Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.39, No.4, 680-688, 2016
Optimized Stirred Reactor for Enhanced Particle Dispersion
Homogeneous dispersion of particles is crucial for many processes where the reaction rate is highly dependent on relative rates of mixing or degree of homogenization. These processes include crystallization, polymerization, and some mineral-refining processes. Complete particle dispersion in high-concentration slurries is researched experimentally and numerically. Computation fluid dynamics results suggest that cloud height is an excellent indicator for mixing homogeneity, and energy efficiency can be enhanced by removing baffles over a range of solids concentrations under the complete dispersion condition. The power required to maintain a high cloud height in a stirred tank can be predicted via a simple power number analysis. The proposed unbaffled design can be potentially beneficial to some industrial processes like crystallization.