Method for Intensive Gas–Liquid Dispersion in a Stirred Tank

Abstract

This article presents the results of hydrodynamics and mass exchange in a stirred tank upon the introduction of gas from an open gas vortex cavity into local liquid regions with reduced pressure. It establishes conditions for the intensive dispersion of gas. Velocity fields and liquid pressure behind the stirrer paddles are determined by numerical simulation in OpenFOAM. The gas content value, gas bubble diameters, and phase surface are determined experimentally. The stirrer power criterion is calculated by taking into account the gas content and power input. The experimental mass transfer data based on the absorption of atmospheric oxygen into water during the dispersion of gas from the open vortex cavity in the local liquid regions behind the rotating stirrer paddles are presented. In this case, the energy dissipation from the rotating stirrer reaches 25 W/kg, with a phase surface of 1000 m−1 and a surface mass transfer coefficient of up to 0.3·10−3 m/s. These parameters are obviously higher than the data obtained in the apparatus for mass exchange through surface vorticity. The advantage of the given method for gas dispersion in a liquid is the functional stability of the apparatus regardless of how deep the stirrer is immersed in the liquid or the temperature or pressure of the gas. Apparatuses based on the intensive gas dispersion method allow for varying the mass transfer coefficient and gas content across a broad range of values. This allows establishing a dependency between the experimentally obtained mass transfer coefficient, energy dissipation, and phase surface values. An equation for calculating the mass transfer coefficient is formulated by taking into account the geometric parameters of the stirrer apparatus based on the stirring power and phase surface values.