Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2013, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (6): 36-41.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.06.006cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2013.06.006

• Marine physics • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Mathematical model of light transfer for open photobioreactor

CHEN Zhi-jie1, JIANG Ze-yi1, 2, ZHANG Xin-xin1, 3   

  1. 1. School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; 2. Beijing Engineering Research Center for Energy Saving and Environmental Protection, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; 3. Beijing Key Laboratory for Energy Saving and Emission Reduction of Metallurgical Industry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2012-07-26 Revised:2012-11-27 Online:2013-12-20 Published:2014-01-21

Abstract:

A steady-state, one-dimensional, radiation transport equation (RTE) was used to simulate light transfer in an open photobioreactor, which contains microalgae and carbon dioxide bubbles suspended in water, based on the radiate transport theory. The absorption, scattering, extinction coefficients and scattering phase function of microalgae and bubbles in the RTE was derived from the Mie theory. The RTE was solved by the discrete ordinate method. It was found that the RTE can be converted to the Lambert-Beer’s Law without considering the scattering of bubbles and light scattering of microalgae. The simulation showed the light scattering of bubbles could reduce the light attenuation under low microalgae concentration, and that at high concentration the effect of light scattering of bubble for light attenuation could be ignored.

Key words: photobioreactor, light transfer, Mie theory, mathematical model

CLC Number: 

  • P733.35