Photobioreactors: Hydrodynamics and mass transfer

Microalgae have been proven to be a potential source for valuable compounds and energy. However, photobioreactors are far from being optimized. Hydrodynamics is a key parameter as it determines not only the energy demand of the reactor and the mixing quality with respect to dissolved gases, but also influences cell physiology by moving the cells through the strong light gradients. A generalized approach is given to calculate photobioreactors by superposition of fluid flow, light field and physiological cell reactions.