NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF A HOMOGENIZER IMPINGING JET

High-pressure homogenization is a key unit operation used to disrupt c ells containing intracellular bioproducts. Modeling and optimization o f this unit are restrained by a lack of information on the flow condit ions within a homogenizer value. A numerical investigation of the impi nging radial jet within a homogenizer value is presented. Results for a laminar and turbulent (k-epsilon turbulent model) jet are obtained u sing the PHOENICS finite-volume code. Experimental measurement of the stagnation region width and correlation of the cell disruption efficie ncy with jet stagnation pressure both indicate that the impinging jet in the homogenizer system examined is likely to be laminar under norma l operating conditions. Correlation of disruption data with laminar st agnation pressure provides a better description of experimental variab ility than existing correlations using total pressure drop or the grou ping 1/Y(2)h(2).