Gas recirculation rate and its influences on mass transfer in multiple impeller systems with various impeller combinations

Both the numerical and experimental approaches were used to study the effects of the gas recirculation and non‐uniform gas loading on the mass transfer rate for each impeller in a multiple impeller system. By combining the calculated gas velocity and local gas holdup, the gas recirculation rate around each impeller was estimated. The local mass transfer coefficients for systems equipped with various combinations of the Rushton turbine impeller (R) and pitched blade impeller (P) were determined by using the dynamic gassing out method. It is found that the Rushton turbine impeller has to be served as the lowest impeller in order to have a better gas dispersion and to give a higher overall K_La for a multiple impeller gas‐liquid contactor. The upper pitched blade impeller always enforces the circulating flow around the Rushton turbine impeller just beneath it and gives a higher overall average mass transfer rate. However, the system equipped with only the pitched blade impellers results in a much lower mass transfer rate than the other systems owing to the poor gas dispersion performance of the pitched blade impeller.     

CFD simulation of impeller shape effect on quality of mixing in two-phase gas–liquid agitated vessel

Mixing efficiency in two-phase gas–liquid agitated vessel is one of the important challenges in the industrial processes. Computational fluid dynamics technique (CFD) was used to investigate the effect of four different pitched blade impellers, including 15°, 30°, 45° and 60°, on the mixing quality of gas–liquid agitated vessel. The multiphase flow behavior was modeled by Eulerian–Eulerian multiphase approach, and RNG k − ε was used to model the turbulence. The CFD results showed that a strong global vortex plays the main role on the mixing quality of the gas phase in the vessel. Based on the standard deviation criterion, it was observed that the axial distribution of the gas phase in the 30° impeller is about 55% better than the others. In addition, the results showed that the 30° impeller has a uniform radial distribution over the other impellers and the maximum gas phase holdup in the vessel. Investigation of the power consumption of the impellers showed that the 30° impeller has the highest power consumption among the other pitched blade impellers. Also, examine the effect of same power condition for pitched blade impellers showed that the 30° impeller has the best mixing quality in this condition.     

The Use of Positron Emission Particle Tracking in the Study of Multiphase Stirred Tank Reactor Hydrodynamics

This paper describes the use of positron emission particle Tracking (PEPT) in the analysis of local particle and fluid velocities in solid‐liquid stirred tank reactors agitated with a Rushton turbine and an upward‐pumping pitched blade turbine. PEPT captures the full three‐dimensional characteristics of hydrodynamics and mixing in stirred vessels, allowing the analysis of the two‐phase flow fields. Furthermore, by comparing the liquid and particle velocities, the spatial and temporal variation of the relative particle‐liquid velocity can be estimated. Such information reveals considerable heterogeneity in the vessel and facilitates the evaluation of impeller design, particularly with the aim of minimizing mass transfer limitations.     

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.     

Gas-liquid hydrodynamics in a vessel stirred by dual dislocated-blade Rushton impellers☆

Towards the objective of improving the gas dispersion performance, the dislocated-blade Rushton impeller was applied to the gas–liquid mixing in a baffled stirred vessel. The flow field, gas hold-up, dissolved oxygen, power consumption before and after gassing were studied using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. Dispersion of gas in the liquid was modelled using the Eulerian–Eulerian approach along with the dispersed k–εturbulent model. Rotation of the impeller was simulated with the multiple reference frame method. A modified drag coefficient which includes the effect of turbulence was used to account for the momentum exchange. The predictions were compared with their counterparts of the standard Rushton impeller and were validated with the experimental results. It is concluded that the dislocated-blade Rushton impeller is superior to the standard Rushton impeller in the gas–liquid mixing operation, and the findings obtained here lay the basis of its application in process industries.     

精对苯二甲酸氧化反应器中气体停留时间分布

对苯二甲酸的工业生产多采用对二甲苯液相催化氧化方法,因此,氧化气体的混合特性就成为氧化反应器设计、放大的重要参数。文中针对工业中采用的涡轮桨和斜叶桨组合搅拌反应器型式,以氢气为示踪剂,采用阶跃激发响应技术测定了不同气量、搅拌转速下气体停留时间分布,同时开展了对二甲苯氧化试验,了解了气体混合对氧化中间产物含量影响。研究结果表明,只有当搅拌桨叶尖速度高于一个临界值,使气体接近全混的状态,才能实现单釜氧化目的产物的高收率。     

A HUMBLE TRIBUTE TO CHURCHILL-SENSEI

The performance of pitched blade turbines in a gas-liquid dispersion has been studied. The two-phase hydrodynamics, gassed power consumption and mass transfer properties have been examined using six blade open turbines with blade angles from 30 to 60 degrees to the horizontal, mounted for down flow.

There are two distinct regimes by which gas leaving the sparger reaches the impeller: at low gas rates this is indirect via the recirculation loops, while at higher gas flow rates the flow is direct.

The transition between these regimes is reflected in power consumption and mass transfer characteristics and is related to the formation of large cavities behind the blades. It was also concluded that, with respect to mass transfer efficiency, a pitched blade turbine is at least as good as a Rushton turbine.     

双层搅拌器组合的气液分散性能研究

系统研究和比较了径流桨和径流桨组合、径流桨和斜叶桨组合以及斜叶桨和斜叶桨组合3类不同的双层搅拌器组合,在气液分散搅拌过程中的优劣。小通气量时径流桨和斜叶桨组合(DT PTD和PTU DT)在相同的单位体积搅拌功率下气含率最高,而在大通气量时,双层上翻式斜桨组合(PTU PTU)气含率最高,并发现大通气量时,下层桨不宜采用下压式斜叶桨。     

Effects of the Stirred Tank's Design on Power Consumption and Mixing Time in Liquid Phase

The influence of the stirrer type and of the geometrical parameters of both tank and agitator (clearance of an impeller from tank bottom, impeller diameter, draft tube and geometry of the tank bottom) on power consumption and mixing time in liquid phase under turbulent regime conditions (Re > 10⁴) have been studied. Different types of agitators have been used, namely Rushton turbine, 45° pitched‐blade turbine, MIXEL TT and TTP propellers and 1‐stage or 2‐stage EKATO‐INTERMIG propellers. All these stirrers were tested with the same power consumption per unit mass of liquid. On the basis of measured power consumption per unit mass, which is required to achieve the same degree of mixing, the results obtained in the present work show that the TTP propeller is the most efficient in liquid phase. Recommendations on the optimum geometric configuration have been made for each type of stirrer.     

Liquid Homogenization in Aerated Multi‐Impeller Stirred Vessel

The macroflow of fluid in a tall cylindrical vessel stirred with multiple stirrers was studied in the case of aeration of a liquid charge. The time of homogenization of the charge (mixing time) was calculated from the time dependency of the tracer concentration measured at various locations. Two types of stirrer were used in the experiments: six‐bladed Rushton turbines and/or pitched‐blade turbines with inclined blades pumping the liquid down or up. Four stirrers of the same type were located on the shaft. Other variables during the experiments were the stirrer frequency and the gas flow rate. It was found that the liquid macroflow in the vessel could be interpreted by the cell model or by the axial dispersion model for unaerated as well as for aerated systems. The influence of the aeration on the macroflow and mixing time was explained by the interaction of buoyancy and radial forces, and equations for the model parameters were proposed containing gas flow numbers and Froude numbers.     

Impact of impeller type on methyl methacrylate emulsion polymerization in a batch reactor

The emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out in a lab‐scale reactor, which was equipped with a top‐entry agitator, four wall baffles, a U‐shaped cooling coil, and a temperature controller. Potassium per sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate as were used as the initiator and the surfactant, respectively. The experimental investigation demonstrated the impact of the impeller type (45° six pitched‐blade turbine and Rushton impeller), number of impellers (single and double impellers), and impeller speed (100–350 rpm) on the monomer conversion, polymer particles size, molecular weight, and glass transition temperature. The results revealed that the effect of the impeller speed on the characteristics of the polymer attained using the pitched‐blade turbine was more prominent than that for the Rushton turbine. It was also found that the impact of the impeller speed on the polymer characteristics was much more pronounced for the double pitched‐blade turbines rather than for the double Rushton turbines. However, more uniform size distribution was achieved with the Rushton turbine. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40496.     

GAS-LIQUID DISPERSION WITH PITCHED BLADE TURBINES

The performance of pitched blade turbines in a gas-liquid dispersion has been studied. The two-phase hydrodynamics, gassed power consumption and mass transfer properties have been examined using six blade open turbines with blade angles from 30 to 60 degrees to the horizontal, mounted for down flow.

There are two distinct regimes by which gas leaving the sparger reaches the impeller: at low gas rates this is indirect via the recirculation loops, while at higher gas flow rates the flow is direct.

The transition between these regimes is reflected in power consumption and mass transfer characteristics and is related to the formation of large cavities behind the blades. It was also concluded that, with respect to mass transfer efficiency, a pitched blade turbine is at least as good as a Rushton turbine.     

Characterisation of three different impellers using the LDV-technique

A characterisation of three commonly used impellers was made in this study by measuring local mean velocities and the fluctuations of these velocities with the LDV technique. The data was used to estimate volumetric flow, velocity fluctuations and turbulent intensity in the impeller region of the tank. The impellers investigated were a high flow impeller, a pitched blade turbine and a Rushton turbine. The cylindrical vessel used was made of Perspex, had a dished bottom (DIN 28013), was equipped with four baffles and had an inner diameter of 0.45 m. It was found that the bulk velocities could be scaled with the tip-speed of the impeller (ND). The flow rate at constant impeller speed increased in the order high flow impeller — Rushton turbine — pitched blade turbine. The corresponding order for the turbulence fluctuation is: high flow impeller — pitched blade turbine — Rushton turbine. The velocity profile of the flow out from the high flow impeller was furthermore, not as smooth as could be expected.     

几种单层桨搅拌槽内宏观混合特性的比较

为了丰富对向心桨的混合特性的认识,比较了向心桨、Rushton桨、三斜叶桨和穿流桨的单层桨搅拌槽内的宏观混合特性,考察了搅拌转速、桨叶离底高度对搅拌槽混合时间和功率特性的影响。结果表明,四种桨的宏观混合时间均随着搅拌转速的增加而减少,搅拌功率均随转速的增加逐渐增大。当转速相同时,四种桨型中Rushton桨的功率消耗最大,三斜叶桨功率消耗最小,向心桨的功率消耗仅仅比三斜叶桨高。桨叶离底高度的变化对四种桨型的混合时间和功率的影响不尽相同。混合效率的影响因素大小顺序为：搅拌转速>桨型>桨叶离底高度。在考察的四种桨型中,向心桨的混合效率最高。研究成果可为向心桨等新型搅拌桨的工业应用积累实验数据,为其优化设计和放大提供理论依据。     

Effects of Geometrical Factors on Liquid Mixing in a Gas-Induced Agitated Tank

An agitated tank having two 45° pitched blade downward turbines in series and four thin baffles which were narrower than the conventional ones was studied. At higher impeller speeds, a gas and liquid vortex induces the gas above the liquid surface vertically downward into the turbines, which in turn cuts the gas stream into bubbles which then circulate in the liquid. Consequently gas-induction increases the gas utilization ratio as well as simplifying the ancillary equipment otherwise required to recycle the escaped gas. The relationship between tank geometrical factors and the liquid mixing time was also investigated. The experimental variables investigated were the impeller speed, the baffle width, the turbine diameter, the space between two impellers, the liquid level, and the clearance between the lower turbine and the bottom of the tank. The results showed that all but the clearance between the lower turbine and the bottom of the tank had significant effects on the mixing time under normal gas-induction, revealing results in contrast to the conventional agitated tank. © 1997 SCI.     

γ-CT measurement and CFD simulation of cross section gas holdup distribution in a gas–liquid stirred standard Rushton tank

Cross section gas holdup distributions at 3/4 dimensionless static liquid height in a gas–liquid stirred standard Rushton tank were measured using ¹³⁷Cs γ-CT scan measuring technology at larger gas flow rates and higher impeller rotating speeds. The obtained CT scan images and digital distribution curves of gas holdup with dimensionless radius based on the CT images could explain the fluctuation changes of gas holdup distribution. The dense area of gas holdup distribution appeared in the upper space of impeller blades. Gas holdup increased both with gas flow rate and impeller rotating speed, but gas flow rate had more influence on gas holdup than impeller rotating speed. The Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid model coupling with the bubbles' coalescence and break-up models, and the drag coefficient model were established to make CFD simulation of gas holdup distributions for the gas–liquid stirred Rushton tank under different gas flow rates and impeller rotating speeds.     

Solids suspension agitation in square tanks

The Zwietering correlation for the just‐suspended speed has been modified to include baffling and geometric effects (impeller‐to‐tank diameter ratio and impeller off‐bottom clearance) for two impeller types (high‐efficiency and pitched‐blade). Baffles are generally not required when using square tanks although they improve solids suspension performance of pitched‐blade turbines. Comparison of square tank solids suspension to that in a fully baffled cylindrical tank has also been made. Very little difference was observed in the power number, but the just‐suspended speed, torque, and power requirements were higher in the square tank.     

Suspension of solid particles in multi‐impeller three‐phase stirred tank reactors

Solids suspension characteristics in gas—liquid–solid three‐phase stirred tanks with multi‐impellers were experimentally examined. Minimum impeller speeds for ultimately homogeneous solid suspension have been measured stirred tank reactors. Three impellers were installed: two four‐pitched blade downflow disk turbines and one Pfaudler type impeller chosen to provide good gas dispersion and to accomplish off‐bottom suspension of solid particles, respectively. Gas dispersion causes an increase in particle sedimentation associated with a decrease in power consumption and as a result, minimum impeller speeds for ultimately homogeneous solid suspension increase with increasing gas flow rates. A correlation was developed to predict minimum impeller speeds for ultimately homogeneous solid suspension. The proposed correlation, which agrees satisfactorily with the experimental results, is expected to be useful in design and scale‐up.     

一种新型搅拌桨多相混合性能研究

提出了一种新构型的搅拌桨一错位桨,并以空气-水-石英砂三相体系为研究对象,与传统的径流桨(Rushton桨)和轴流桨(斜叶桨)在功率消耗、混合时间、气体循环方面进行了比较.结果表明,错位桨相对于传统Rushton桨,功率消耗降低.适应气速范围广,轴向混合能力明显提升;在同等条件下与斜叶浆相比,气体分散能力强,混合时间少.这种新型桨能克服径向流叶轮在轴向混合方面能力的缺陷,有较好的潜在工业应用价值.     

Studies in multiple impeller agitated gas-liquid contactors

Experiments have been performed to study the effect of the density and the volume of the tracer pulse on the mixing time for two impeller combinations in the presence of gas in a 0.3 m diameter and 1 m tall cylindrical acrylic vessel. The tall multi-impeller aerobic fermenters, which require periodic dosing of nutrients that are in the form of aqueous solution, is a classic case under consideration. Conductivity measuring method was used to measure the mixing time. Two triple impeller combinations; one containing two pitched blade downflow turbines as upper impellers and disc turbine as the lowermost impeller (2 PBTD-DT) and another containing all pitched blade downflow turbines (3 PBTD) have been used. Other variables covered during experiments were the density and the amount of the tracer pulse, the impeller rotational speed and the gas superficial velocity. Fractional gas hold-up, Power consumption and mass transfer coefficient have also been measured for both the impeller combinations. Influence of aeration and impeller speed on the mixing time has been explained by the interaction of air induced and impeller generated liquid flows. Three different flow regimes have been distinguished to explain the hydrodynamics of the overall vessel (i.e., multiple impeller system). A compartment model with the number of compartments varying with the flow regimes have been used to model liquid phase mixing in these flow regimes. A correlation for the prediction of the dimensionless mixing time in the loading regime has been proposed in order to account the effect of the density and the amount of the tracer pulse on the mixing time. Correlations have also been proposed to predict fractional gas hold-up and k_La.