Algae Biosystem (Tubing)

Why don't you use what they are using? Seems simple enough.

Have you thought of this: How much reduction in radiance will there be with accumulation of scum on the inside of the tubes?

Consider quartz. I think it is used in UV sterilization systems because it is (nearly) transparent to UV.

Yes, you are correct. Quartz is used with UV for dry sterilization of pharmaceutical manufacturing areas and many other types of areas that need "cleaned up" from bacteria, etc.. It is also used for sterilization of water, in particular drinking water. If the flow of water exceeds the capability of the UV lamp the cleanliness of the water decreases. If possible the apparatus is usually incorporated in some sort of pipe type configuration to reduce turbulence in the flow. If possible this is glass or metal with an inspection glass to see within the metal enclosure to check the operation and condition of the lamp.

Residential units of this type are now available.

GA for you!

Good Luck, Old Salt

Microbial sterilization is used quite widely and yes quartz tubes are used for the reasons you stated. Power requirements are minimal, but differing microbes require differing contact times. As noted above, checking for scum buildup is critical.

Algae live in ponds, puddles, lakes and oceans, not tubes. They can cover acres of surface area exposed to full sunlight, there is no way to replicate that in a tube regardless of its clarity which will certainly degrade constantly over time.

In a tube, only the algae on the perimeter will be exposed to sunlight, the bulk mass of algae inside will be in the dark.

You need a very wide thin film of exposure like a rectangular tube that is a 1/4" thick and a 150' wide.

My bet is with Tornado.

Plexiglass

"One of the major issues in the cultivation of microalgae is light limitation, Dahmen says. "This limits the effective photosynthetic zone to the volume within five centimeters of the surface of a pond," he says. "Everything below that tends to be light prohibited because the top layer limits the light from getting in."

The same is true for photobioreactors, he adds. "So some people have tried various solutions like flat plates or hanging bags, and in effect, what they've done is limit the cultivation volumes in an attempt to drive up the surface area to volume ratio."

These small volumes allow light to penetrate better, according to Dahmen, but the problem is that it may lead to biofouling (the attachment of organisms to a surface in contact with water for a period of time) and the cost of pumping the algae around through the small volumes increases. "We're bringing the light to the algae with some proprietary optics located within the reactor," Dahmen says. "Cultivation volumes that are lit internally allow us to cultivate very efficiently in three dimensions."

The bioreactors Bodega is currently experimenting with are bench units made of acrylic. In the long term, however, the company is looking at shipping containers and possibly petroleum distilate storage tanks.

Dahmen describes open ponds as a "first-generation solution" to growing algae. "They're very land intensive because the effective cultivation area is limited to a very thin slice of growth medium, so the ponds have to expand, becoming very land hungry," he says. "Also, if you look at the areas receiving high amounts of natural sunlight or insolation where ponds make the most sense, you run into tremendous problems with evaporation as well as cross-contamination of cultures. When you start talking about acres and acres of ponds 16 inches deep, you've increased the surface area to the point where land consumption is a huge problem."

Open ponds are relatively cheap to build compared with bioreactors, though, Dahmen says. "But what we're seeing is a real need for cost-effective photobioreactors that can address the capital expense issues while offering efficient cultivation in large volumes."

Numerous other companies share Dahmen's perspectives, but have approached bioreactors in different ways. Solix Biofuels, recently named a part of the U.S. DOE's $44 million National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts consortium, has attracted much attention in the past few years. Along with Colorado State University, Solix has developed specialized photobioreactor systems composed of long, closed plastic bags containing algae, which float in large water-filled metal tanks to control temperature and are injected with CO2 through tubing to optimize growth.

California-based OriginOil, another bioreactor contender, has a cooperative agreement with the U.S. DOE's Idaho National Laboratory for a multiphase algae research program. The company describes its Helix BioReactor as an advanced algae growth system that features a rotating vertical shaft with low-energy lights arranged in a helix/spiral pattern, resulting in a theoretically unlimited number of growth layers.

While these particular companies have focused on bioreactor development, some such as Washington-based Bioalgene Inc. have pursued both methods. "

http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/3618/open-ponds-versus-closed--bioreactors

http://www.seao2.com/algaebiofuels/

Helix bioreactor....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXnOMXc2uts

The pipes you list pass UV. UV is used to sterilize. So it would not be beneficial to the algae. Look for tubing that is optically clear that has UV inhibiters.

I would use Acrylic Tubing or Plexiglass

(I think Quartz would be very expensive)