The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title:	The characterization of the oxygen transfer capabilities of fermentors
Author:	Adamca, Joseph Stephen
View Online:	njit-etd1980-007 (iv, 71 pages ~ 2.0 MB pdf)
Department:	Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Chemical Engineering
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	McCormick, John E. (Committee chair) Roche, Edward Charles, Jr. (Committee member) Abd-El-Bary, Mahmoud F. (Committee member)
Date:	1980
Keywords:	Fermentation Oxidation Mass transfer
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	A method of characterizing the oxygen mass transfer capabilities of fermentors was developed where volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficients are obtained using a modified sulfite oxidation method in conjunction with on line digital data processing. Carboxymethylcellulose is used in the reaction media to simulate the viscosity of typical non-Newtonian fermentation broths. Using this method, instantaneous values of volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficients can be obtained for various combinations of agitation and airflow rates in different fermentor configurations. This data is useful in the scale up or scale down of fermentors. Data obtained using this method have revealed that for a given fermentor configuration, oxygen transfer capability decreases with increasing medium viscosity up to some critical value, after which further increases in viscosity produce little change in oxygen transfer. Such data were obtained quickly and easily by this method thus demonstrating its usefulness as a tool in characterizing and comparing fermentor oxygen mass transfer capabilities. Accuracy of the data obtained is limited by the accuracy of the sensing devices and control instrumentation employed.