Pitched blade turbine, flow

The pumping number is a function of impeller type, the impeller/tank diameter ratio (D/T), and mixing Reynolds number Re = pND /p.. Figure 3 shows the relationship (2) for a 45° pitched blade turbine (PBT). The total flow in a mixing tank is the sum of the impeller flow and flow entrained by the hquid jet. The entrainment depends on the mixer geometry and impeller diameter. For large-size impellers, enhancement of total flow by entrainment is lower (Fig. 4) compared with small impellers. 

Axial-Flow Impellers Axial-flow impellers include all impellers in which the blade makes an angle of less than 90° with the plane of rotation. Propellers and pitched-blade turbines, as illustrated in Figs. 18-8 and 18-3, are representative axial-flow impellers. 

Figure 5-4A. Axial-flow pattern produced by a pitched-blade turbine. By permission, Oldshue, J. Y. [25],...

The three basic types of impeller which are used at high Reynolds numbers (low viscosity) are shown in Figures 10.55a, b, c. They can be classified according to the predominant direction of flow leaving the impeller. The flat-bladed (Rushton) turbines are essentially radial-flow devices, suitable for processes controlled by turbulent mixing (shear controlled processes). The propeller and pitched-bladed turbines are essentially axial-flow devices, suitable for bulk fluid mixing. 

Pitched blade turbine The pitched blade turbine is essentially a modified open flat-blade turbine with the blades angled (Figure 3.16). It is available with different blade angles and the 4-blade, 45° pitch turbine is the most common and popular type. The flow is discharged both axially and radially, depending on the angle. For the typical case of a 45° axial-flow turbine, one half of the total flow is discharged axially and one half radially (mixed-flow). 

The pitched-blade turbine is a reasonably cost-effective impeller in both turbulent and laminar flow. It is also a suitable impeller for applications where the viscosity changes over a wide range causing the flow regime to vary between turbulent and laminar flow. Moreover, it is a cost-effective impeller for solid suspensions. 

Double-impeller combinations Bouaifi et al. (2001) derived the following correlations for stirred gas-liquid reactors with various combinations of double impellers. The impellers used were the lightning axial flow impeller (A-310), the four 45° pitched blade turbine pumping down (PBTD) and the Rushton disk turbine (RDT). Furthermore, the tank was a dish-bottom cylindrical tank equipped with four baffles, while the gas was introduced by a ring sprager. The gas-flow rate ranged from 0.54 to 2.62 L/s, whereas the rotational speed was from 1.66 to 11.67 s. The gas holdup is... 

Estimate the stirrer power requirement P for a tank fermentor, 1.8 m in diameter, containing a viscous non-Newtonian broth, of which the consistency index A = 124, flow behavior index n = 0.537, density p = 1050 kg m", stirred by a pitched-blade, turbine-type impeller of diameter d = 0.6 m, with a rotational speed AT of 1 s . ... 

Figure 10.7. Flow number as a function of impeller Reynolds number for a pitched blade turbine with AE = 1.37. D/T is the ratio of impeller and tank diameters. [Dickey, 1984, 12, 7 Chem. Eng., 102-110 26 Apr. 1976)].

Suspension of solids is maintained by upward movement of the liquid. In principle, use of a draft tube and an axial flow impeller will accomplish this flow pattern most readily. It turns out, however, that such arrangements are suitable only for low solids contents and moderate power levels. In order to be effective, the cross section of the draft tube must be appreciably smaller than that of the vessel, so that the solids concentration in the draft tube may become unpractically high. The usually practical arrangement for solids suspension employs a pitched blade turbine which gives both axial and radial flow. 

Axial flow devices such as high-efficiency (HE) impellers and pitched blade turbines give better performance than conventional pitched blade turbines. They are best suited to provide the essential flow patterns in a tank that keep the solids suspended. High-efficiency impellers effectively convert mechanical energy to vertical flow... 

In certain cases, the primary process objective is to keep solid particles in suspension. Areas of application involve catalytic reactions, crystallization, precipitation, ion exchange, and adsorption. Axial flow and pitched-blade turbines are best suited in providing the essential flow patterns in a tank to keep the solids in suspension. The suspended solid is characterized by two parameters ... 

Pitch-blade turbine (paddle stirrer with pitched blades) and propeller stirrers provide high mixing with an axial flow pattern. Both of these stirrers are normally used for low-viscosity liquids and in vessels with baffles. They are well suited for providing liquid homogenization and suspension of solids in slurry reactors. The stirrers can also be used in viscous fluids and for vessels with H/dT > 1, which are generally encountered in fermentation processes. For these situations, axial flow is increased with the use of multistage stirrers with pitched stirring surfaces. 

Flow patterns in a mechanically agitated reactor with disk turbine, pitched-blade turbine, and propeller types of agitator are schematically illustrated by Joshi et al. (1982). The flow pattern in the presence of gas is described later in the section on slurry reactors. In each of these cases, the dimensionless velocity profile with respect to the impeller tip velocity has been found to be independent of the impeller speed and has shown slight dependence on the impeller diameter. 

Turbine designs are intermediate between paddles and propellers. Turbines are effective mixers over a wide viscosity range and provide a very versatile mixing tool. The ratio of radial to tangential flow, the predominating parameters with this impeller, increases as the operating speed increases. Pitched-blade turbines are sometimes used to increase axial flow. Baffles must be used to limit swirling unless the turbine is shrouded. 

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