CFD Simulations of Mixing Characteristics of Radial Impellers in Cylindrical Reactors

Mixing of complex fluids in a flat bottomed cylindrical reactor is studied. The working fluid (Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC)) has a shear thinning behavior. The agitation is ensured by a rotating mixer located at the central position in the tank. The main purpose of the present work is to compare the performance of three impellers, which are: a disk impeller, a radial turbine with six flat blades and a six-blade Rushton turbine. Mixing characteristics in terms of velocities, well-mixed region and energy consumption are presented. The obtained results show that the Rushton turbine performs better than the two others stirrers investigated.