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Research Paper

Numerical simulation of dispersion characteristics in a gas-liquid stirred tank with double-bend wide-skewed impellers

  • ZHANG Li-Wei ,
  • CHEN Tian-Bao ,
  • XU Guan-Qun ,
  • TAO Lan-Lan ,
  • ZHOU Yong-Jun
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  • 1. College of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211816, China 2. Special Equipment Safety Supervision Inspection Institute of Jiangsu Province, National Quality Supervision & Inspection Center of Chemical Equipment, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215600, China

Received date: 2025-10-13

  Revised date: 2026-02-01

  Online published: 2026-08-26

Abstract

Gas-liquid stirred tanks are widely used in chemical, pharmaceutical, and biochemical processes, where efficient dispersion of gas into liquid is essential for optimal mass transfer performance. Although various impeller designs have been developed, the gas dispersion characteristics of non-conventional impellers such as the double-bend wide-skewed (DBWS) impeller remain insufficiently explored. Based on a coupled computational fluid dynamics and population balance model (CFD-PBM), the gas holdup of DBWS was investigated under different rotational speeds and aeration rates. Additionally, the dispersion characteristics of DBWS impeller were compared with RT impeller under a specific operating condition. It was found that increasing rotational speed and aeration rate generally led to a higher gas holdup. However, excessively high aeration rates resulted in unstable gas dispersion, which negatively affected mass transfer reliability. Compared to the RT impeller, the DBWS impeller achieved a significantly higher stable gas holdup, despite requiring a longer time to reach steady state. A notable advantage of DBWS impeller was its ability to generate a larger proportion of fine bubbles in the 0~2 mm range, which promoted more efficient gas-liquid contact. In the DBWS impeller vessel, gas was primarily distributed between the two impellers and effectively contacted the liquid in both the mixing zone and near the vessel wall. Conversely, gas in the RT impeller vessel accumulated mainly near the shaft and impeller blades. In addition, the DBWS impeller produced slender and continuous vortex structures that effectively suppressed bubble coalescence. In contrast, the RT impeller formed intense and localized vortices near the blades, causing gas to accumulate behind the blades and form cavities, thereby reducing dispersion efficiency. Generally, these results demonstrated that DBWS impeller exhibited superior gas dispersion capability compared to the RT impeller, offering better gas distribution and higher gas holdup stability. These findings offer valuable insights for the practical engineering application of double-bend wide-skewed impellers.

Cite this article

ZHANG Li-Wei , CHEN Tian-Bao , XU Guan-Qun , TAO Lan-Lan , ZHOU Yong-Jun . Numerical simulation of dispersion characteristics in a gas-liquid stirred tank with double-bend wide-skewed impellers[J]. The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering, 2026 , 26(8) : 838 -846 . DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.225257

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