Effect of an Inclined Slots on the Power Consumption and Vortices Size in a Rushton Turbine Agitated Tank

Abstract

Mechanical agitation in baffled vessels with turbines plays a vital role in achieving homogeneous fluid mixing and promoting various transfer operations. Therefore, designing vessels with optimal energy efficiency and flow dynamics is essential to enhance operational performance and eliminate flow perturbations. Hence, the present research focuses on a numerical investigation of the impact of inclined slots with different angles installed at the sidewall of a cylindrical vessel equipped with a Rushton turbine. This study explores power consumption and vortex size while considering various rotation directions of the impeller with different rotation speeds. The numerical simulations are conducted for Reynolds numbers ranging from 104 to 105, using the RANS k-ε turbulence model to govern the flow inside the stirred vessel, accounting for mass and momentum balances. The results have shown that the installation of slots reduces power consumption and vortex size compared to conventional vessel configurations. Moreover, increasing the slot angle from 0 to 32.5° further reduces energy consumption and vortex size, especially with negative rotation speeds. On the other hand, increasing the Reynolds numbers leads to a decrease in power consumption and an increase in vortex size. The present research therefore proposes a design for constructing Rushton-turbine stirred vessels offering optimal operation, characterized by reduced energy consumption and minimized vortex size.