In the present paper, two gas‐liquid stirred tanks, one agitated by a radial impeller and another by an axial impeller, are modelled using the open‐source computational fluid dynamic (CFD) package OpenFOAM (open source field operation and manipulation). The combined effect of the bubble break‐up and coalescence in the tank is considered by a population balance model (PBM) called extended quadrature method of moments (EQMOM). The three‐dimensional simulation is made using a multiple reference frame (MRF), a well‐established method for the modelling of mixers. Dispersed gas and bubble dynamics in the turbulent flow are modelled using the Eulerian‐Eulerian approach (E‐E) with mixture k‐epsilon turbulent model and the modified Tomiyama drag coefficient for the momentum exchange. The model is developed to predict the spatial distribution of gas phase fraction, Sauter mean bubble diameter (d32), number density function (NDF), dissolved oxygen (DO) evolution, and flow structure. The numerical results are compared with experimental data and a fair agreement is achieved. The results of the axial impeller are discussed based on four impeller rotational speeds with different volumetric mass transfer coefficients.

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This paper presents an in-depth numerical analysis on the hydrodynamics of a bubble column. As in previous works on the subject, the focus here is on three important parameters characterizing the flow: interfacial forces, turbulence and inlet superficial Gas Velocity (UG). The bubble size distribution is taken into account by the use of the Quadrature Method of Moments (QMOM) model in a two-phase Euler-Euler approach using the open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code OpenFOAM (Open Field Operation and Manipulation). The interfacial forces accounted for in all the simulations presented here are drag, lift and virtual mass. For the turbulence analysis in the water phase, three versions of the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) k-ε turbulence model are examined: namely, the standard, modified and mixture variants. The lift force proves to be of major importance for a trustworthy prediction of the gas volume fraction profiles for all the (superficial) gas velocities tested. Concerning the turbulence, the mixture k-ε model is seen to provide higher values of the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate in comparison to the other models, and this clearly affects the prediction of the gas volume fraction in the bulk region, and the bubble-size distribution. In general, the modified k-ε model proves to be a good compromise between modeling simplicity and accuracy in the study of bubble columns of the kind undertaken here.

TMPRSS6 is a type II transmembrane serine protease involved in iron homeostasis expressed as 4 isoforms in humans. TMPRSS6 isoform 2 downregulates hepcidin production by cleaving hemojuvelin and other surface proteins of hepatocytes. The functions of catalytically impaired isoforms 3 and 4 are still unknown. Here we demonstrate that TMPRSS6 isoforms 3 and 4 reduce the proteolytic activity of isoform 2 and uncover the ability of isoforms to interact. Moreover, we identified 49 potential protein partners common to TMPRSS6 isoforms, including TfR1, known to be involved in iron regulation. By co-expressing TMPRSS6 and TfR1, we show that TfR1 is cleaved and shed from the cell surface. Further, we demonstrate that TMPRSS6 isoforms 3 and 4 behave as dominant negative.