CFD Investigation of the Mixing of Yield‐Pseudoplastic Fluids with Anchor Impellers

The study was carried out to simulate the 3D flow domain in the mixing of pseudoplastic fluids possessing yield stress with anchor impellers, using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package. The multiple reference frames (MRF) technique was employed to model the rotation of the impellers. The rheology of the fluid was approximated using the Herschel–Bulkley model. To validate the model, the CFD results for the power consumption were compared to the experimental data. After the flow fields were calculated, the simulations for tracer homogenization were performed to simulate the mixing time. The effects of impeller speed, fluid rheology, and impeller geometry on power consumption, mixing time, and flow pattern were explored. The optimum values of c/D (impeller clearance to tank diameter) and w/D (impeller blade width to tank diameter) ratios were determined on the basis of minimum mixing time.     

Characterisation of the mixing of non‐newtonian fluids with a scaba 6SRGT impeller through ert and CFD

An attempt has been made to study the mixing of yield‐pseudoplastic fluids with a Scaba 6SRGT impeller using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The ERT system with four sensor planes, each containing 16 equispaced stainless steel electrodes, was used to measure the mixing time. The multiple reference frames (MRF) technique and the modified Herschel–Bulkley model were applied to simulate the impeller rotation and the rheological behaviour of the non‐Newtonian fluids, respectively. To validate the model, the CFD results for the power consumption were compared to the experimental data. The validated model was then employed to obtain further information regarding the averaged impeller shear rate, impeller circulation, and pumping capacities. The CFD and ERT data were utilised to investigate the effect of the impeller power, fluid rheology, and impeller size on the mixing time. The mixing time results obtained in this study were in good agreement with those reported in the literature. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Effect of swirling addition on the liquid mixing performance in a T-jets mixer

Swirling addition to the stream is beneficial for the fluid mixing. This work aims to study the mixing process intensification in a conventional T-jets mixer by the swirling addition. After experimental verification by the planar laser-induced fluorescence technique, large eddy simulation with the dynamic kinetic energy sub-grid stress model is used to predict how the swirling strength (in terms of swirling number, S_w) and swirling directions affect the mixing performance, e.g. the tracer concentration distribution, mixing time, and turbulent characteristics in the T-jets mixers. Predictions show that the swirling strength is the key factor affecting the mixing efficiency of the process. The overall mixing time, τ₉₀, can be significantly reduced by increasing S_w. Vortex analysis shows that more turbulent eddies appear in the collision zone and the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate increases obviously with the swirling addition. When S_w is kept constant, the mixing process can be accelerated and intensified by adding swirling to only one stream, to both streams with the opposite swirling directions, or to both streams with the same swirling directions. Amplification of the mixing process by enlarging the mixer size or increasing the flow rates is also optimized. Thus, this work provides a new strategy to improve the mixing performance of the traditional T-jets mixers by the swirling addition.     

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.     

Optimization of the Impeller Design for Mesenchymal Stem Cell Culture on Microcarriers in Bioreactors

When agitating mesenchymal stem cells adhered on microcarriers in bioreactors, a compromise has to be found between sufficient particle suspension and limitation of hydromechanical stresses. The present study proposes a strategy to improve the design of an ‘elephant ear' impeller at the just‐suspended state by varying its relative size, blade slope angle, and position in the reactor. To do that, computational fluid dynamics simulations were coupled with multi‐objective optimization to minimize the hydromechanical stress encountered by the microcarriers. Two minimization criteria were considered: (P/V)_@p and the energy dissipation function EDC. On the basis of 31 conditions, an optimal impeller geometry is proposed.     

用数值模拟方法分析混合和导流筒对搅拌槽中沉淀硫酸钡的影响

1 INTRODUCTION Precipitation of sparingly soluble salts is an im- portant operation widely adopted in the production of functional materials, catalyst, protein, pharmaceutical product and pigment. By precipitation, two aqueous streams containing respective reactants are mixed in a precipitator, and the sparingly soluble salt forms as result of chemical reaction if the concentration of produced salt exceeds its solubility. The quality of the final product obtained by precipitation is strong…     

多喷嘴对置式气化炉内气固两相流动与炉壁的颗粒捕捉特性

对多喷嘴对置式气化炉内复杂的气固两相流动与炉壁的颗粒捕捉特性进行三维数值模拟。应用Euler-Lagrange模型模拟气固两相流动,采用Realizable k-ε湍流模型计算炉内气相湍流流场,颗粒轨迹跟踪采用随机轨道模型。模拟结果与冷模测试数据吻合,且流场与热模实验现象一致,壁面捕捉颗粒平均粒径与热态水煤浆气化实验数据吻合。工业规模模拟结果表明,壁面捕捉的颗粒平均粒径呈现一定的规律性,存在两个极大值位置,分别在喷嘴平面下方0.2 m及上方2.8 m处,在喷嘴平面上方,壁面捕捉颗粒粒径随颗粒密度的增大而减小;颗粒沉积能基本覆盖整个炉膛内壁,颗粒在撞击流股作用下在喷嘴平面上方1.8 m及下方1.9 m处沉积量最大;缩短喷嘴上方直段高度将影响炉内流场,拱顶对撞击流股产生一定的限制作用,使其变短变宽,并且使拱顶捕捉颗粒粒径增加,颗粒沉积速率增加。     

Effect of pitched short blades on the flow characteristics in a stirred tank with long-short blades impeller

This work focuses on the design improvement of the long-short blades (LSB) impeller by using pitched short blades (SBs) to regulate the flow field in the stirred vessel. After mesh size evaluation and velocity field validation by the particle image velocimetry, large eddy simulation method coupled with sliding mesh approach was used to study the effect of the pitched SBs on the flow characteristics. We changed the inclined angles of the SBs from 30° to 60° and compared the flow characteristics when the impeller was operated in the down-pumping and up-pumping modes. In the case of down-pumping mode, the power number is relatively smaller and vortexes below the SBs are suppressed, leading to turbulence intensification in the bottom of the vessel. Whereas in the case of up-pumping mode, the axial flow rate in the center increased significantly with bigger power number, resulting in more efficient mass exchange between the axial and radial flows in the whole vessel. The LSB with 45° inclined angle of the SBs in the up-pumping mode has the most uniform distributions of flow field and turbulent kinetic energy compared with other impeller configurations.     

Computational fluid dynamics study of the synthesis process for a PET radiotracer compound, [11C]raclopride on a microfluidic chip

Recent synthetic applications conducted on microfluidic chips have shown improved yields and shorter reaction times as compared to conventional methods. These have generated great interest in the microfluidic synthesis of radiotracer compounds with short lived radioisotopes, such as carbon-11 (t_1/2 – 20.4 min). For the purpose of microreactor design optimization and to predict synthetic behavior, we launched a study of the radiosynthesis of [¹¹C]raclopride on three different microchip designs by computational fluid dynamics, using COMSOL Multiphysics^®. COMSOL's Reaction Engineering Lab^® tool and convection and diffusion models were used first to investigate the “ideal” reactor and then to study reaction progress in the microchip geometry. Examining the concentration distribution within the microchannel geometry, it was clear that the microchannel length can predict passive mixing and higher product generation than microchannel length. Reducing the flow rate of reagents, premixing the reagents, and increasing reagent concentrations also increased product generation due to increased space times and molecular interactions. For the purpose of simulation, the yield is undesirably reduced by decreasing the diffusion coefficient and the reaction rate constant. This study provides the optimized parameters to redesign the microchip in order to increase the efficiency of micromixing within the microchannels and, therefore, increase the reaction yield.     

Effect of a Magnetic Field on a Micropolar Fluid Flow in the Vicinity of an Axisymmetric Stagnation Point on a Circular Cylinder

The effect of a magnetic field on a micropolar fluid flow in the vicinity of an axisymmetric stagnation point on a circular cylinder is studied numerically. The governing conservation equations of continuity, momentum and angular momentum are partial differential equations which are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations by using the usual similarity transformations. The resulting system of coupled non‐linear ordinary differential equations is solved numerically by using the shooting method. The numerical results indicate the velocity, angular velocity and pressure distributions for different parameters of the problem including Reynolds number, magnetic parameter and dimensionless material properties, etc. In addition, the effect of the pertinent parameters on the local skin friction coefficient and the couple stress are discussed numerically and illustrated graphically.