Coupling Multiphase Hydrodynamic Simulations and Biological Modelling of an Anammox Reactor

This study integrated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and biological modeling (Activated Sludge Models) for the description of a novel anammox reactor configuration. This results in a full description of the hydrodynamics, the mixing degree of the system and biological performance within the overall reactor domain. The large recirculation of the system and the internal plates favored the correct mixing of the overall system, despite a particular point of preferable way of flow in the inlet stream of the reactor. From the removal rates distributions calculated with CFD and biomodel, it was feasible to demonstrate that the 45% of the domain had a zero reaction order in respect with the ammonium substrate (nitrite was in excess). The use of CFD and biomodels was demonstrated to be a powerful tool for the design and optimization of novel biological reactors, and especially for the Anammox process.