modelingflowinsideabeakercontainingcouponsandfilled.docVIP

Modeling flow inside a beaker containing coupons and filled with bacterial suspensions By, Vijaya Krishna Bodla S041492 Introduction: 3 Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): 4 CFD Analysis: 5 Preprocessing in Gambit: 6 Solver - Fluent Simulations: 8 Post Processing: 9 Conclusion: 14 References: 15 Introduction: In the past many researchers have investigated the formation and removal of biofilm from coupons of materials in beakers filled with bacterial suspensions. The main causes for the formation of the biofilm over surfaces contaminated with micro-organisms are: The microorganisms must adhere to the exposed surfaces of the device long enough to become irreversibly attached The rate of cell attachment depends on the number and types of cells in the liquid The flow rate of liquid through the device Physicochemical characteristics of the surface Microbial biofilms develop when microorganisms irreversibly adhere to a submerged surface and produce extra cellular polymers that facilitate adhesion and provide a structural matrix. This surface may be inert, nonliving material or living tissue. But once these cells irreversibly attach and produce extra-cellular polysaccharides to develop a biofilm, rate of growth is influenced by flow rate, nutrient composition of the medium, antimicrobial-drug concentration, and ambient temperature. One of the important aspects which should be accounted for is the effect of wall-shear stress which can in cases have a significant effect on the biofilm characteristics locally on the coupons. Many researchers have discussed this effect in their articles, like Y. Liu and J.-H. Tay have studied the effect of ‘Metabolic response of biofilm to shear stress in fixed-film culture’. Their results suggested that ‘Smooth, dense and stable biofilm formed at relatively high shear stress. Higher dehydrogenase activity and lower growth yield were obta