CHE413 FLUID MECHANICS FOR CHEMICAL

ENGINEERS
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
MEMBERS:
NAME MATRIC NO IC NO
MUHAMMAD SYAZWAN GOH 2018660166 991110155063

AHMAD AZAMMUDIN BIN ABDUL 2018410414 990522088261

HALIM
MUHAMMAD HAZIM BIN YUSRI 2018414234 990618105257

MUHAMMAD FAIZ FAHMI BIN 2018801184 991113086729

SERLIL ANUAR
NOOR AMIR HAIQAL BIN MOHD 2018200202 991116115353
NOOR

Date of submission: 23 November 2018

1
Agitation and Mixing Process Background

In chemical industries, understanding of fluid mixing is significant. The objective of agitation

for liquid-gas mixing in stirred vessel is to determine optimum conditions of gas-liquid mixing by
changing impeller blade's gradient, number of impeller and rotation rate. Methods/Statistical analysis:
In this work, by using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD); Ansys. Fluent software, we simulated
numerically a gas-liquid mixing in an agitated vessel equipped with a pitched-blade impeller. In this
study, the range of the impeller blade's gradient is between 0° to 90° with three number of impellers;
impeller and the impeller rotation speed rate which is between 90 to 120 rpm are used. Findings: The
reconstruction images of the nitrogen gas in the distilled water mixing in the agitated vessel are
obtained from the Ansys simulation. Based on the simulation results, the gradient of blades impeller
at 60°, three numbers of impeller and 90 rpm rotation rate are chosen as the optimum condition for
well mixing condition for gas nitrogen in the agitated vessel. These three parameters indicated the
most appropriate condition for distribution of the nitrogen gas in the agitated vessel.
Application/Improvements: This modelling have various applications in optimization and design of a
wide range of gas-liquid processes industry where the mixing process will affects about 25% of all
process industry operations.

So, for the mixing process background which liquid gas mixing is liquids and gases are typically
mixed to allow mass transfer to occur. For instance, in the case of air stripping, gas is used to remove
volatiles from a liquid. Typically, a packed column is used for this purpose, with the packing acting as
a motionless mixer and the air pump providing the driving force. When a tank and impeller are used,
the objective is typically to ensure that the gas bubbles remain in contact with the liquid for as long as
possible. This is especially important if the gas is expensive, such as pure oxygen, or diffuses slowly
into the liquid. Mixing in a tank is also useful when a (relatively) slow chemical reaction is occurring
in the liquid phase, and so the concentration difference in the thin layer near the bubble is close to that
of the bulk. This reduces the driving force for mass transfer. If there is a (relatively) fast chemical
reaction in the liquid phase, it is sometimes advantageous to disperse but not recirculate the gas
bubbles, ensuring that they are in plug flow and can transfer mass more efficiently.

Rushton turbines have been traditionally used do disperse gases into liquids, but newer options, such
as the Smith turbine and Bakker turbine are becoming more prevalent. One of the issues is that as the
gas flow increases, more and more of the gas accumulates in the low pressure zones behind the
impeller blades, which reduces the power drawn by the mixer (and therefore its effectiveness). Newer
designs, such as the GDX impeller, have nearly eliminated this problem.

2
Design of Mixing Tank- Production Rate, Tank Dimension,
Agitated System, No of Baffles.

Mechanically-stirred tanks are extensively used in the chemical and process industries, including
applications in the production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, foods, paper, minerals, metals and
many others. Typical operations which are usually carried out in mixing tanks include blending of
liquids, contacting of a liquid with a gas or second immiscible liquid, solids suspension and chemical
reactions. Despite many years of research and accumulated experience in the design of this
important type of equipment, the fluid flow behaviour of stirred tanks still remains a subject of
active investigation. The design of a stirred tank needs to be carefully matched to the particular
operation, but due to the complex flow patterns encountered many uncertainties remain in the
design and scale- 3 up procedures. Operations involving multiphase mixtures, e.g. contacting of a
liquid with a gas, another immiscible liquid, particulate solids, or some combination of these, form a
large proportion of stirred tank applications. For multiphase operations, there are significant
additional complexities which need to be addressed, compared with single-phase liquid flow. Many
of the uncertainties in design are related to multiphase aspects, and therefore, the focus of this
study is on multiphase flow. More specifically, this study considers the case of gasliquid contacting,
which takes place on a pilot scale stirred vessel.

In the design and operation of stirring tanks, mass transfer is one of the vital phenomena,
where agitation and aeration are influential variables to deliver an effective rate of mass transfer
during the mixing process, it can be characterised and analysed by the means of mass transfer
coefficient (KLa). The values of KLa are affected by several features, including the geometry of the
tank, type of impeller, agitation speed, aeration rate, media composition and properties [7]. The
determination of the KLa in mixing is also crucial to baseline efficiency parameters and to quantify
the optimum operating variables. The KLa for gas absorption is calculated using dynamic gassingout
method [8, 9]. Many experimental studies have been undertaken over the years to investigate the
characteristics of fluid flow in stirred tanks. Often, these studies have resulted in empirical
correlations, which relate a global parameter, e.g. power draw, mixing time or mass transfer rate,
the geometric configuration and operating conditions [10-14]. One approach for determining the
details of internal flow is through experimental studies at laboratory scale. A range of advanced
measurement methods [15-18] have been applied to get valuable information; whilst there are also
various limitations. For example, it is very difficult to apply experimental methods to full-scale
industrial tanks, and therefore, uncertainties during scale-up need to be addressed. Moreover, the

3
experimental methods use model fluids (e.g. water and air), but real industrial processes potentially
deal with fluids which show variations from ideal behaviours at high temperatures and pressures.

The cost of baffles and its installation cost was adopted from literature. The amount of
energy input for no baffle, one, two, three and four baffles were also analysed. The amount of
energy input for each case was converted into dollars spent to generate that energy. The cost data
for energy input was adopted from literature. Since the cost data was not updated in the reference
list, the cost data was updated to the year 2014 using Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index (CEPCI).
The cost indexes for reference years were adopted from American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE) website. A graphical relationship was developed to report the optimum number of baffles
required for 9 this system. The optimisation here is referred as the minimum cost, where the system
provides or start to provide higher mass transfer efficiencies.

The degree of mixing with a changing number of baffles under gassed condition. It clearly an
insertion of baffles into the system can significantly improve the gas-liquid mixing with even
standard Rushton turbine impeller. It was observed that without any baffle the maximum value of
oxygen concentration 17.90 ppm was achieved though after 1020 s. The long duration of the oxygen
concentration to reach a level of 17.90 ppm is due to none turbulence and less interfacial contact in
the mixing region. Visual observations show that the tangential motion of the low viscosity liquid
(water), imparted by rotating impeller has created a swirl, which has approximated solid body
rotation producing inadequate mixing. Only one baffle has significantly reduced the blend time and
also increases the oxygen concentration value. The oxygen concentration reached to 18.50 ppm as
compared to 17.90 ppm of without baffling, which is a 3.35% increase in the maximum value of
oxygen concentration. Addition of the second baffle shows the dominant effect on oxygen
concentration, which measured as 19.20 ppm. That is, as compared to 17.90 ppm of without
baffling, an increase of 7.26%. The addition of the first and the second baffles has greatly decreased
the blending time, whilst addition of the third baffle has minimal effect on the oxygen concentration.
Fig. 5 clearly shows that in the case of two 11 baffles the maximum level of oxygen concentration
was 19.20 ppm, which approaches to only 19.50 ppm in the case of three baffles, 1.68% raise as
compared to two baffles. The time to achieve the maximum level of oxygen concentration was 610 s
when two baffles were employed, whereas it was recorded as 590 s for three baffles. Furthermore,
the addition of the fourth baffle achieved highest oxygen concentration (19.98 ppm), which
corresponds to 11.6% increase in concentration from no baffle value (17.9 ppm). Also, the highest
level of oxygen concentration was achieved in the shortest time 510 s. In the case of four baffles,
system vortex formation was completely eliminated and the swirling motion was converted into the

4
axial flow, which helps to achieve the maximum mass transfer and greater mechanical stability in
gasliquid mixing. Hence, by increasing the number of baffles break swirling and vortexing of liquid
inside the vessel, and increase mixing and stabilizes the power drawn by reducing mixing time.
Myers, Reeder et al. Predicted similar results output, while gasliquid mixing in the study on
optimise mixing by using the proper baffles.

5
The Flow Pattern and Mechanism

The bulk mixing stages that were observed by Wisdom when the impeller speed was increased
for a particular gas rate. These stages are detailed below:

(a) Negligible dispersion.

(b) Upper part of vessel acting as bubble column.

(c) Gas circulation in the upper part of the vessel with occasional movement in the lower
region.

(d) Gas circulating throughout the whole vessel.

(e) Secondary loops form.

Nienow and Wisdom defined the transition between (d) and (c) as the onset of flooding, and used this
transition as the minimum requirement for bulk gas mixing. Thus the gas phase was considered
adequately mixed provided the impeller speed was greater than that required to just disperse the gas
throughout the whole vessel. Rushton and Bimbenet defined the flooding point . However, this
implies that the lower portion of the vessel contains no gas and is therefore being unproductive.
Westerterp et al. have also defined a minimum rate of agitation based on interfacial area
measurements but this has the disadvantage of being more complicated to detect. The definition of the
flooding point as defined by Nienow has the advantage that it corresponds closely with the minimum
in the Pog versus Fl plot . From the above it can be seen that the definition of the flooding point is still
not well established. Nienow's interpretation of the flooding point has recently been defined as NCp,
which is the condition investigated throughout this work.

6
Calculate Of Power Consumption

Over the past ten to fifteen years, much work has been done to explain the variation of impeller
power consumption with impeller speed and gas rate in gas-liquid dispersions. The bulk of this work
has been carried out using six-bladed disc turbine impellers and has led to an understanding of the
existence of, and the role played by, gas filled cavities which cling to the back of the turbine blades.
Rennie and Valentin showed evidence of gas collection in the low 29 pressure regions behind the
blades in 1968. Subsequently Nienow and Wisdom and Van't Riet and Smith have demonstrated how
the nature and size of the cavities change with gas rate and impeller speed. The three types of cavity
observed at various speeds by Nienow and Wisdom for a given gas rate. At low speeds a large cavity
covered the whole rear face of the blade. As speed increased so the cavity shape modified itself to fit
the shape of the trailing vortex and at still higher speeds the breakaway points moved inwards along
the blade forming vortex cavities. From this work has emerged an understanding of the manner in
which gassed power changes with the hydrodynamic conditions in the impeller region.

Gassed power data are commonly presented in two ways, both of which are basically
gassed power number (Pog) plotted against flow number. The effect of increasing gas rate at
constant impeller speed, and Fig. 3.2b the effect of increasing impeller speed at constant gas rate.
Considering firstly, since impeller speed is constant, then plotting the gassed power number will also
represent the variation of the gassed power and the ratio of gassed power to ungassed power, for a
particular system.

and since Po is constant in turbulent systems then Fig. 3.2a represents the response of Pog,
Pg and Pg/P to gas rate variations (N constant snº Q/ND3 a Q). As a small amount of gas is
admitted to the system it migrates to the low pressure regions forming vortex cavities
behind the impeller blades and therefore increasing the pressure in this area. The
consequence of this is a reduced pressure difference over the blade and a slight drop in drag
and power consumption. Bruijn et l. suggest that as gas rate is further raised an increasing
number of large cavities form, streamlining the impeller and further reducing drag.
Eventually all six cavities reach a maximum size and the impeller pumping capacity is
reduced to a minimum. Warmoeskerken et al have proposed that three large cavities form
simultaneously, causing a definite drop in the power consumption at a given gas rate, after
which any further decrease can be explained by the reduction in the mean density of the

7
pumped fluid. Oyama et al suggested that the rate of decrease of power number at a given
gas rate (or flow number) described the gas dispersion ability of the impeller. Thus as the
power number drops rapidly due to an increase in the quantity of gas in the impeller region,
the pumping rate and dispersion capability of the impeller also drop suddenly.

Fig. 3.2b has been interpreted by Nienow et. Again the gassed power number is
equivalent to a constant multiplied by the ratio Pg/P if Po is considered to be constant in the
turbulent region, independent of Reynolds number. However Pog is not proportional to P9
alone since impeller speed is changing at constant gas rate. In this case the flow number is
inversely proportional to impeller speed. At low speeds the tips of the blades are
surrounded by liquid and the power number remains high because of the presence of two
low pressure vortices at the back of each blade. As impeller speed is increased, a large cavity
forms over the upper half of the blade causing a reduction in Pog. At a slightly higher speed
the cavity covers the whole of the back face of the blade and a minimum occurs in the
gassed power number. Further increases in speed cause a rise in the power number as the
size and number of large cavities fall and their shape tends towards those of vortex cavities
so that less of the rear of the blade is blanketed by gas. At high enough impeller speeds,
recirculation of gas to the impeller becomes significant and the power number drops slightly
again. The 32 impellerspeed, required to achieve the resulting maximum is commonly
designated NR.

To summarize, the power consumption of a disc turbine impeller can be quite

satisfactorily explained by existing. data on the gas- . liquid hydrodynamics in the impeller
region. However, this level of understanding does not exist for other types of impeller.
Brauer and Schmidt-Traub proposed two mechanisms by which a downward pumping
propeller dispersed gas. At low sparge rates the bubbles formed simply by the action of the
downward liquid flow over the gas entry pipe, and were thence distributed about the vessel.
At higher gas loadings the buoyancy of the gas overcame the liquid downflow and a "bell-
shaped gas cushion" formed below the hub of the propeller. Bubbles were sheared off from
this cushion by the liquid downflow and dispersed, some travelling into the impeller itself
and forming a cavity which clung to the rear of the blade. Unfortunately, although the
authors measured power consumption, the only reference made to the results was that the
ratio of gassed to ungassed power did not fall below 0.6, compared to about 0.3 to 0.5 for a
disc turbine. No attempt was made to present and interpret the power measurements in the
light of the above observations.

8
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