Effect of agitation and aeration on gas dispersion efficiency in coaxial mixers containing yield‐pseudoplastic fluids: Experimental and numerical analysis

Abstract

AbstractAerated stirred vessels are commonly employed to enhance gas dispersion. However, the associated high energy consumption is a challenging feature, particularly when dealing with complex non‐Newtonian fluids. Coaxial mixers comprising a central impeller and a close‐clearance impeller have emerged as an energy‐efficient alternative that effectively intensifies gas dispersion. Hence, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of aeration and agitation on the gas dispersion effectiveness of a coaxial mixer containing a yield‐pseudoplastic fluid. An anchor‐pitched blade turbine was employed to disperse air into a 1 wt.% xanthan gum solution, and the analysis primarily focused on characterizing the gas holdup and fluid flow behaviour. Gas holdup data were obtained experimentally using electrical resistance tomography (ERT), while computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations provided a detailed analysis of fluid flow patterns within the coaxial mixer. The rotational speed of the impeller exhibited a non‐monotonic effect on the gas holdup, and a significant influence of the interaction between variables was identified. For instance, the experimental data showed that the aeration effect varied with the anchor speed. Nevertheless, the variables' interaction effect was explained by the change in flow pattern observed numerically. Furthermore, the CFD results demonstrated that high gas holdup does not necessarily indicate intensified mixing. Therefore, combining experimental data and numerical simulations enables a more accurate characterization of mixing performance. These findings contribute to the understanding and improvement of mixing performance in such a complex system, which is crucial for designing efficient operations.