Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1989, 54, 1599-1611
https://doi.org/10.1135/cccc19891599

Liquid circulation in a cylindrical vessel with radial baffles and inclined blade impeller

Ivan Fořta, Miloslav Hošťálekb and Jaroslav Medekc

a Department of Chemical and Food Process Equipment Design, Czech Technical University, 166 07 Prague 6
b Chemopetrol-Research Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, 400 60 Ústí nad Labem
c Department of Chemical and Food Process Equipment Design, Technical University, 619 69 Brno

Abstract

Liquid circulation was studied in a cylindrical vessel with radial baffles under the turbulent flow regime of liquid agitated gradually with the following types of four inclined blade impellers: impeller with plane blades inclined at the angle of 25°; impeller with asymmetrically profiled blades at the angle of 30°-17°; impeller with strength-profiled blades. By solving the turbulent (vortex) analogy of the Stokes equations for the creeping (non-inertial) laminar flow, the streamline distribution (the Stokes stream function) in the bulk of agitated charge was obtained for each of impellers studied (relative size d/D = 1/3, relative distance from the bottom H2/D = 1/3, relative vessel filling H/D = 1), placed axisymmetrically in the vessel and pumping the liquid towards its flat bottom. The zero values of the Stokes stream function at the bottom, walls, and charge liquid level, and further the radial profiles of axial and radial component of mean velocity in the cross sections under and above the impeller obtained experimentally by the laser-doppler anemometry on the assumption of axial symmetry of the agitated system studied were set as the boundary conditions for the solution of the partial differential equation considered. It follows from the results obtained that the homogenous circulation of agitated charge at the relatively lowest value of the impeller power input is reached when agitating with the asymmetrically profiled blade impeller which therefore can successfully replace the propeller mixer with airfoil profiled blades.