Unsteady forcing of turbulence by a randomly actuated impeller array

We investigate the unsteady forcing of turbulent flow in a well-stirred reactor using opposing arrays of pitched-blade impellers which randomly and independently reverse rotation. We systematically explore the dependence of the large-scale motions and the homogeneity and isotropy of the turbulence upon the forcing. We identify three dimensionless control parameters: the source fraction (the fraction of time spent in clockwise motion), the dimensionless forcing period and an impeller Reynolds number. We find the timescale of unsteady motion corresponds to the forcing period T, the average period of impeller reversal, independently of the impeller angular speed $$\varOmega$$ Ω and source fraction. As in jet-stirred tanks, unsteady forcing substantially increases the unsteady kinetic energy, energy dissipation, integral length scale and Taylor microscale Reynolds number ($$R_\lambda$$ R λ ) and improves the homogeneity and isotropy of the flow, provided the source fraction is chosen optimally and the forcing period is sufficiently large ($$\varOmega T > 10^3$$ Ω T > 10 3 ); impeller Reynolds number has a relatively small influence. The forcing period must be matched to angular speed: decreasing the forcing period below this threshold results in a less intense, more inhomogeneous turbulent flow. Spectra of two-point velocity increments demonstrate that unsteady energy injection is dominated by axial shear generated across impellers and becomes less prominent at smaller scales. However, even at $$R_\lambda \approx 354$$ R λ ≈ 354 , the signature of this unsteady forcing can still be detected in near-dissipation-range statistics. These observations provide insight into optimisation of forcing and the mechanism of energy transfer when using unsteady forcing to generate turbulence in confined vessels. Graphical abstract

Effects of geometric parameters on volumetric mass transfer coefficient of non-Newtonian fluids in stirred tanks

Scaling up stirred tanks is a significant challenge because of the research gaps between laboratory and industrial-scale setups. It is necessary to understand the effects of scale-up on the mass transfer in stirred tanks, and this requires meticulous experimental analysis. The present study investigates the effects of tank size and aspect ratio ( H L T ${H}_{L}}{T}$ ) on the volumetric mass transfer coefficients of shear-thinning fluids. The experiments were conducted in three stirred tanks of different sizes (laboratory and pilot scale) and geometries (standard and nonstandard). H L T ${H}_{L}}{T}$ was 1 for the standard tanks and 3.5 for the nonstandard stirred tanks. Three sizes of stirred tanks were used: 11 L with H L T ${H}_{L}}{T}$ of 1, 40 L with H L T ${H}_{L}}{T}$ of 3.5, and 47 L with H L T ${H}_{L}}{T}$ of 1. Impeller stirring speeds and gas flow rates were in the range of 800–900 rev min−1 and 8–10 L min−1, respectively. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient was estimated based on the dissolved oxygen concentration in the fluids, and the effects of rheology and operating conditions on the volumetric mass transfer coefficient were observed. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient decreased as tank size increased and increased with an increase in operating conditions, but these effects were also clearly influenced by fluid rheology. The impacts of scale-up and operating conditions on the volumetric mass transfer coefficient decreased as liquid viscosity increased.

Heat Transfer and Hydrodynamics in Stirred Tanks with Liquid-Solid Flow Studied by CFD–DEM Method

The heat transfer and hydrodynamics of particle flows in stirred tanks are investigated numerically in this paper by using a coupled CFD–DEM method combined with a standard k-e turbulence model. Particle–fluid and particle–particle interactions, and heat transfer processes are considered in this model. The numerical method is validated by comparing the calculated results of our model to experimental results of the thermal convection of gas-particle flows in a fluidized bed published in the literature. This coupling model of computational fluid dynamics and discrete element (CFD–DEM) method, which could calculate the particle behaviors and individual particle temperature clearly, has been applied for the first time to the study of liquid-solid flows in stirred tanks with convective heat transfers. This paper reports the effect of particles on the temperature field in stirred tanks. The effects on the multiphase flow convective heat transfer of stirred tanks without and with baffles as well as various heights from the bottom are investigated. Temperature range of the multiphase flow is from 340K to 350K. The height of the blade is varied from about one-sixth to one-third of the overall height of the stirred tank. The numerical results show that decreasing the blade height and equipping baffles could enhance the heat transfer of the stirred tank. The calculated temperature field that takes into account the effects of particles are more instructive for the actual processes involving solid phases. This paper provides an effective method and is helpful for readers who have interests in the multiphase flows involving heat transfers in complex systems.