope of the present disclosure can be completely conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0017] Such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, an air-lift fermenter for continuous fermentation includes a fermenter main body 1. A first interface 2 is provided at the bottom end of the fermenter main body 1, and a second interface 3 is provided at the top end. The second interface 3 is connected to an air-liquid separation tank 4. The first interface 2 is respectively connected to a first water pump 5 and a second water pump 6 through pipelines. The first water pump 5 and the second water pump 6 are each connected to the fermenter main body 1 through a reflux pipeline 7. A Venturi mixer 8 is installed on the reflux pipeline 7. The air-liquid separation tank 4 is connected to the Venturi mixer 8 through a pipeline.

[0018] In this embodiment, a circular draft tube 9 is fixedly provided inside the fermenter main body 1. Both the upper and lower ends of the circular draft tube 9 are open. A downcomer 10 is formed inside the circular draft tube 9. An upcomer 11 is formed between the outer wall of the circular draft tube 9 and the inner wall of the fermenter main body 1. An air inlet hole is provided at the bottom of the fermenter main body 1 corresponding to the upcomer 11. The air inlet hole is externally connected to a compressed air source through a pipeline. A pipeline is connected to the bottom of the fermenter main body 1 corresponding to the downcomer 10, and is connected to the first water pump 5 and the second water pump 6 through the pipeline.

[0019] In this embodiment, an exhaust gas port 12 is provided on the air-liquid separation tank 4.

[0020] In this embodiment, a static mixer (not shown in the figure) is installed on the pipeline between the Venturi mixer 8 and the fermenter main body 1. The mixing effect of the static mixer is better than that of a traditional gas nozzle, which can improve the mixing effect of oxygen in the compressed air, increase the oxygen partial pressure in the fermentation broth, improve the fermentation intensity, and thus reduce the production cost.

[0021] The circulating power of the present invention is provided by gas lift and water pump forced circulation force. Its circulating effect is better than that of existing air-lift fermenters, which can reduce the consumption of compressed air and save the cost of compressed air.

[0022] The present invention is provided with an air-liquid separation tank 4, which is used for air-liquid separation after the formation of fermentation broth foam, and extracts bubbles and gas in the air-liquid separation tank 4 through the Venturi mixer 8 to promote air-liquid separation and return it to the fermentation broth. Through the cooperation of the air-liquid separation tank and the air suction function of the Venturi mixer, the present invention can quickly break the bubbles generated during the fermentation process, so that the charging coefficient of this fermenter is increased from 50%-60% of the conventional air-lift fermenter to 80%-90%, improving the fermentation efficiency and reducing the fixed asset investment and fermentation cost.

[0023] The present invention is provided with two sets of external circulation systems through the first water pump 5 and the second water pump 6, and they can operate independently. Various sensors are installed on each set of external circulation systems to monitor the operation of the fermentation system in real time. When the sensors on one set of external circulation systems are damaged, the other set of external circulation systems can still operate normally without stopping the tank for maintenance, and can maintain the continuous operation of the fermentation system for a long time without affecting normal production. The external circulation system is composed of a water pump, a Venturi mixer, various sensors and pipelines, and a static mixer can also be added thereto.

[0024] During operation, an air nozzle is installed at the air inlet hole at the bottom of the fermentation tank main body. Compressed air is sprayed into the fermentation liquid in the fermentation tank main body through the air nozzle. The air velocity sprayed from the air nozzle can reach 250 - 300 (m / s), so that the air forms fine bubbles. These fine bubbles are fully mixed with the fermentation liquid to form a gas-liquid mixture. Due to the presence of the bubbles, the density of the gas-liquid mixture decreases. At the same time, the jet kinetic energy of the compressed air also promotes the liquid in the fermentation tank main body to move upward along the rising channel. When the gas-liquid mixture rises to the upper liquid level in the fermentation tank main body, a part of the bubbles break, and the gas is discharged into the upper space. The fermentation liquid with a reduced gas holdup and an increased density after discharging part of the gas starts to move downward along the descending channel to the bottom of the fermentation tank main body, and then enters the rising channel, so as to circulate continuously, realizing the continuous circulation flow of the liquid in the fermentation tank. During this process, the Venturi mixer extracts the bubbles and gas at the top of the fermentation tank main body through the gas-liquid separation tank to promote gas-liquid separation and recover part of the gas. The first water pump or / and the second water pump pumps out part of the refluxed fermentation liquid from the bottom of the fermentation tank main body and feeds it into the Venturi mixer, mixes it with the collected bubbles and gas, and then feeds in fresh compressed air. The mixture promotes the efficient mixing of the gas and liquid through the static mixer, and the finally mixed gas-liquid mixture is fed into the rising channel.

[0025] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline the present disclosure and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the above description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the disclosed method should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than those expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the following claims, the inventive aspects lie in less than all the features of the single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim stands on its own as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Those skilled in the art can understand that the modules in the devices in the embodiments can be adaptively changed and arranged in one or more devices different from the embodiments. The modules or units or components in the embodiments can be combined into one module or unit or component, and in addition, they can be divided into multiple sub-modules or sub-units or sub-components. Except that at least some of such features and / or processes or units are mutually exclusive, any combination can be adopted to combine all the features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) and all the processes or units of any method or device so disclosed. Unless otherwise clearly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) can be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0027] In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that although some of the embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments rather than other features, the combination of the features of different embodiments means that it is within the scope of the present invention and forms different embodiments.

[0028] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate the present invention rather than limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art can design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention can be implemented by means of hardware including several different elements and by means of a properly programmed computer. In the unit claims listing several devices, several of these devices can be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc. does not denote any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0029] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An airlift fermenter for continuous fermentation, comprising a fermenter body, characterized in that: a first interface is provided at the bottom end of the fermenter body, and a second interface is provided at the top end, the second interface is connected to a gas-liquid separation tank, the first interface is connected to a first water pump and a second water pump respectively through pipelines, the first water pump and the second water pump are each connected to the fermenter body through a reflux pipeline, a venturi mixer is installed on the reflux pipeline, and the gas-liquid separation tank is connected to the venturi mixer through a pipeline.

2. The airlift fermenter for continuous fermentation according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circular flow guide cylinder is fixedly arranged in the fermentation tank body, and the upper and lower ends of the circular flow guide cylinder are open to form a descending channel inside the circular flow guide cylinder, and an ascending channel is formed between the outer wall of the circular flow guide cylinder and the inner wall of the fermentation tank body. An air inlet is arranged at the bottom of the fermentation tank body corresponding to the ascending channel, and the air inlet is connected to an external compressed air source through a pipeline.

3. The airlift fermenter for continuous fermentation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas-liquid separation tank is provided with a waste gas outlet.

4. The airlift fermenter for continuous fermentation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas-liquid separation tank is connected to the two venturi mixers through pipelines respectively.

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