A study of Reynolds stresses, triple products and turbulence states in a radially stirred tank with 3-D laser anemometry

Three-dimensional laser Doppler anemometry measurements have been performed in a vessel stirred by a Rushton turbine. The mean flow field, Reynolds stresses and triple velocity correlations have been determined throughout the entire vessel. The anisotropy of turbulence has been assessed through the analysis of the invariants of the anisotropy. The results indicated that turbulence deviates significantly from the isotropic state not only in the impeller region but also near the bottom of the vessel. The triple velocity correlations measured indicated that the turbulent diffusion of the kinetic energy may be significant over only one-quarter of the circulation loops.