Numerical and experimental modelization of the two-phase mixing in a small scale stirred vessel

Sylvana Varela; Manuel Martinez; Jorge A. Delgado; Cyril Godard; Daniel Curulla-Ferre; Jordi Pallares; Anton Vernet

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.60, 286-296, April, 2018

DOI10.1016/j.jiec.2017.11.015 Export Citation

Numerical and experimental modelization of the two-phase mixing in a small scale stirred vessel

Sylvana Varela, Manuel Martinez, Jorge A. Delgado¹, Cyril Godard², Daniel Curulla-Ferre³, Jordi Pallares^†, and Anton Vernet

Departament d'Enginyeria Mecanica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paisos Catalans 26, 4007 Tarragona, Spain
¹Centre Tecnologic de la Quimica, Marcel.li Domingo N5, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
²Departament de Quimica Fisica i Inorganica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Marcel.li Domigo N4, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
³Total Researh&Technology Feluy, Zone Industrielle Feluy C, B-7181 Seneffe, Belgium

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The numerical prediction of mass transfer rates of gas components within the liquid phase in a stirred two-phase flow reactor is presented. Experiments have been conducted to determine the flow regime and the number and sizes of the bubbles formed under different conditions. The dynamic field of the twophase flow was obtained through numerical simulations. Bubbles with the experimentally measured diameter were released from the free surface and tracked numerically to compute the particle Reynolds number, which is used to determine the mass transfer rates. The unbaffled reactor provides mass transfer rates 30% larger than the baffled reactor for the bubbly flow. Mass transfer rates drop about 65% when the emulsion is formed. Therefore, above the critical rotation rate at which the emulsion forms for the unbaffled reactor, the baffled configuration provides larger mass transfer rates. The results indicate that even for the most unfavorable case mass transfer is not the limiting step, as 90% of the equilibrium concentration is reached in 10 s.

Keywords:Two-phase flow;Computational fluid dynamics;Experimental visualization;Mass transfer;Stirred reactor

[References]

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[2] Deen NG, Solberg T, Hjertager BH, Can. J. Chem. Eng., 80, 1 (2002)

[3] Busciglio A, Grisafi F, Scargiali F, Davi ML, Brucato A, Chem. Eng. Trans., 24, 1387 (2011)

[4] Scargiali F, Busciglio A, Grisafi F, Brucato A, Chem. Eng. Trans., 27, 205 (2012)

[5] Ferziger JH, Peric M, Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics, 3rd ed., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 2002.

[6] Arlov D, Revstedt J, Fuchs L, Comput. Fluids, 37, 793 (2008)

[7] Yeoh GH, Tu J, Computational Techniques for Multiphase Flow, Elsevier, 2009.

[8] Alcamo R, Micale G, Grisafi F, Brucato A, Ciofalo M, Chem. Eng. Sci., 60(8-9), 2303 (2005)

[9] Smagorinsky J, Mon. Weather Rev., 91, 99 (1963)

[10] Launder BE, Spalding DB, Lectures in Mathematical Models of Turbulence, Academic Press, London, England, 1972.

[11] Perng CY, Murthy JY, AIChE Ann. Meet, Miami, FL, 1992, pp. 109b.

[12] Scargiali F, D'Orazio A, Grisafi F, Brucato A, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 85(A5), 637 (2007)

[13] Spalding DB, Computer simulation of two-phase flows, in: R.W. Lewis (Ed.), Computational Techniques in Heat Transfer, Pineridge Press, Swansea, UK, 1985.

[14] Serra A, Campolo M, Soldati A, Chem. Eng. Sci., 56(8), 2715 (2001)

[15] Hirt CW, Nichols BD, J. Comput. Phys., 39, 201 (1981)

[16] Luo JY, Issa RI, Gosman AD, IchemE Symp. Ser., 136, 549 (1994)

[17] Torre JP, Fletcher DF, Lasuye T, Xuereb C, Chem. Eng. Sci., 62(7), 1915 (2007)

[18] Ranganathan P, Sivaraman S, Chem. Eng. Sci., 66(14), 3108 (2011)

[19] Han Y, Wang JJ, Gu XP, Feng LF, Chem. Eng. Sci., 74, 9 (2012)

[20] Ranade VV, Chem. Eng. Sci., 52(24), 4473 (1997)

[21] FLUENT 6 Documentation, FLUENT Inc., Lebanon, NH, USA, 2003.

[22] Ranade VV, Dommeti SM, Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 74(4), 476 (1996)

[23] Nagata S, Mixing. Principles and Applications, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1975.

[24] NIST Standard Reference Database 23, US Department of Commerce, 2007.

[25] Kozinski AA, King CJ, AIChE J., 12(1), 109 (1966)

[26] Cift R, Grace JR, Weber ME, Bubbles, Drops and Particles, Academic Press, London, 1978.

[27] Boltes K, Caro A, Leton P, Rodriguez A, Garcia-Calvo E, Chem. Eng. Process., 47(12), 2408 (2008)

[28] Harmathy TZ, AIChE J., 6(2), 281 (1960)