The dependence of power consumption on baffle length, L, in vessels agitated by a dual Rushton turbine system was studied within the turbulent regime, and also in relation to the impeller spacing, DH. A dependence of varying strength could be observed. The presence of baffles in the agitated systems provided a stabilizing effect with regard to the dependence of the Newton number Ne on the Reynolds number Re. A sharp decrease in power consumption could be detected for baffle lengths L < 0.3 H, with H the liquid height in the vessel. The Newton number was not significantly affected by L in the range 0.3 H < L< 0.5 H. For L > 0.5 H a sharp increase in Ne with increasing L could be observed. The two Rushton turbines act independently at DH > 1.65 d, with d being the impeller diameter. As the baffle length decreased, an increased mutual interaction between the two impellers could be observed for a broad regime of DH/d values. Ne was not affected by DH for the unbaffled agitated systems studied.
The power consumed in mechanically agitated vessels is an important parameter, especially for the energy requirements and the heat and mass transfer efficiencies of these systems. Power consumption does not only depend on the impeller type, the fluid properties and the stirring speed, but also on the geometry of the agitated system, including the impeller spacing and the length of the baffles in the mixing vessel. Information is presented on the combined effects of baffle length and impeller spacing on the total power consumption in vessels agitated by dual pitched blade impellers.
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