Critical impeller speeds for a gas-inducing stirring tank loaded with solid particles

The influence of solid particles size,density and loading on the critical gas-inducing impeller speed was investigated in a gas–liquid–solid stirring tank equipped with a hollow Rushton impeller.Three types of solid particles,hollow glass beads with diameters of 300 μm,200 μm,100 μm,and 60 μm,silica gel and desalting resin,were used.It was found that the adding solid particles would change the critical impeller speed.For hollow glass beads and silica gel,whose relative densities were less than or equal to 1.5,the critical impeller speeds increased with the solid loading before reaching the maximum values,and then decreased to a value even lower than that without added solids.The size of the solids also had apparent influence on the critical impeller speed,and larger solid particles correspond to a smaller critical impeller speed.The experimental data also showed that the gasinducing was beneficial to the suspension of the solid particles.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of scale-up effects on the hydrodynamics of slurry bubble columns

Experiments and simulations were conducted for bubble columns with diameter of 0.2 m(180 mm i.d.), 0.5 m(476 mm i.d.) and 0.8 m(760 mm i.d.) at high superficial gas velocities(0.12–0.62 m·s-1) and high solid concentrations(0–30 vol%). Radial profiles of time-averaged gas holdup, axial liquid velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy were measured by using in-house developed conductivity probes and Pavlov tubes. Effects of column diameter, superficial gas velocity, and solid concentration were investigated in a wide range of operating conditions. Experimental results indicated that the average gas holdup remarkably increases with superficial gas velocity, and the radial profiles of investigated flow properties become steeper at high superficial gas velocities. The axial liquid velocities significantly increase with the growth of the column size, whereas the gas holdup was slightly affected. The presence of solid in bubble columns would inhibit the breakage of bubbles, which results in an increase in bubble rise velocity and a decrease in gas holdup, but time-averaged axial liquid velocities remain almost the same as that of the hollow column. Furthermore, a 2-D axisymmetric k–ε model was used to simulate heterogeneous bubbly flow using commercial code FLUENT 6.2. The lateral lift force and the turbulent diffusion force were introduced for the determination of gas holdup profiles and the effects of solid concentration were considered as the variation of average bubble diameter in the model. Results predicted by the CFD simulation showed good agreement with experimental data.     

Influence of impeller diameter on overall gas dispersion properties in a sparged multi-impeller stirred tank☆

The impeller configuration with a six parabolic blade disk turbine below two down-pumping hydrofoil propellers, identified as PDT + 2CBY, was used in this study. The effect of the impeller diameter D, ranging from 0.30T to 0.40T (T as the tank diameter), on gas dispersion in a stirred tank of 0.48 m diameter was investigated by experimental and CFD simulation methods. Power consumption and total gas holdup were measured for the same impeller configuration PDT + 2CBY with four different D/T. Results show that with D/T increases from 0.30 to 0.40, the relative power demand (RPD) in a gas–liquid system decreases slightly. At low superficial gas velocity V_S of 0.0078 m·s^-1, the gas holdup increases evidently with the increase of D/T. However, at high superficial gas velocity, the systemwith D/T=0.33 gets a good balance between the gas recirculation and liquid shearing rate, which resulted in the highest gas holdup among four different D/T. CFD simulation based on the two-fluid model along with the Population Balance Model (PBM) was used to investigate the effect of impeller diameter on the gas dispersion. The power consumption and total gas holdup predicted by CFD simulation were in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.     

Influences of top clearance and liquid throughput on the performances of an external loop airlift slurry reactor integrated mixing and separation

A new developed external loop airlift slurry reactor, which was integrated with gas–liquid–solid three-phase mixing, mass transfer, and liquid–solid separation simultaneously, was deemed to be a promising slurry reactor due to its prominent advantages such as achieving continuous separation of clear liquid from slurry and cyclic utilization of solid particles without any extra energy, energy-saving, and intrinsic safety design. The principal operating parameters, including gas separator volume, handling capacity, and superficial gas velocity, are systematically investigated here to promote the capabilities of mixing, mass transfer, and yield in the pilot external loop airlift slurry reactor. The influences of top clearance and throughput of the clear liquid on flow regime and gas holdup in the riser, liquid circulating velocity, and volumetric mass transfer coefficient with a typical high solid holdup and free of particles are examined experimentally. It was found that increasing the gas separator volume could promote the liquid circulating velocity by about 14.0% at most. Increasing the handling capacity of the clear liquid from 0.9 m~3·h~(-1) to 3.0 m~3·h~(-1) not only could increase the output without any adverse consequences, but also could enhance the liquid circulating velocity as much as 97.3%. Typical operating conditions investigated here can provide some necessary data and guidelines for this new external loop airlift slurry reactor to upgrade its performances.     

Study on the solid–liquid suspension behavior in a tank stirred by the long-short blades impeller

We investigated the solid–liquid suspension characteristics in the tank with a liquid height/tank diameter ratio of 1.5 stirred by a novel long-short blades(LSB) impeller by the Euler granular flow model coupled with the standard k–ε turbulence model. After validation of the local solid holdup by experiments,numerical predictions have been successfully used to explain the influences of impeller rotating speed,particle density, particle size, liquid viscosity and initial solid loading on the soli...     

Design factors affecting the dynamic performance of soil suspension in an agitated,baffled tank

The effects of particle size, impeller clearance and impel er speed are assessed to show how condition variations influence power consumption in the water-solid slurry suspension in an agitated tank. The energy efficiency of slurry height variation, impel er type and diameter, and solid movement speed has been investigated with six soil series stirred in a soil-water slurry. Coarser sand particles are observed to significantly increase power consumption, while finer particles, for instance clay, decrease the stirring power requirement. The 3-blade HR100 SUPERMIX? impeller manufactured by SATAKE general y performs more efficiently than a conventional 4-pitched blade turbine. The impeller's geometric design, including diameter and number of blades influences the impeller's energy efficiency, and HR100 impellers with greater diameters remarkably reduce power consumption. The tests demonstrated that the power required to provide off-bottom solid suspension and solid dispersion can be reduced dramatically by increasing the slurry height rather than by accelerating the impel er, if this option is possible.     

HYDRODYNAMICS AND AXIAL MIXING OF LIQUIDSOLID SYSTEM IN OPEN TURBINE ROTATING DISC CONTACTOR

The open turbine rotating disc contactor (OTRDC) has been installed simply by adding three narrow strips to the lower surface of each rotating disc in the rotating disc contactor (RDC), so it can be used for the system with high solid particle content. Hydrodynamics and axial mixing have been investigated in a 0.152m diameter OTRDC of different compartment height for the system of tap water and quartz particles. A model has been developed to describe the flow of liquid and solid phases. The solid phase holdup can be calculated satisfactorily according to the model equations. Axial mixing data have been treated by the backflow model and the correlations for predicting backflow ratios of liquid and solid phases in OTRDC have been presented.     

Micromixing characteristics in a gas-liquid-solid stirred tank with settling particles☆

The parallel-competing iodide–iodate reaction scheme was used to study the micromixing performance in a multi-phase stirred tank of 0.3 m diameter. The impeller combination consisted of a half el iptic...     

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of a novel bioreactor for sophorolipid production

This paper describes three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations of gas–liquid flow in a novel laboratory-scale bioreactor contained dual ventilation-pipe and double sieve-plate bioreactor(DVDSB)used for sophorolipid(SL) production. To evaluate the role of hydrodynamics in reactor design, the comparisons between conventional fed-batch fermenter and DVDSB on the hydrodynamic behavior are predicted by the CFD methods. Important hydrodynamic parameters of the gas–liquid two-phase system such as the liquid phase velocity field, turbulent kinetic energy and volume-averaged overall and time-averaged local gas holdups were simulated and analyzed in detail. The numerical results were also validated by experimental measurements of overall gas holdups. The yield of sophorolipids was significantly improved to 484 g·L~(-1)with a 320 h fermentation period in the new reactor.     

三相间歇流化床中非粘附与粘附体系的沉降-分散模型

The axial concentration distribution of both particles with better wetting (forming non-attached systems) and poorer wetting (forming attached system) was investigated in a vertical gas-liquid-solid fluidized bed of 4.2cm in diameter and 130cm in height with the solids holdup less than 0.05. The one-dimensional sedimentation-dispersion model could be used satisfactorily to describe the axial distribution of solids holdup by modifying only a model parameter,i.e.by means of the terminal settling velocity minus a certain value,which is a function of gas velocity and considers the effect of an additional drag force resulted from attached rising bubbles.The axial profiles of solid concentration predicted are in good agreement with experimental results.This model also explains reasonably the different axial distribution of solid concentration,i.e.the solids holdup decreases as the axial height increases in non-attached system,but increases with the axial height in attached system at a given gas velocity.     

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.     

A Sedimentation-Dispersion Model for both Non-attached and Attached Particles in Three-Phase Batchwise Fluidized Beds

The axial concentration distribution of both particles with better wetting (forming non-attached system) and poorer wetting (forming attached system) was investigated in a vertical gas-liquid-solid fluidized bed of 4.2 cm in diameter and 130 cm in height with the solids holdup less than 0.05. The one-dimensional sedimentation-dispersion model could be used satisfactorily to describe the axial distribution of solids holdup by modifying only a model parameter, i.e. by means of the terminal settling velocity minus a certain value, which is a function of gas velocity and considers the effect of an additional drag force resulted from attached rising bubbles. The axial profiles of solid concentration predicted are in good agreement with experimental results. This model also explains reasonably the different axial distributions of solid concentration, i.e. the solids holdup decreases as the axial height increases in non-attached system, but increases with the axial height in attached system at a given gas veloc     

搅拌槽内液-固两相体系的数值研究(Ⅰ)流场的数值模拟

Three-dimensional solid-liquid flow is mathematically formulated by means of the “two-fluid” approach and the two-phase k-ε-Ap turbulence model. The turbulent fluctuation correlations appearing in the Reynolds time averaged governing equations are fully incorporated. The solid-liquid flow field and solid concentration distribution in baffled stirred tanks with a standard Rushton impeller are numerically simulated using an improved “inner-outer” iterative procedure. The flow pattern is identified via the velocity vector plots and a recirculation loop with higher solid concentration is observed in the central vicinity beneath the impeller. Comparison of the simulation with experimental data on the mean velocities and the turbulence quantities of the solid phase is made and quite reasonable agreement is obtained except for the impeller swept volume. The counterpart of liquid phase is presented as well. The predicted solid concentration distribution for three experimental cases with the average solid concentration up to 20% is also found to agree reasonably with the experimental results published in the literature.     

Influence of impeller diameter on local gas dispersion properties in a sparged multi-impeller stirred tank☆

Vertical distributions of local void fraction and bubble size in alr–water dispersion system were measured with a dual conductivity probe in a fully baffled dished base stirred vessel with the diameter T of 0.48 m, holding 0.134 m3 liquid. The impel er combination with a six parabolic blade disk turbine below two down-pumping hy-drofoil propel ers, identified as PDT+2CBY, was used in this study. The effects of the impel er diameter D, rang-ing from 0.30T to 0.40T (corresponding to D/T from 0.30 to 0.40), on the local void fraction and bubble size were investigated by both experimental and CFD simulation methods. At low superficial gas velocity VS of 0.0077 m·s?1, there is no obvious difference in the local void fraction distribution for al systems with different D/T. However, at high superficial gas velocity, the system with a D/T of 0.30 leads to higher local void fraction than systems with other D/T. There is no significant variation in the axial distribution of the Sauter mean bubble size for al the systems with different D/T at the same gas superficial velocity. CFD simulation based on the two-fluid model along with the population balance model (PBM) was used to investigate the effect of the impel er diameter on the gas–liquid flows. The local void fraction predicted by the numerical simulation approach was in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.     

流态化固体颗粒对载气蒸发传热的强化

Heat transfer characteristics are studied for gas carrying evaporation with fluidized solid particles in a vertical rectangular conduit. Experimental results show that heat transfer of gas carrying evaporation is enhanced and the superheat of liquid in contact with heating surface lowers remarkably by introducing solid particles. Nucleate boiling on the heating surface is suppressed to a considerable degree. The mechanism of heat transfer enhancement by fluidized solid particles is analyzed with the consideration of collisions of solid particles with the boiling vapor bubbles.     

搅拌釜内固-液悬浮体系的CFD-DEM模拟(英文)

Computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method （CFD-DEM） coupled approach was employed to simulate the solid suspension behavior in a Rushton stirred tank with consideration of transitional and rotational motions of millions of particles with complex interactions with liquid and the rotating impeller. The simulations were satisfactorily validated with experimental data in literature in terms of measured particle velocities in the tank. Influences of operating conditions and physical properties of particles （i.e., particle diameter and density） on the two-phase flow field in the stirred tank involving particle distribution, particle velocity and vortex were studied. The wide distribution of particle angular velocity ranging from 0 to 105 r·min-1 is revealed. The Magnus force is comparable to the drag force during the particle movement in the tank. The strong particle rotation will generate extra shear force on the particles so that the particle morphology may be affected, especially in the bio-/polymer-product related processes. It can be concluded that the CFD-DEM coupled approach provides a theoretical way to under-stand the physics of particle movement in micro-to macro-scales in the solid suspension of a stirred tank.     

气-液-固三相循环流化床中的液相轴向扩散

The effects of liquid viscosities, solid circulating rates, liquid and gas velocities and phase holdups on the axial dispersion coefficient, Dax, were investigated in a gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed (GLSCFB).Liquid viscosity promotes the axial liquid backmixing when solid particles and gas bubbles are present. Increases in gas velocities and solid circulating rates lead to higher Dax. The effects of liquid velocity on Dax are associated with liquid viscosity. Compared with conventional expanded beds, the GLSCFBs hold less axial liquid dispersion,approaching ideal plug-flow reactors.     

T型撞击流反应器的微观混合性能研究(英文)

Confined impinging jet reactor (CIJR) offers advantages for chemical rapid processes and has become an important new reactor used in the chemical industry. The micromixing efficiency in a T-shaped CIJR for two tubes of inner diameter of 3 mm was studied by using a parallel competing iodide–iodate reaction as the working system. In this work, the effects of different operating conditions, such as impinging velocity and acid concentration, on segregation index were investigated. In addition, the effects of the inner nozzles diameter and the distance L between the jet axis and the top wal of the mixing chamber on the micromixing efficiency were also considered. It is concluded that the best range of L in this CIJR is 6.5–12.5 mm. Based on the incorporation model, the estimated minimum micromixing time tm of CIJR approximately equals to 2 × 10?4 s. These experimental results indicate clearly that CIJR possesses a much better micromixing performance compared with the conventional stirred tank (micromixing time of 2 × 10?3 to 2 × 10?2 s). Hence, it can be envisioned that CIJR has more promising applications in various industrial processes.     

Quantifying growth and breakage of agglomerates in fluid-particle flow using discrete particle method

The cohesive solids in liquid flows are featured by the dynamic growth and breakage of agglomerates, and the difficulties in the development, design and optimization of these systems are related to this significant feature.In this paper, discrete particle method is used to simulate a solid–liquid flow system including millions of cohesive particles, the growth rate and breakage rate of agglomerates are then systematically investigated. It was found that the most probable size of the agglomerates is determined by the balance of growth and breakage of the agglomerates the cross point of the lines of growth rate and breakage rate as a function of the particle numbers in an agglomerate, marks the most stable agglomerate size. The finding here provides a feasible way to quantify the dynamic behaviors of growth and breakage of agglomerates, and therefore offers the possibility of quantifying the effects of agglomerates on the hydrodynamics of fluid flows with cohesive particles.     

多管气升式环流反应器的液体循环

A multi-tube air-lift loop reactor (MT-ALR) is presented in this paper. Based on the energy conservation, a mathematical model describing the liquid circulation flow rate was developed, which was determined by gas velocity, the cross areas of riser and downcomer, gas hold-up and the local frictional loss coefficient. The experimental data indicate that either increase of gas flow rate or reduction of the downcomer diameter contributes to higher liquid circulation rate. The correlation between total and the local frictional loss coefficients was also established.Effects of gas flowrate in two risers and diameter of downcomer on the liquid circulation rate were examined. The value of total frictional loss coefficient was measured as a function of the cross area of downcomer and independent of the gas flow rate. The calculated results of liquid circulation rates agreed well with the experimental data with an average relative error of 9.6%.