Numerical simulation of flow behavior of particles in a liquid-solid stirred vessel with baffles

Abstract

Flow behavior of particles is simulated by means of two-fluid model combining with kinetic theory of granular flow in a liquid-solid stirred vessel with baffles. The Huilin-Gidaspow drag model is used to obtain interphase interaction of liquid and solids phases. The virtual mass force is considered in simulations. The moving reference frame is applied to the rotation of numerical domain. Predictions are compared with experimental data measured by Pianko-Oprych et al. (2009) in a liquid-solid stirred vessel. This comparison shows that the present model can capture the liquid-solid flow in a liquid-solid stirred vessel. The distributions of velocity and solids volume fraction are predicted at the different heights. The effects of particle density on flow behavior of particles are generally scarce using CFD. Simulations indicate the stirred vessel consists of three regions based on distributions of velocity and turbulent kinetic energy, they are blade circulation region, conical induced region and near-wall region. As an increasing of the impeller speed, the turbulence kinetic and solids phase velocity rise, and the particles fluctuation is intensified.