Impeller Spacing Research Articles

Characterisation and analysis on the agitation of downward pitched blade turbine in the Stirred Tank Reactor

In anaerobic digestion biogas plant industry, high-efficiency agitation system in the Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) is vital for encouraging mixing between substrates and bioliquids with low energy consumption. This study numerically investigated the downward pumping agitation system in an industrial CSTR test site to explore the dynamic characteristics of flow patterns with varied pitched blade turbine (PBT) design. A novel approach was developed to visually distinguish the agitation zone in the CSTR tank, which could be utilised to quantitatively assess the agitation performance and to assist the design of impeller spacing. The numerical approach would vastly improve the cost-efficiency to investigate the close connections among impeller spacing, pitched angle, and agitation intensity The pitched angle was found having more prominent effects on the shape and size of formed circulation loops in the tank. The 45-degree would be the critical pitched angle for PBT since the agitation zone would be rapidly shrunk once the configuration goes beyond this value.

Investigation of dense slurry suspensions with coaxial mixers: Influences of design variables through tomography and mathematical modelling

The coaxial mixers enhance the suspension of concentrated slurries in an agitated reactor. In this research work, the complex slurry suspension and dissemination behavior in a coaxial slurry mixing system (comprised of a close clearance anchor rotating with a low speed and an inner axial impeller rotating with a high speed) was analyzed employing ERT (electrical resistance tomography, a non-intrusive flow visualization technique), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The numerical models were validated by comparing the axial solid concentration profiles generated using the ERT data and the CFD simulation results. The influences of various important parameters such as the diameter of the inner axial impeller, the inner impeller type, and the inner impeller spacing on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the slurry suspensions in a coaxial mixing vessel were thoroughly analyzed. The radial and axial velocity profiles of solid particles were generated using the validated mathematical models. The assessment of energy loss due to the solid–solid collisions, the particle–fluid frictions, and the particle–vessel wall collisions was conducted. The evaluation of optimum inner impeller clearance and inner impeller diameter is essential to attain a high degree of solids suspension and dissemination in a coaxial slurry mixing system.

Intensification on drawdown process of floating particles by circle package fractal impellers

Abstract The floating particle drawdown and dispersion characteristics in a stirred tank with four pitched-blade impellers, fractal impellers, and circle package fractal impellers were studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The effects of impeller type, impeller speed, impeller spacing, impeller submergence, initial floating particle concentration, and floating particle diameter on the floating particle dispersion quality were investigated. Results showed that the floating particle dispersion degree was improved with an increment in the impeller speed, in term of axial solid concentration profile, solid concentration distribution, and cloud height. The impeller spacing of T2/3 and impeller submergence of T/6 were appropriate for the floating particle drawdown process in this work. Higher initial floating particle concentration was easier to achieve a higher floating particle dispersion degree. Smaller particle diameter resulted in smaller buoyancy and more uniform distribution. Meanwhile, circle package fractal impeller can reduce the power consumption compared with four pitched-blade impeller and fractal impeller at the same impeller speed, and enhance the solid integrated velocity and the level of homogeneity for floating particle dispersion process under the constant power consumption. In addition, the just drawdown speed (Njd) and correlation equation for Njd in the three different impeller systems were obtained.

Correlation of Power Consumption of Double Impeller Based on Impeller Spacing in Laminar Region

Power consumption is an important parameter for the design of mixing equipment. The aim of this study is to develop a new correlation of the power consumption of a double impeller. The effect of impeller spacing on the double-impeller flow pattern and power consumption was investigated in the laminar region. As a result, the effect of impeller spacing on the flow pattern was described based on the ratio of impeller spacing to the impeller blade height. Moreover, the power consumption of a double impeller could be correlated with the same ratio.

Numerical simulation of solid-liquid mixing characteristics in a stirred tank with fractal impellers

The hydrodynamics of solid-liquid mixing process in a stirred tank with four pitched-blade impellers, fractal 1 impellers, and fractal 2 impellers were investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. An Eulerian-Eulerian approach, standard k-ε turbulence model, and multiple reference frames (MRF) technique were employed to simulate the solid-liquid two-phase flow, turbulent flow, and impeller rotation, respectively. The effects of impeller speed, impeller type, impeller spacing, impeller blade tilt angle, impeller blade shape, solid particle size and initial solid particle loading on the solid particle suspension quality were investigated. Results showed that the homogenous degree of solid-liquid system increased with the increase of impeller speed. The impeller spacing of T5/6 and T and impeller blade tilt angle of 60° and 45° were appropriate for the solid-liquid suspension process. Fractal shape impeller was more efficient than jagged shape impeller in solid-liquid mixing process. Larger particle diameter and higher initial solid particle loading resulted in less homogenous distribution of solid particles. It was found that fractal impeller could improve the solid particle suspension quality compared with four pitched-blade impeller under the same power consumption, increasingly so with the fractal iteration number of fractal impeller. Moreover, fractal impeller reduced the size of impeller trailing vortex and consumed less power consumption compared with four pitched-blade impeller at the same impeller speed, and the more the number of fractal iteration, the higher the impeller energy utilization rate of fractal impeller.

Experimental study of dual-impeller string vibration in a baffled mixing vessel

Vibration characteristics of 45∘ pitched blade impellers (PBIs) operating in a standard baffled mixing vessel were studied. Experiments were conducted for eight different impeller configurations with combinations of: numbers of impellers (single or double), diameter to tank diameter ratios D/DT = 1/2 and 5/7, and impeller spacing of 0, 0.75D, and 1.5D. The impeller orbit frequency and shape, mean square deflection, and phase relationship were studied with a glycerine-water mixture having Reynolds number, Re≤ 5000, and N/Ncrit≤ 1.2. Two high speed cameras were used to measure two orthogonal components of lateral impeller deflection. It was observed that the impeller orbits are periodic at low speed and exhibit chaotic motion at high speed which can be modelled using a random normal distribution. The mean square deflection continues to grow beyond N*>1 exponentially, and the addition of a second impeller increases the mean square deflection. Frequencies associated with impeller orbits for the D/DT = 1/2 showed that at low rotational speeds, the highest energy in power spectra of the impeller deflection is at twice the impeller rotational speed. With an increase in rotational speed, the energy in the power spectra shifts to synchronous and finally subsynchronous range with a broad band character. The phase relationship and whirl direction of top and bottom impeller were found to be dependent on the rotational speed and impeller spacing.

The Acoustical Behavior of Contra-Rotating Fan

The noise produced by a contra-rotating ventilator can cause injury to humans. Therefore, it is important to reduce noise caused by ventilators. In this study, the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) model was used to simulate the acoustics of four different axial impeller spacing points based on the unsteady flow field through a FBD No. 8.0 contra-rotating ventilator. Experiments were conducted to verify the correctness of the numerical model. Meanwhile, the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) drives the two motors of 55 kW to give the impellers different speeds to distinguish different conditions. The results showed that the main noise source of the ventilator was the two rotating impellers and the area between them. For the same axial space, the noise decreased with the increase of flow rate and then decreased. And the amplitude of the discrete pulse increased gradually. It can be concluded that the vortex acoustics decreased gradually with the increase of flow rate and the rotating acoustics were the major contributor. With the axial distance increasing, the noise caused by the two impellers was weak, and the frequencies of sound pressure level moved toward medium- and low-frequency bands gradually. The suitable axial space could reduce noise and improve the working environment.

Design of impeller blades for efficient homogeneity of solid-liquid suspension in a stirred tank reactor

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate the hydrodynamics of solid-liquid suspension process in a stirred tank with rigid impellers, rigid-flexible impellers and punched rigid-flexible impellers. The effects of impeller type, impeller speed, flexible connection piece length, impeller spacing, particle size, and aperture size/ratio on the mixing quality were investigated. Results showed that the degree of solid-liquid homogeneity increased with an increase in impeller speed. A long flexible connection piece was conductive to solid particles suspension process. The solid particles could not obtain enough momentum to suspend to the upper region of stirred tank with small impeller spacing. Larger particle size resulted in less homogenous distribution of solid particles. The optimum aperture ratio and aperture diameter of punched rigid-flexible impeller were 12% and 8mm, respectively, for solid particles suspension process. It was found that punched rigid-flexible impeller was more efficient in suspending solid particles compared with rigid impeller and rigid-flexible impeller at the same power consumption. In addition, less impeller power was consumed by punched rigid-flexible impeller compared with rigid impeller and rigid-flexible impeller at the same impeller speed.

Effect of Impeller Spacing on the Flow Field of Yield-Pseudoplastic Fluids Generated by a Coaxial Mixing System Composed of Two Central Impellers and an Anchor

The three-dimensional flow field generated by a coaxial mixer composed of double Scaba impellers and an anchor in the mixing of the xanthan gum solution, a non-Newtonian yield-pseudoplastic fluid was investigated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. The mixing time measurements were performed by a non-intrusive flow visualization technique called electrical resistance tomography (ERT). To evaluate the influence of the impeller spacing on the hydrodynamics of the double Scaba-anchor coaxial mixer, the upper impeller submergence was set to 0.140 m while the lower impeller clearance and the spacing between two central impellers were changed within a wide range. The experiments and simulations were conducted for both co-rotating and counter-rotating regimes at different impeller spacing. The analysis of the collected data with respect to the power number, flow number, mixing time, and pumping effectiveness proved that the co-rotating mode had superiority over the counter-rotating regime. Furthermore, the impact of the impeller spacing in the co-rotating mode was assessed with respect to the mixing time, power number, and mixing energy. The results demonstrated that a coaxial mixer with the impeller spacing of almost equal to the central impeller diameter (C2 = 0.175 m) and the impeller clearance of C3 = 0.185 m was the most efficient configuration compared to the other cases. Additionally, the influence of the impeller spacing on the flow pattern was assessed in terms of the radial velocity, tangential velocity, axial velocity, shear rate, and apparent viscosity profiles. When the impeller spacing (C2) was varied, the merging flow and parallel flow patterns were observed.

CFD simulation of local and global mixing time in an agitated tank

The Issue of mixing efficiency in agitated tanks has drawn serious concern in many industrial processes. The turbulence model is very critical to predicting mixing process in agitated tanks. On the basis of computational fluid dynamics(CFD) software package Fluent 6.2, the mixing characteristics in a tank agitated by dual six-blade-Rushton-turbines(6-DT) are predicted using the detached eddy simulation(DES) method. A sliding mesh(SM) approach is adopted to solve the rotation of the impeller. The simulated flow patterns and liquid velocities in the agitated tank are verified by experimental data in the literature. The simulation results indicate that the DES method can obtain more flow details than Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS) model. Local and global mixing time in the agitated tank is predicted by solving a tracer concentration scalar transport equation. The simulated results show that feeding points have great influence on mixing process and mixing time. Mixing efficiency is the highest for the feeding point at location of midway of the two impellers. Two methods are used to determine global mixing time and get close result. Dimensionless global mixing time remains unchanged with increasing of impeller speed. Parallel, merging and diverging flow pattern form in the agitated tank, respectively, by changing the impeller spacing and clearance of lower impeller from the bottom of the tank. The global mixing time is the shortest for the merging flow, followed by diverging flow, and the longest for parallel flow. The research presents helpful references for design, optimization and scale-up of agitated tanks with multi-impeller.

Impact of Mixing Parameters on Homogenization of Borax Solution and Nucleation Rate in Dual Radial Impeller Crystallizer

Interaction between mixing and crystallization is often ignored despite the fact that it affects almost every aspect of the operation including nucleation, growth and maintenance of the crystal slurry. This is especially pronounced in multiple impeller systems where flow complexity is increased. By choosing proper mixing parameters, what closely depends on the knowledge of the hydrodynamics in a mixing vessel, the process of batch cooling crystallization may considerably be improved. The values that render useful information when making this choice are mixing time and power consumption. The predominant motivation for this work was to investigate the extent to which radial dual impeller configuration influences mixing time, power consumption and consequently the values of metastable zone width and nucleation rate. In this research, crystallization of borax was conducted in a 15 dm3 baffled batch cooling crystallizer with an aspect ratio (H/T) of 1.3. Mixing was performed using two straight blade turbines (4-SBT) mounted on the same shaft that generated radial fluid flow. Experiments were conducted at different values of N/NJS ratio (impeller speed/minimum impeller speed for complete suspension), D/T ratio (impeller diameter/crystallizer diameter), c/D ratio (lower impeller off-bottom clearance/impeller diameter) and s/D ratio (spacing between impellers/impeller diameter). Mother liquor was saturated at 30°C and was cooled at the rate of 6°C/h. Its concentration was monitored in line by Na-ion selective electrode. From the values of supersaturation that was monitored continuously over process time, it was possible to determine the metastable zone width and subsequently the nucleation rate using the Mersmann’s nucleation criterion. For all applied dual impeller configurations, the mixing time was determined by potentiometric method using a pulse technique, while the power consumption was determined using a torque meter produced by Himmelstein & Co. Results obtained in this investigation show that dual impeller configuration significantly influences the values of mixing time, power consumption as well as the metastable zone width and nucleation rate. A special attention should be addressed to the impeller spacing considering the flow interaction that could be more or less pronounced depending on the spacing value.

Understanding the effect of interaction among aeration, agitation and impeller positions on mass transfer during pullulan fermentation by Aureobasidium pullulans

Pullulan is a non-ionic, water-soluble homopolysaccharide producedviafermentation usingAureobasidium pullulans, a black yeast.

Effect of impeller design and spacing on gas exchange in a percutaneous respiratory assist catheter.

Providing partial respiratory assistance by removing carbon dioxide (CO2 ) can improve clinical outcomes in patients suffering from acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute respiratory distress syndrome. An intravenous respiratory assist device with a small (25 Fr) insertion diameter eliminates the complexity and potential complications associated with external blood circuitry and can be inserted by nonspecialized surgeons. The impeller percutaneous respiratory assist catheter (IPRAC) is a highly efficient CO2 removal device for percutaneous insertion to the vena cava via the right jugular or right femoral vein that utilizes an array of impellers rotating within a hollow-fiber membrane bundle to enhance gas exchange. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of new impeller designs and impeller spacing on gas exchange in the IPRAC using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and in vitro deionized water gas exchange testing. A CFD gas exchange and flow model was developed to guide a progressive impeller design process. Six impeller blade geometries were designed and tested in vitro in an IPRAC device with 2- or 10-mm axial spacing and varying numbers of blades (2-5). The maximum CO2 removal efficiency (exchange per unit surface area) achieved was 573 ± 8 mL/min/m(2) (40.1 mL/min absolute). The gas exchange rate was found to be largely independent of blade design and number of blades for the impellers tested but increased significantly (5-10%) with reduced axial spacing allowing for additional shaft impellers (23 vs. 14). CFD gas exchange predictions were within 2-13% of experimental values and accurately predicted the relative improvement with impellers at 2- versus 10-mm axial spacing. The ability of CFD simulation to accurately forecast the effects of influential design parameters suggests it can be used to identify impeller traits that profoundly affect facilitated gas exchange.

Multiple-impeller stirred vessel studies

Multi-impeller stirred vessels are widely used for industrial applications. Based on the numerous studies that reported the motivation and importance of studies on multi-impeller systems, a systematic study was conducted to identify the focus and objectives of research and types of experiments conducted using multi-impeller systems. Researchers mainly focused on the effects of impeller spacing, off-bottom clearance, and type of impeller combinations. Most experiments were conducted on power number, power consumption, gas hold-up, and gas-liquid mass transfer. Research works have not exhausted all impeller-type combinations and there are still opportunities for future work. Computational fluid dynamics studies involving multi-impeller systems are also still lacking owing to flow complexities. This work can serve as a roadmap for future study themes.

CFD Study of the Mixing of Pseudoplastic Fluids with Yield Stress in a Two-Staged Stirred Tank

The 3D flow field generated by two-stage impellers in the agitation of xanthan gum, a pseudoplastic fluid with yield stress, was simulated using the commerical CFD package. The effect of impeller speed and impeller spacing on power number, cavern size and viscosity distribution was investigated in this work. The results showed that the power number was slightly influenced by impeller spacing. Higher impeller speed and larger impeller spacing contributed to creation of a bigger cavern. The range of high viscosity zone between the impellers increased with an increase in impeller spacing. Impeller speed and impeller spacing could be used as important parameters to improve the mixing performance of multi-stage impellers in the mixing of pseudoplastic fluids with yield stress.

Particle Image Velocimetry Study of Flow Patterns and Mixing Characteristics in Multiple Impeller Stirred Tank

The flow generated in a stirred tank of 0.48 m diameter, agitated by three impellers of 0.19 m diameter, including one half-elliptical blade disc turbine (HEDT) below and two up-pumping wide-blade hydrofoils (WHU), were investigated by using 360° ensemble-averaged particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The flow characteristics for seven impeller combinations with different impeller spacings were investigated. Results show that global circulation patterns in the stirred tank are strongly dependent on the impeller spacing. Three types of flow patterns were observed, including five, four, and three circulation loops in the flow field, by changing the spacing between the bottom and the middle impellers (C1), the spacing between the middle and the top impellers (C2), and the submersion depth of the top impeller (C3). While the clearance (ΔC) of the bottom impeller is equal to 0.4T, the five circulation loops flow pattern occurs when C1 = 0.48T, C2 = 0.48T, and C3 = 0.4T, and the four circulation loops flow pattern occurs when C1 = 0.48T, C2 = 0.4T, and C3 = 0.4T, and the three circulation loops flow pattern occurs when C1 = 0.48T, C2 = 0.4T, C3 = 0.32T. The mixing efficiency defined based on the mixing time and the power consumption were also discussed and the results show that less circulation loops could lead to higher mixing efficiency, but the mixing efficiency does not solely increase with the decreasing of the circulation loops.

Power Consumption in Agitated Vessels with Dual Pitched Blade Turbines: Baffle Length and Impeller Spacing Effects

The power consumed in mechanically agitated vessels is an important parameter, especially for the energy requirements and the heat and mass transfer efficiencies of these systems. Power consumption does not only depend on the impeller type, the fluid properties and the stirring speed, but also on the geometry of the agitated system, including the impeller spacing and the length of the baffles in the mixing vessel.

Power Consumption in Dual Impeller Gas-Liquid Contactors: Impeller Spacing, Gas Flow Rate, and Viscosity Effects

The dependence of power consumption on impeller spacing, and also in relation to gas flow rate and viscosity, in unaerated and aerated gas-liquid contactors agitated by dual Rushton- and by dual pitched blade turbines was comparatively studied. In tap water the two Rushton impellers acted independently for spacings greater than ΔH = 1.65d, while in glycerol solutions the impellers acted independently on reaching an impeller spacing equal to 1.20d; the corresponding values for the two pitched blade impellers were 1.50d for tap water, 1.07d for relatively high viscosities, and 0.53d for very high viscosity values. The Newton number Ne decreases with increasing viscosity for the dual Rushton turbine systems, while an increase of Ne can be observed with increasing viscosity for the corresponding pitched blade systems. For the dual Rushton turbines, gas flow number Q has no effect on Ne, at very high values of viscosity, while at low and relatively high viscosity values a small effect of Q on Ne can be detected. As observed for the dual Rushton turbine systems, Ne is also not affected by Q for the corresponding pitched blade systems at very high viscosity values. Flow number Q does not significantly affect the Newton number for the water-glycerol solutions with a relatively high viscosity agitated by dual pitched blade turbines, while for the aerated water systems a decrease of Ne can be observed at relatively small gas flow numbers; high values of Q do not affect the Newton number.

Power Consumption in Agitated Vessels with Dual Rushton Turbines: Baffle Length and Impeller Spacing Effects

AbstractThe dependence of power consumption on baffle length, L, in vessels agitated by a dual Rushton turbine system was studied within the turbulent regime, and also in relation to the impeller spacing, ΔH. A dependence of varying strength could be observed. The presence of baffles in the agitated systems provided a stabilizing effect with regard to the dependence of the Newton number Ne on the Reynolds number Re. A sharp decrease in power consumption could be detected for baffle lengths L < 0.3 H, with H the liquid height in the vessel. The Newton number was not significantly affected by L in the range 0.3 H < L< 0.5 H. For L > 0.5 H a sharp increase in Ne with increasing L could be observed. The two Rushton turbines act independently at ΔH > 1.65 d, with d being the impeller diameter. As the baffle length decreased, an increased mutual interaction between the two impellers could be observed for a broad regime of ΔH/d values. Ne was not affected by ΔH for the unbaffled agitated systems studied.

Experimental Study of Influence of the Impeller Spacing on Flow Behaviour of Double‐Impeller Stirred Tank

AbstractThe flow fields in the stirred tank with three different kinds of combined double‐impeller agitators: disc turbine + disc turbine (DT‐DT, radial impeller), pitched blade turbine + pitched blade turbine (PTD‐PTD, axial impeller) and pitched blade turbine + disc turbine (PTD‐DT), were investigated in detail by using laser Doppler anemometry. The two‐dimensional mean velocity field and the distribution of turbulence intensity were obtained for different impeller spacings. The experimental results show that the impeller spacing has a significant influence on the flow field. To improve flow homogeneity and agitator efficiency, the appropriate impeller spacing should be in the range of 1/2 to 2/3 of the tank diameter.