  In order to enhance the understanding of membrane fouling mechanism, the
hydrodynamics of granular flow in a stirred enzymatic membrane reactor was
numerically investigated in the present study. A three-dimensional Euler-Euler
model, coupled with k-e mixture turbulence model and drag function for
interphase momentum exchange, was applied to simulate the two-phase
(fluid-solid) turbulent flow. Numerical simulations of single- or two-phase
turbulent flow under various stirring speed were implemented. The numerical
results coincide very well with some published experimental data. Results for
the distributions of velocity, shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy were
provided. Our results show that the increase of stirring speed could not only
enlarge the circulation loops in the reactor, but it can also increase the
shear stress on the membrane surface and accelerate the mixing process of
granular materials. The time evolution of volumetric function of granular
materials on the membrane surface has qualitatively explained the evolution of
membrane fouling.
