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Title: Study of the flow mixing in a novel ARID raceway for algae production

Journal Article · · Renewable Energy
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

A novel flow field for algae raceways has been proposed, which is fundamentally different from traditional paddlewheel-driven raceways. To reduce freezing and heat loss in the raceway during cold time, the water is drained to a deep storage canal. The ground bed of the new raceway has a low slope so that water, lifted by propeller pump, can flow down in laterally-laid serpentine channels, relying on gravitational force. The flow rate of water is controlled so that it can overflow the lateral channel walls and mix with the main flow in the next lower channel, which thus creates a better mixing. In order to optimize the design parameters of the new flow field, methods including flow visualization, local point velocity measurement, and CFD analysis were employed to investigate the flow mixing features. Different combinations of channel geometries and water velocities were evaluated. An optimized flow field design and details of flow mixing are presented. The study offers an innovative design for large scale algae growth raceways which is of significance to the algae and biofuel industry.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Technology Development (EE-20); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0003046; ee0006269
OSTI ID:
1093709
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1592769
Report Number(s):
DOE-DANF-0003046-Q7; 28302-Q
Journal Information:
Renewable Energy, Vol. 62; ISSN 0960-1481
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 20 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (16)

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Review of energy balance in raceway ponds for microalgae cultivation: Re-thinking a traditional system is possible journal February 2013
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Volume of fluid model for an open channel flow problem journal October 2005

Cited By (4)

Numerical prediction of algae cell mixing feature in raceway ponds using particle tracing methods: Numerical Prediction of Algae Cell Mixing Feature in Raceway journal October 2014
Evaluation of microalgae-based biorefinery alternatives journal June 2016
Simulation of algal photobioreactors: recent developments and challenges journal July 2018
Quantitative Evaluation of Passive Scalar Flow Mixing - A Review of Recent Developments journal March 2017

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