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Mean velocity field relative to a Rushton turbine blade

Journal Article · · AIChE Journal (American Institute of Chemical Engineers); (United States)
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

The development of accurate turbulent mixing and scaleup models for stirred-tank reactors has been limited by a lack of understanding of the three-dimensional turbulent velocity characteristics in such vessels. The 3-D flow field relative to a rotating Rushton turbine blade is acquired for fully turbulent tank conditions by synchronizing LDA measurements with the output of a shaft-mounted encoder. This makes it possible to capture the impeller stream velocity field, including the details of the vortices behind the blades. Mean velocity data at three impeller speeds show the extent of periodicity and the axes and structure of the vortices. Pumping capacities are determined and it is shown that the radial jet is a consequence of fluid entrainment into the vortices. Deformation rates based on gradients of mean velocity are calculated. Close to the blade they can exceed impeller rotational frequency by as much as two orders of magnitude. To a first approximation, the normalized mean flow field is independent of impeller speed.

DOE Contract Number:
AC07-76ID01570
OSTI ID:
6534344
Journal Information:
AIChE Journal (American Institute of Chemical Engineers); (United States), Journal Name: AIChE Journal (American Institute of Chemical Engineers); (United States) Vol. 41:1; ISSN 0001-1541; ISSN AICEAC
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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