Sharif Digital Repository

Pilot scale experiments were performed on the digestion of dairy cow manure in a semi-continuous process using a mixed plug flow reactor (MPFR) to determine the effects of organic loading rate (OLR), temperature and mixing levels on production biogas and methane yield. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for the design and analysis of experiments with the optimization of OLR, temperature and mixing level during the biogas production process. Experiments were designed as per the central composite design technique. Four cubic mathematical models were derived for prediction of the responses. The optimization study has been carried out to identify the highest yields achievable when... 

The performance of continuous solid state bioreactors having two different solid substrate flow patterns, namely plug flow and completely mixed flow, is quantified for both steady-state and transient operation using a simple mathematical model. The core assumption is that each substrate particle acts as an infinitesimal bioreactor. The residence time distribution of the particles is considered in the formulation of the equations for the mixed-flow bioreactor and the error that results from neglecting it is investigated by comparing the simulation results with those of a completely mixed, continuous bioreactor for submerged liquid fermentation (a chemostat). The model is extended to include... 

Engines that extract energy from low-grade heat sources, e.g., from other processes, have received considerable attention recently. The use of Fluidyne, which is a liquid piston Stirling engine, is quite popular. Herein, we explore the use of liquid-to-vapor phase change in a Fluidyne. This provides two considerable differentiators; (1) exploitation of very low temperature difference ΔT≈30 K, and (2) relatively low temperature ΔT≈330 K heat sources, for producing mechanical work, and thus electrical energy. The influence of three operating parameters, i.e., input heat flux, working fluid, and filling ratio, on the performance of the engine was characterized. Their optimum values, which yield... 

Pichia pastoris is used extensively as a production platform for many recombinant proteins. The dissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the most important factors influencing protein production. The influence of the DO on productivity has not been studied independent from the feed rate. In this work, various DO levels were investigated independent from the feed rate. The model system was recombinant P. pastoris under the control of methanol-induced alcohol oxidase promoter, which expressed HRP as the target protein. No significant effect was observed in terms of titer and specific productivity, which is a confirmation of the fact that the DO in a one-compartment system cannot boost productivity for... 

A chemical kinetic model for i-butane and n-butane catalytic cracking over synthesized HZSM-5 zeolite, with SiO 2/Al 2O 3 = 484, and in a plug flow reactor under various operating conditions, has been developed. To estimate the kinetic parameters of catalytic cracking reactions of i-butane and n-butane, a lump kinetic model consisting of six reaction steps and five lumped components is proposed. This kinetic model is based on mechanistic aspects of catalytic cracking of paraffins into olefins. Furthermore, our model takes into account the effects of both protolytic and bimolecular mechanisms. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm was used to estimate kinetic parameters. Results from statistical... 

In this article, geometry optimization of a jet stirred reactor (JSR) combustor has been carried out for minimum NO emissions in methane oxidation using a combined numerical algorithm based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and differential evolution (DE) optimization. The optimization algorithm is also used to find a fairly accurate reduced mechanism. The combustion kinetics is based on a five-step mechanism with 17 unknowns which is obtained using an optimization DE algorithm for a PSR-PFR reactor based on GRI-3.0 full mechanism. The optimization design variables are the unknowns of the five-step mechanism and the cost function is the concentration difference of pollutants obtained... 

Catalytic partial oxidation of methane in short residence time rhodium coated monolithic reactors offers an attractive route for syngas production. The plug flow and boundary layer flow approximations are considered as computationally efficient substitutes for the full Navier-Stokes model of the reactor while including detailed heterogeneous and homogeneous chemistry. The one dimensional plug flow model has trivial computational demands but only a limited range of application. The boundary layer model provides an excellent, computationally manageable substitute for the full Navier-Stokes model over a wide range of operating conditions. Using the 38-step elementary surface reaction mechanism... 

The liquid-liquid extraction process is well-known for its complexity and often entails intensive modeling and computational efforts to simulate its dynamic behavior. This paper presents a new application of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to predict the modeling parameters of a chemical pilot plant involving a rotating disc liquid-liquid extraction contactor (RDC). In this process, the droplet behavior of the dispersed phase has a strong influence on the mass transfer performance of the column. The mass transfer mechanism inside the drops of the dispersed phase was modeled by the Handlos-Baron circulating drop model with consideration of the effect of forward mixing. Using the Genetic Algorithm...