Comparative PIV and LDA studies of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows in an agitated tank

Anna Story, Zdzisław Jaworski, Mark J. Simmons, Emilia Nowak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
126 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The paper presents results of an experimental study of the fluid velocity field in a stirred tank equipped with a Prochem Maxflo T (PMT) type impeller which was rotating at a constant frequency of N = 4.1 or 8.2 s−1 inducing transitional (Re = 499 or 1307) or turbulent (Re = 2.43 × 104) flow of the fluid. The experiments were performed for a Newtonian fluid (water) and a non-Newtonian fluid (0.2 wt% aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC) exhibiting mild viscoelastic properties. Measurements were carried out using laser light scattering on tracer particles which follow the flow (2-D PIV). For both the water and the CMC solution one primary and two secondary circulation loops were observed within the fluid volume; however, the secondary loops were characterized by much lower intensity. The applied PMT-type impeller produced in the Newtonian fluid an axial primary flow, whilst in the non-Newtonian fluid the flow was more radial. The results obtained in the form of the local mean velocity components were in satisfactory agreement with the literature data from LDA. Distribution of the shear rate in the studied system was also analyzed. For the non-Newtonian fluid an area was computed where the elastic force dominates over the viscous one. The area was nearly matching the region occupied by the primary circulation loop.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)593–602
JournalChemical Papers
Volume72
Issue number3
Early online date4 Oct 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2018

Keywords

  • Laser Doppler anemometry
  • Particle image velocimetry
  • Viscoelastic fluid
  • Stirred tank
  • PMT impeller

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Comparative PIV and LDA studies of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows in an agitated tank'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this