双层涡轮桨搅拌反应器内混合时间的大涡模拟

采用计算流体力学(CFD)方法对直径为0.476m双层涡轮桨搅拌反应器内的流动及混合进行了数值模拟,并实验测试了混合过程。利用大涡模拟(LES)及Smagorinsky-Lilly亚格子模型求解湍流流动与示踪剂传递过程,桨叶区域采用滑移网格技术。研究结果表明,大涡模拟得到的示踪剂响应曲线和混合时间与实验结果吻合良好,其预测精度明显优于基于雷诺平均(Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes,RANS)的标准k-ε模型的模拟结果。大涡模拟是研究搅拌反应器内非稳态及周期性湍流流动的有效方法。     

涡轮桨搅拌槽内单循环流动特性的大涡模拟

利用大涡模拟方法研究了涡轮桨搅拌槽内的单循环流动特性,采用Smagorinsky-Lilly动力亚格子模式,与文献实验及模拟数据进行了详细的比较. 结果表明,叶片后方的双尾涡偏向槽底运动,上尾涡在30o处已开始衰减. 800000个非均匀分布的计算网格和30个桨叶旋转周期的样本数据统计可获得准确的大涡模拟数据. 时均速度、均方根速度和湍流动能的大涡模拟值与实验数据一致,而k-e模型的模拟值与实验不符. 桨叶区呈现较强的各向异性,这是导致k-e模型预测不准确的主要原因. 对于搅拌槽内的复杂流动,大涡模拟方法是一个非常有效的工具.     

STUDY OF THE TURBULENT FLOW IN AN UNBAFFLED STIRRED TANK BY DETACHED EDDY SIMULATION

Detached eddy simulation (DES) of the liquid-phase turbulent flow in an unbaffled stirred tank agitated by a six-blade, 45°-pitched blade turbine was performed in this study. The tank wall is cylindrical with no baffle and the fluid flow problem was solved in a single reference frame (SRF) rotating with the impeller. For the purpose of comparison, computation based on large eddy simulation (LES) was also carried out. The commercial code Fluent was used for all simulations. Predictions of the phase-averaged turbulent flow quantities and power consumption were conducted. Results obtained by DES were compared with experimental laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) data from the literature and with the predictions obtained by LES. It was found that numerical results of mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles as well as the power consumption are in good agreement with the LDV data. When performed on the same computational grid, which is under-resolved in the sense of LES, DES allows better accuracy than LES in that it works better in the boundary layers on the surface of the impeller and the stirred tank walls. It can be concluded that DES has the potential to predict accurately the turbulent flow in stirred tanks and can be used as an effective tool to study the hydrodynamics in stirred tanks.     

涡轮桨搅拌槽内湍流特性的V3V实验及大涡模拟

分别用体三维速度测量技术（volumetric three-component velocimetry measurements,V3V）和大涡模拟（large eddy simulation,LES）方法对涡轮桨搅拌槽内流场进行研究,发现在完全湍流状态下,涡轮桨搅拌槽内流场的量纲1相平均速度及湍动能分布同Reynolds数无关。用V3V方法实现了Rushton桨叶附近三维流场的重构;探讨尾涡的三维结构及运动规律;分析了叶片后方30°截面轴向、径向和环向速度沿径向分布规律。用V3V实验结果对比了2D-PIV（particle image velocimetry）数据中的尾涡涡对位置和涡量,涡对位置吻合度较好,但2D-PIV中涡量较V3V小37.5%;通过大涡模拟得到完整的尾涡结构,发现在叶片上边缘后侧存在一个和尾涡形成方式相同但不成对出现的涡结构;将大涡模拟结果和2D-PIV及V3V实验结果对比发现,大涡模拟在速度分布及尾涡运动轨迹方面均同实验结果吻合较好,表明大涡模拟能较好地预测涡轮桨搅拌槽内流场。     

Stereo‐PIV experiments and large eddy simulations of flow fields in stirred tanks with Rushton and curved‐Blade turbines

The flow characteristics in pilot‐scale stirred tanks with Rushton and curved‐blade turbines were investigated by using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) experiments and large eddy simulation (LES) methods. The velocity and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in the impeller discharge regions were carefully resolved with a high resolution SPIV system, and the detailed phase‐resolved velocity and TKE profiles were used to validate the LES results. The effects of Reynolds number and blade shape on the flow characteristics were discussed. The LES results of velocity, TKE, and the evolution of trailing vortices were compared with the SPIV experimental data, and good agreement was obtained at various phase angles. The effects of subgrid scale model and hybrid grid with different mesh resolutions on the LES results were investigated. LES is a computationally affordable method for the accurate predictions of the complex flow fields in pilot‐scale stirred tanks is presented. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3986–4003, 2013     

PIV experiments and large eddy simulations of single-loop flow fields in Rushton turbine stirred tanks

The single-loop flow fields in Rushton turbine stirred tanks with clearance C=0.15T (T is tank diameter) were investigated by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments and large eddy simulation (LES) methods. The velocity and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) were carefully measured and resolved with high resolution camera. The regions with high TKE are affected by the movement of the trailing vortices generated behind the impeller blades. The effects of both geometrical configuration and Reynolds number were discussed. It is found that the Reynolds number has little effect on the mean flow for the configuration of impeller diameter D=T/3, C=0.15T. However, the single-loop flow pattern is changed into a double-loop one if D is increased from T/3 to T/2. The LES results were compared with the PIV experiments and the laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) data in the literature. The effect of the grid was validated, and the levels of local anisotropy of turbulence near the impeller discharge regions were investigated. Both the phase-averaged and phase-resolved LES results are in good agreement with the PIV experimental data, and are better than the predictions of the k–ε model. The agreement shows that the LES method can be used to simulate the complex flow fields in stirred tanks.     

Simulation of laminar and turbulent impeller stirred tanks using immersed boundary method and large eddy simulation technique in multi-block curvilinear geometries

Impeller stirred tanks are commonly used in the chemical processing industries (CPI) for a variety of mixing and blending technologies. Such processes require accurate modeling of the turbulent flow in the tank over a range of operating conditions (e.g. impeller speed), and in addition, require a computationally efficient solution strategy that can represent moving rigid geometric parts (impellers) in the tank. In the present study, a methodology is proposed that combines the advantages of the immersed boundary method (IBM) to represent moving rigid geometries with the efficiency of multi-block structured curvilinear meshes (to minimize wasted grid points) for the representation of overall complex domains. The IBM implementation on a multi-block curvilinear mesh is advocated for the simulations of impeller stirred tank reactors (STR) and has distinct advantages over other competing methods. In the present work, the curvilinear-IBM methodology is further combined with the curvilinear coordinate implementation of large eddy simulation (LES) technique to address the issue of modeling unsteady turbulent flows in the STR. To verify the implementation of IBM in a multi-block curvilinear geometry, a laminar STR with a stack of four pitched blade impellers on a single shaft is simulated and compared against experimental data. Verification of the combined IBM-LES implementation strategy in curvilinear coordinates is done through comparisons with the measurements of turbulent flow in a baffled STR with a single pitched blade impeller. For both laminar and turbulent STR, the predictions are in very good agreement with measurements. It is suggested here that this methodology can be reliably used as a predictive tool for the flow fields in STRs with complex geometries.     

Scalar mixing in a turbulent stirred tank with pitched blade turbine: Role of impeller speed perturbation

Mixing of a passive scalar inside a pitched blade turbine (PBT) impeller stirred tank (STR) is studied using large-eddy simulation (LES) coupled with the immersed boundary method (IBM) for resolving moving interfaces. Mixing time is calculated based on the 95% homogenization of the scalar over the entire tank volume. Growth rate of the unmixed tracer volume is observed in order to identify the effects of low frequency macroinstability (MI) oscillations. Mixing time is significantly reduced when the STR flow is perturbed using a step-change in the impeller speed with a specific MI frequency. The enhancement in turbulent kinetic energy and changes in mean flow field due to the perturbation is observed. The spatio-temporal behavior of the large-scale mixing structures for the fixed impeller-speed case and the perturbed case are compared. The mechanism of mixing enhancement is further explored by observing dynamic changes in the concentration distribution and the velocity field over a perturbation cycle. Penalty in power requirement due to perturbation is calculated.     

Detached eddy simulation on the turbulent flow in a stirred tank

A detached eddy simulation (DES), a large‐eddy simulation (LES), and a k‐ε‐based Reynolds averaged Navier‐Stokes (RANS) calculation on the single phase turbulent flow in a fully baffled stirred tank, agitated by a Rushton turbine is presented. The DES used here is based on the Spalart‐Allmaras turbulence model solved on a grid containing about a million control volumes. The standard k‐ε and LES were considered here for comparison purposes. Predictions of the impeller‐angle‐resolved and time‐averaged turbulent flow have been evaluated and compared with data from laser doppler anemometry measurements. The effects of the turbulence model on the predictions of the mean velocity components and the turbulent kinetic energy are most pronounced in the (highly anisotropic) trailing vortex core region, with specifically DES performing well. The LES—that was performed on the same grid as the DES—appears to lack resolution in the boundary layers on the surface of the impeller. The findings suggest that DES provides a more accurate prediction of the features of the turbulent flows in a stirred tank compared with RANS‐based models and at the same time alleviates resolution requirements of LES close to walls. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 3224–3241, 2012     

Numerical optimization for blades of Intermig impeller in solid–liquid stirred tank

The multiphase flow in the solid-liquid tank stirred with a new structure of Intermig impeller was analyzed by computational fluid dynamics(CFD).The Eulerian multiphase model and standard k-ε turbulence model were adopted to simulate the fluid flow,turbulent kinetic energy distribution,mixing performance and power consumption in a stirred tank.The simulation results were also verified by the water model experiments,and good agreement was achieved.The solid-liquid mixing performances of Intermig impeller with different blade structures were compared in detail.The results show that the improved Intermig impeller not only enhances the solid mixing and suspension,but also saves more than 20% power compared with the standard one.The inner blades have relatively little influence on power and the best angle of inner blades is 45°,while the outer blades affect greatly the power consumption and the optimized value is 45°.     

多层新型桨搅拌槽内气-液两相流动的实验与数值模拟

对三层新型组合桨气-液两相搅拌槽内的流体流动进行了实验研究,并采用计算流体力学(CFD)的方法对气-液两相搅拌槽的通气搅拌功率、流场、局部气含率及总体气含率进行了数值模拟,数值模拟采用了欧拉-欧拉方法,数值模拟结果与实验值吻合良好,同时考察了通气流量和搅拌转速对通气搅拌功率和气含率的影响规律. 研究结果表明,欧拉-欧拉方法能较好地模拟搅拌槽内气-液两相流的流动状况.     

大涡模拟搅拌槽中的液相流动

采采用大涡模拟湍流模型对有档板的Rushton 桨搅拌槽进行了数值模拟研究。控制方程采用控制容积法进行离散，对流项用三阶QUICK格式，扩散项是二阶中心差分。压力 速度耦合方程在交错网格上采用SIMPLE算法进行求解。小尺度流动的模化采用动力学（dynamic）亚格子模型。搅拌桨与档板之间的相互作用采用改进的内外迭代法进行处理。计算结果和文献值吻合得很好。     

Characterization on the hydrodynamics of a covering-plate Rushton impeller

A modified Rushton impeller with two circular covering-plates mounted on the upper and lower sides of the blades was designed. There are gaps between the plates and the blades. The turbulent hydrodynamics was analyzed by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. Firstly, the reliability of the numerical model and simulation method was verified by comparing with the experimental results from literature. Subsequently, the power consumption, flow pattern, mean velocity and mixing time of the covering-plate Rushton impeller (RT-C) were studied and compared with the standard Rushton impeller (RT) operated under the same conditions. Results show that the power consumption can be decreased about 18%. Compared with the almost unchanged flow field in the lower stirred tank, the mean velocity was increased at the upper half of the stirred tank. And in the impeller region, the mean axial and radial velocities were increased, the mean tangential velocity was decreased. In addition, the average mixing time of RT-C was shortened about 4.14% than the counterpart of RT. The conclusions obtained here indicated that RT-C has a more effective mixing performance and it can be used as an alternative of RT in the process industries.     

Fluid dynamics and mixing of single-phase flow in a stirred vessel with a grid disc impeller: Experimental and numerical investigations

We report experimental and numerical investigations of a novel grid disc impeller for mixing of single-phase flow in stirred vessels. We performed detailed mean velocity measurements using LDA to understand the flow generated by the grid disc impeller and we also measured the mixing time and power consumption of the grid disc impeller. Measurements showed that the performance of the grid disc impeller, which has radial flow characteristics, is equivalent to a standard propeller in terms of the degree of mixing achieved per unit power consumption. We also performed numerical simulations to predict the flow generated by the grid disc impeller and its mixing performance. It was shown that the present computational model predicts the mean velocities, power consumption and mixing time in good agreement with the measurements. The experimentally validated computational model was further used to understand the effects of impeller rotational speed and grid disc configuration on the fluid dynamics and mixing performance of the grid disc impeller.     

用大涡模拟结合改进的内外迭代法数值模拟搅拌槽中的液相流动

1 INTRODUCTION Stirred tank reactors are widely encountered in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and hydrometallurgical proc- esses. The fluid motion in stirred tanks is three-dimensional, complex, and covers a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In the area surrounding the impeller, the flow is highly turbulent and swirling. The numerical simulation of such reactor systems is helpful in quantifying the effects of the impeller type, geometry, and the operational conditions in order to …     

搅拌槽内近桨区流动场的数值研究

利用滑移网格方法，采用三种不同密度的网格，计算了六直叶涡轮搅拌桨的三维流动场。利用数值方法得到了桨叶附近流动场中产生的尾涡，并将不同密度网格下的数值模拟结果与实验数据进行了比较。计算结果表明，在高密度的网格下可以清楚地观察到桨叶附近所产生的尾涡，其大小与实验结果一致，但尾涡衰减较快：叶端的径向与切向速度分布与实验值吻合较好，加密网格对最大径向及切向速度的预测精度有明显提高；即使采用很高的网格密度，对湍流动能的预测仍然偏低。     

搅拌管式反应器内流动特性的大涡模拟

采用实验和数值模拟的方法研究搅拌管式反应器内的混合过程,其中数值模拟采用大涡模拟的方法研究了反应器内流体的流动场,并就不同转速条件下流体的混合时间,将大涡模拟数值结果分别与标准k-ε模型的计算结果和实验测量值相比较,结果表明:管式搅拌反应器内的流动是非稳态的,具有不对称性。同时,大涡模拟方法可以预报漩涡,特别是桨叶背面的漩涡。与实验测量值相比,大涡模拟对混合时间的计算精度比标准k-ε模型计算精度高约22.8%,证明大涡模拟方法能够有效地模拟搅拌管式反应器内的流动特性。     

几种框式桨搅拌槽内流动特性的比较研究

用粒子成像测速（PIV）技术对传统框式桨、传统框式组合桨和新型框式组合桨的流动特性进行研究,对比了三种框式桨在相同工况下搅拌槽内的速度、流型和湍动能。结果表明：传统框式桨搅拌槽内流体流动以水平环流为主,在框式桨上方和框式桨中间区域流体流动不充分;传统框式组合桨搅拌槽内框式桨上方由于二折叶桨的作用使得框式桨上部流体流速变大,槽内流体上下部的流动得到加强,但在框式桨中心区域依旧存在流动死区;新型框式组合桨搅拌槽内两层桨叶间的连接流得到了加强,框式桨底部和中间区域物质和能量的交换更加充分。在考察的三种框式桨中,新型框式组合桨的混合效果更好。研究结果可为新型框式组合桨应用于化工合成工业中提供参考。     

MICROMIXING EFFECTS ON BARIUM SULFATE PRECIPITATION IN AN MSMPR REACTOR

The Effects of non-ideal and nonhomogeneous mixing on barium sulfate precipitation in an MSMPR reactor were observed experimentally and analyzed theoretically. To generate nonhomogeneous mixing the unmixed feed streams were fed to the reactor at the same location (joint feeding mode) or a plug flow reactor was connected to the MSMPR reactor. These nonhomogeneous mixing conditions resulted in significant reductions in particle size and increases in particle numbers. These non ideal mixing effects were dependent on the impeller speed, feed stream velocity and residence time in the connected plug flow reactor and are believed to result from elevated supersaturation levels in a premixing zone which are controlled by turbulent micromixing

To model the effect of nonhomogeneous mixing (premixing) in the MSM PR reactor a plug flow-stirred lank reactor series model was developed. The plug flow reactor represents the premixing region of the MSMPR reactor in which turbulent micromixing is important, and the stirred tank reactor describes the homogeneous mixing region of the MSMPR reactor where particle growth is important. The model predicts that the premixing effect is strongly dependent on micromixing of the feeds in the premixing region, and thus, as the turbulent mixing intensity in this region is increased, the particle size in the product suspension is reduced and the particle population is increased. These predictions of the model arc in good agreement with the experimental data. An interesting prediction of the model is that as the impeller speed increases, the precipitation of barium sulfate in an MSMPR reactor deviates increasingly from the precipitation in a perfectly mixed (ideal) reactor.     

Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flow in a Rushton Impeller Stirred Reactor with Sliding‐Deforming Mesh Methodology

The unsteady turbulent flow in a mixing vessel stirred by a Rushton impeller is predicted using the Large Eddy Simulation technique. The interaction between the moving impeller and the static baffles is accounted for explicitly through a sliding‐deforming mesh methodology, thus, eliminating approximations used to account for the effect of the moving impeller. Large‐scale structures associated with the trailing vortices are assessed via the vorticity and the turbulent kinetic energy distributions. The phase‐resolved predictions are compared with measurement data obtained by laser‐Doppler anemometry and favourable agreement is reported both for mean as well as turbulence quantities.