Airlift Loop Reactor Gas Recirculation for Transesterification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current airlift loop reactors in biochemical and fermentation industries rely on external gases for liquid circulation, leading to high costs and material loss, as they do not effectively utilize internal gases generated during reactions.
Innovation Solution
An airlift loop reactor design where the gas outlet is connected to the gas inlet, with a gas pump in the circulation line, allowing internal gases to be reused as the circulation impetus, reducing the need for external gases and minimizing raw material loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If external gases are supplied from the bottom of the reactor as impetus, then liquid circulation and mixing are achieved, but gas consumption costs and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers gases generated during the biochemical reaction process and reuses them as the impetus for liquid circulation. Instead of discarding these internally generated gases, they are captured and pumped back to the bottom of the reactor to drive circulation, thereby eliminating the need for external gas supply and reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactor system uses its own internally generated gases to serve the function of driving liquid circulation, rather than relying on external gas sources. The gases produced during the reaction process automatically become the driving force for circulation when recirculated, making the system self-sufficient and reducing operational costs.
2Productivity
If external gases are used for circulation, then the reaction system can maintain liquid flow, but raw material loss increases due to open structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a closed-loop gas recirculation system where gases generated during reactions are captured and reused. This prevents raw material loss by keeping the reaction system closed, while still maintaining effective liquid circulation through the recirculated gases.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating a closed reaction system that recirculates internally generated gases, the patent establishes a controlled environment that prevents raw material escape. The recirculated gas atmosphere maintains reaction conditions while minimizing material loss to the external environment.
3Quantity of substance
If a gas circulation line with gas pump is installed, then internal gases can be reused as impetus, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas circulation line and pump serve multiple functions: they collect internally generated gases, transport them to the bottom of the reactor, and enable their reuse as circulation impetus. This multi-functional design justifies the added complexity by eliminating the need for separate external gas supply systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation of the gas circulation system enables the recovery and reuse of internally generated gases. The additional device complexity is offset by the significant reduction in external gas consumption and production costs, making the investment in circulation infrastructure economically justified.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces external gas consumption and production costs, making the process more economically viable and applicable to various biochemical and fermentation processes, including biodiesel production through transesterification reactions.
Implementation Method 1
an airlift loop reactor without the need for external gases... uses gases as the impetus to realize the mix and circulation of liquids
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
This invention provides an airlift loop reactor without the need for external gases, which comprises main reactor (1), gas circulation line (2), gas pump (3), jacket (4), gas inlet (5), gas outlet (6), flow guider (7), gas flowmeter (8), feed inlet (9) and discharge opening (10). It is characterized by: connecting the gas outlet (6) on top of the airlift loop reactor to the gas inlet (5) at the bottom of the reactor, and installing the gas pump (3) in gas circulation line (2), hence directly using the internal gases as the circulation impetus, so that gases are directed by the gas circulation line (2) back to the bottom of the reactor after flowing out from the top of the reactor and then re-ejected into the reactor by the gas pump (3) and used as circulation impetus again. Compared to common airlift loop reactors which use external gases as the impetus; the airlift loop reactor of the present invention effectively reduces the cost of using external gases and hence diminishes production costs. Therefore, it has very good prospects for industrial application.