Numerical and Experimental Studies on Multiphase Flow in Stirred Tanks

Author(s): Chao Yang, Zai-Sha Mao, Tao Wang, Xiangyang Li, Jingcai Cheng and Gengzhi Yu

Pp: 3-54 (52)

* (Excluding Mailing and Handling)

Abstract

Multiphase flow in a stirred tank was addressed both experimentally and with numerical simulation. The flow field and the distribution of the dispersed phase were regarded in most sections. The Eulerian multi-fluid approach and k-ε turbulence model were employed in numerical simulations. The good agreement found between experimental and predicted results underlines the importance of computational fluid dynamics in future research of multiphase phenomena in stirred tanks. Besides, some novel surface aeration configurations have been provided, which make such operations more reliable and economical. Furthermore, numerical simulation was applied in research of macro- and micro-mixing in stirred tanks. To account for the anisotropy of turbulence in the flow field, the algebraic stress model and large eddy simulation were adopted in the numerical study of hydrodynamics in multiphase stirred tanks as a result of their capacity on retrieving turbulent properties more accurately.

Keywords: Stirred tank, numerical simulation, multiphase flow, mixing.

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