Mixing Characteristics in the Horizontal Non-Baffled Stirred Vessel in Low Viscosity Fluid

Abstract

It is well-known that the configuration of the impeller and the vessel has a significant influence on mixing characteristics. This paper, presents an investigation of mixing time and mixing power in a low viscosity liquid in the horizontal and vertical stirred vessels respectively. In this study the CFD software is used to simulate the flow pattern in the horizontal vessel. The difference in mixing characteristics of the two types of vessels is also discussed. It is found that the flow in the horizontal non-baffled vessel is possibly chaotic, while the mixing performance in the horizontal non-baffled vessel is a little better than that in the vertical one under the same experimental conditions. On the basis of this finding we propose an approach that can improve the performance of mixing and reduce the cost.