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Research Paper

Numerical simulation of flow field and power consumption characteristics of double-layer combined impeller in a gas-liquid stirred tank

  • ZHANG Meng-Yao ,
  • XIAO Ya-Feng ,
  • DONG Zhong-Tian ,
  • MA Shao-Ping ,
  • WU Shuang ,
  • YU Ming-Zhou ,
  • ZHANG Qing-Hua ,
  • YANG Chao
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  • 1. School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China 2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710055, China 3. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China 4. CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

Received date: 2024-11-13

  Revised date: 2024-12-24

  Online published: 2025-07-24

Abstract

In the realm of chemical synthesis, the aminolytic synthesis of glycine from chloroacetic acid holds significant industrial importance. To surmount the challenges and optimize this process, with a particular emphasis on enhancing gas dispersion performance, elaborate investigation was carried out. Three innovative impeller combinations, namely the double narrow blade propeller (ZCX-ZCX), the narrow blade propeller-parabolic disc turbine (ZCX-PDT), and the narrow blade propeller-staggered fan-shaped parabolic disc turbine (ZCX-SFPDT), were integrated into the gas-liquid mixing operations within stirred tanks. Employing advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques, comprehensive comparative analysis was executed. The complex gas dispersion phenomena within the liquid phase were modeled using the Eulerian-Eulerian approach combined with the dispersed k-ε turbulent model to capture the intricate fluid dynamics. It was found that at the same speed, the ZCX-ZCX configuration manifested the lowest values in velocity distribution, turbulent kinetic energy, gas holdup, and power consumption metrics, but the largest average bubble size. Additionally, its distribution uniformity lagged behind that of ZCX-PDT and ZCX-SFPDT, resulting in suboptimal gas-liquid mixing. In contrast to ZCX-PDT and ZCX-SFPDT, the ZCX-SFPDT stirred tank boasted smaller gas cavities and more uniformity of flow field. Notably, under the same Reynolds number regime, ZCX-SFPDT not only curtailed power number by 6.1% compared to the ZCX-PDT tank, but also augmented mass transfer efficiency by 10.9%. It indicated that the arc-shaped structure decreased the form drag on the blade surface and the length of the resistance arm, which was conducive to reducing the stirring power consumption. Generally, these results unequivocally established that ZCX-SFPDT exhibited superior gas-liquid dispersion and mass transfer capabilities, rendering it the prime candidate for gas-liquid stirred tank applications.

Cite this article

ZHANG Meng-Yao , XIAO Ya-Feng , DONG Zhong-Tian , MA Shao-Ping , WU Shuang , YU Ming-Zhou , ZHANG Qing-Hua , YANG Chao . Numerical simulation of flow field and power consumption characteristics of double-layer combined impeller in a gas-liquid stirred tank[J]. The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering, 2025 , 25(7) : 695 -705 . DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.224353

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