Photo-Optical In-Situ Measurement of Drop Size Distributions: Applications in Research and Industry

• Main Authors: Panckow Robert P., Reinecke Laura, Cuellar Maria C., Maaß Sebastian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2017-05-01
• Series: Oil & Gas Science and Technology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2516/ogst/2017009

The exact knowledge of Drop Size Distributions (DSD) plays a major role in various fields of applications to control and optimise processes as well as reduce waste. In the microbial production of advanced biofuels, oil droplets are produced under turbulent conditions in an aqueous medium containing many surface active components, which might hinder the recovery of the product. Knowledge of DSD is thus essential for process optimisation. This study demonstrates the capability of a photo-optical measurement method for DSD measurement in fermentation broth and in plate separators aimed at cost reduction in the microbial production of advanced biofuels. Measurements were made with model mixtures in a bioreactor, and at the inlet and outlet of a plate separator. In the bioreactor, the method was effective in detecting a broad range of droplet sizes and in differentiating other disperse components (e.g. microbial cells and gas bubbles). In the plate separator, the method was effective in determining the influence of the varied parameters on the separation efficiency.