ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Scale-adaptive simulation of liquid mixing in an agitated vessel equipped with eccentric HE 3 impeller

Marek Dománski, Joanna Karcz, and Marcelina Bitenc

Department of Chemical Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Al. Piastów 42, 71-065, Szczecin, Poland

E-mail: Joanna.Karcz@zut.edu.pl

Abstract: The current study presents the results of a numerical simulation of hydrodynamics in an agitated vessel equipped with an eccentric HE 3 impeller. CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations were carried out using ANSYS 14.0 software. Time-dependent simulations of turbulent flow were carried out using the SAS-SST (scale adaptive simulation-shear stress transport) method coupled with the SM (sliding mesh) method. The results of the calculations are presented as contours of velocity in different cross-sections of the agitated vessel, as well as profiles of components of velocity vector and turbulence kinetic energy and its dissipation rate. The iso-surface of vorticity, which shows the region of possible vortex existence, is also presented. A numerically obtained data set of impeller power number was used to calculate the averaged impeller power number. This value was compared with the experimental data with good results. The relationship between impeller position and fluctuation of the impeller power number was also analysed.

Keywords: agitation – eccentric impeller – CFD – HE 3 impeller – scale adaptive simulation

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-014-0546-6

Chemical Papers 68 (7) 899–912 (2014)