Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.30, No.12, 1642-1649, 2007
Simulation of barium sulfate precipitation using CFD and FM-PDF modeling in a continuous stirred tank
A mixing-precipitation model combining computational fluid dynamics (M), finite-mode PDF (probability density function) model, population balance and kinetic modeling has been proposed to simulate the barium sulfate precipitation process in a continuous stirred tank agitated by a Rushton turbine. The effect of various operating conditions such as impeller speed, feed concentration, feed position and mean residence time on the barium sulfate precipitation process is clearly demonstrated. It is shown that the mean crystal size increases by increasing the impeller speed and mean residence time. However, when the feed concentration is increased, the mean crystal size decreases. The predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data in the literature.