Chemical Engineering Science 61 (2006) 2864 2870 www.elsevier.

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Experimental investigations of stirred solid/liquid systems in three different scales: Particle distribution and power consumption
R. Angst, M. Kraume
Technische Universitt Berlin, Fachgebiet Verfahrenstechnik, MA 5-7 Strae des 17. Juni 136, 10632 Berlin, Germany Available online 26 January 2006

Abstract In this paper, experimental results of power consumption as well as phase distribution measurements in stirred solid/liquid systems are presented. The local dispersed phase volume fraction in three geometrically similar vessels with the diameters of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.9 m was investigated at up to 69 different local positions by means of an endoscope technique. The results are compared and show a good agreement between the different vessel sizes under comparable conditions. The power number was investigated and found to decrease remarkably with increasing mean solids concentrations. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Mixing; Multiphase ow; Particle distribution; Scale-up; Suspension

1. Introduction Although solid/liquid systems are among the most common apparatuses in the process industry there is still a remarkable gap between the industrial demand and the ability to predict the uid dynamics of the solid/liquid ow. Despite the fact that numerous publications on the matter exist (e.g. Penaz et al., 1978; Einenkel, 1979; Barresi and Baldi, 1987; Bilek and Rieger, 1990; Mak and Ruszkowski, 1990; Heywood et al., 1992; Godfrey and Zhu, 1994; McKee et al., 1994; Brucato et al., 2002; Spidla et al., 2004) the transferability of the results is low due to the strong dependency of the ow eld on the geometry as well as on the properties of the dispersed and the continuous phase. Even the prediction of an extensively investigated topic like the impeller speed necessary for complete suspension (Zwietering, 1958) can turn out to be difcult when non-standard geometries are utilized. Major reasons for the complex behaviour of stirred solid/liquid systems are the occurrence of macro-instabilities, chaotic eddy structures of varying time scale and size, as well as the tendency of uidised particles to segregate and exhibit large concentration gradients like e.g. in uidised beds. The time scales of macro-instabilities are signicantly larger than
Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 30 314 23701; fax: +49 30 314 21134.

the turbulent uctuations in single-phase ow. This complicates both the experimental detection of a mean local concentration and the prediction by means of CFD. While the experimental techniques have to be able to detect uctuations of timescales ranging from 100 down to 0.05 Hz as measured for the largest investigated geometry in this study, transient CFD simulations would have to capture a long period of time to resolve these large uctuations correctly. To avoid the loss of the smaller time scales this has to be done with a sufciently ne discretisation of time, thus leading to very long calculating times. Since for industrial applications this is not feasible at all, advanced methods have to be developed to predict stirred solid/liquid systems. The data provided in this contribution are meant to increase the general understanding of the complex uid dynamics as well as to validate existing and new CFD models. 2. Method The experimental investigations were carried out in three geometrically similar vessels with diameters of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.9 m (Fig. 1). The vessels featured a dished bottom, four bafes and a pitched blade turbine with six blades pumping downward. The liquid levels inside the vessels were equal to their respective diameters. An endoscope system developed by the authors workgroup was applied to measure the local concentration of the dispersed

E-mail address: Matthias.Kraume@TU-Berlin.de (M. Kraume). 0009-2509/$ - see front matter doi:10.1016/j.ces.2005.11.046 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Fig. 1. Investigated geometry.

phase (Ritter and Kraume, 2000; Angst and Kraume, 2005). A similar system was applied by Alban et al. (2004). The endoscope has a diameter of 7 mm and was inserted vertically into the vessels with diameters of 0.2 and 0.4 m, while in case of the vessel with a diameter of 0.9 m it was inserted horizontally through the side wall of the vessel. In the latter case the lens of the endoscope can be adjusted to be ush with the wall of the vessel when the concentration at the wall is to be measured. In this case, the two-phase ow eld remains entirely undisturbed of the otherwise invasive measuring technique. That is especially interesting, since endoscope-related disturbances of the solid/liquid ow eld at the wall will have a signicantly larger impact than in other regions of the vessel. The entire set-up for the vertical application is depicted in Fig. 2. The endoscope system is based on the principle of back scattering. The particles of the dispersed phase at the measuring point in front of the endoscope tip are temporarily illuminated by a ashlight connected to the endoscope via bre optics. An amount of light that is proportional to the number of particles in front of the endoscope tip is scattered back into the front lens and to an attached CCD camera. Via a computational grey-scale analysis with the software IMAGEJ (Fig. 3), the mean value of the back-scattered light intensity is calculated that corresponds directly to the particle concentration at the measuring point. At each measuring position, 50 to 150 images were taken with a repetition frequency of 1 Hz. In the three different vessels, pictures of the suspended particles scattering back the ash light from the endoscope were taken at up to 69 discrete measuring points located at identical related bottom clearances. Despite the invasive nature of the measurement technique and the probe diameter of 7 mm, the remarkable agreement of the measured local concentrations in the different scales (Fig. 4) indicates that the ow eld in the smaller scales is not signicantly disturbed by the probe. The fact, that the applied backscatter method does not use an additional reector opposing the lens, like a transmission method, certainly contributes to this. The larger related distances between the measuring probe and shaft or wall for the smaller scales were chosen in order to avoid additional reections from objects other than the particles.

Fig. 2. Endoscope system.

To calibrate the system, uidised beds were applied since they allow a homogeneous distribution of the dispersed phase. The system was calibrated with mean particle concentrations of 115 vol% in steps of 1 vol%. The calibration as well as the measurements in the different vessels was carried out in an obscured environment to prevent day light from interfering with the optical measuring technique. Glass beads with a mean diameter of 200 m were used as the dispersed phase. The mean dispersed phase volume fractions applied were 210 vol%. The particle size distribution of the glass beads were narrowed down in a uidised bed. Several impeller speeds were investigated. Unless otherwise noted, the impeller speed applied provided a mean suspension height of 90% of the liquid level, also referred to as the H90 criterion (Kraume and Zehner, 2001). In all investigated vessel sizes, the power consumption for the single- and two-phase ow was measured. Since the tendency of the results is identical, only results of the vessel with a diameter of 0.4 m are included in this contribution. The vessel itself was mounted on a pneumatic bearing to eliminate the bearing friction. A lever arm with a commercial load cell was applied to measure the force. A commercial torque metre was applied as well (Ascanio et al., 2004). The torque measurements were corrected for frictional losses using measurements taken in an empty vessel. The latter values were in the magnitude of less than 2% of the values measured with water at the investigated impeller speed.

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Fig. 3. Block diagram of the computational grey-scale analysis of an endoscope image.

with the mean density

Sus

Sus

of the suspension calculated as +

S( S

L L

L ).

The inuence of the dispersed phase on the mean kinematic viscosity and thereby on the Reynolds number Re according to Weinspach (1969) is smaller than 6% and was therefore neglected. 3. Results 3.1. Particle distribution In Fig. 4, selected results obtained at identical related bottom clearances in the three investigated vessels of different scales are shown. The abscissas of the diagrams indicate the dimensionless radial and vertical positions of the measuring points inside the vessel. The ordinates indicate the local dispersed phase volume fraction at each measuring point. The selected measuring points presented in Fig. 4 are located at distances of 0.25D, 0.55D and 0.75D from the bottom. Several radial positions were investigated. In each diagram concentration proles for mean dispersed phase volume fractions of 5 and 10 vol% are displayed. The impeller speed in each case was adjusted to meet the H90 criterion except for the vessel with a diameter of 0.9 m, where the impeller speed chosen provided a suspension height of 95% of the liquid level. With impeller speeds of 678 min1 (0.2 m vessel, 5 vol%), 877 min1 (0.2 m vessel, 10 vol%), 419 min1 (0.4 m vessel, 5 vol%), 538 min1 (0.4 m vessel, 10 vol%) and 275 min1 (0.9 m vessel, 5 vol%) the local particle concentrations in the different vessels were found to be remarkably similar. Larger deviations can only be observed for the vessel with a diameter of 0.9 m at a bottom clearance of 0.75D. Here the local particle concentrations are higher which corresponds to the fact that the suspension height in this case was larger than 90%. The results indicate local particle concentrations higher than the mean concentration at the wall in the lower half of the vessel, as well as local concentra-

Fig. 4. Local particle volume fractions measured in vessel diameters on 0.2, 0.4 and 0.9 m with 5 and 10 vol% mean dispersed phase volume fraction.

The torque measurements were used to calculate the power number NP NP = P 3 5 Sus n d

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[% Vol.]

12 8 r/R [-] 4 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.75 D 12 8 4 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

[% vol.]

12 8 r/R [-] 4 0 0.2 0.75 D 12 8 4 0 0.2 0.55 D 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.8

0.55 D

12 8 4 0 0.6 0.8

12 8 4 0 0.6 10 vol.% 8 vol.% 6 vol.% 4 vol.% 2 vol.% 0.8

0.25 D

0.25 D

nH90 njs

Fig. 5. Local particle volume fractions measured in a vessel with D = 0.2 m, mean particle volume fractions of 210 vol% and a stirred speed of 877 min1 (50 images per measuring point).

Fig. 6. Local particle volume fractions measured in a vessel with D = 0.4 m, mean particle volume fractions 5 vol% and impeller speeds of nH90 : 419 min1 and nj s : 338 min1 .

tions lower than the mean concentration at the shaft and at the wall in the upper half of the vessel. In Fig. 5 various mean dispersed phase volume fractions from 2 to 10 vol% are depicted for a constant stirrer speed of 877 min1 . This is the stirrer speed necessary to meet the H90 criterion for a mean dispersed phase concentration of 10 vol%. While the results for mean concentrations of 2, 4 and 6 vol% exhibit a fairly homogeneous distribution of the dispersed phase, at higher particle loadings a substantial decrease of the local concentration at bottom clearances of 0.55D and 0.75D near the shaft was found. In all investigated regions lower than 0.55D, the measured local particle concentration was close to the mean concentration. Contrary to the investigations of other authors (Einenkel, 1979; Barresi and Baldi, 1987), no pronounced accumulation of particles at the stirrer level was found. A comparison of the local particle concentration at nj s (Zwietering, 1958) and nH90 is given in Fig. 6. In most investigated regions the local concentration achieved with the impeller speed nH90 was closer to the mean concentration of 5 vol%. For all investigated mean volume fractions and vessel diameters the stirrer speed nH90 was higher than nj s and therefore provides a better distribution of the dispersed phase. Although the H90 criterion has been proven to be more sub-

jective due to the strongly transient behaviour of the particle waves that develop beneath the clear liquid layer (Kraume and Zehner, 2001), the H90 criterion qualies as a criterion for complete suspension and is, unlike measurements of nj s , also reproducible in opaque vessels. To give a detailed impression of the particle distribution, in Fig. 7 all 69 measuring points investigated in the vessel with a diameter of 0.9 m are shown. The dispersed phase with a mean concentration of 5 vol% was in the state of complete suspension with an impeller speed of 275 min1 . In Fig. 7, the abscissas again represent the vertical and radial position in the vessel but subtend the ordinates, indicating the local dispersed phase volume fraction, at the mean concentration of 5 vol%. Local particle concentrations above the mean concentration were observed especially at the wall but also in the downstream region of the secondary vortex in the vicinity of the shaft and at the level of the stirrer. Furthermore, in the lowest investigated measuring plane at a bottom clearance of 0.15D, a slight but rather homogeneous increase of the local particle concentration can be stated. While there is a reduction of the particle concentration at the shaft above the impeller, the concentration is increased at positions with similar radii below the impeller. Larger areas with a local concentration below the mean concentration were only found at the highest measuring plane at

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1.5 NP Sus /NP Water [-] DN900. 5 %vol. [% vol.] 10 5 0 r/R [-] 1.25 1 0.75 5 1.0E+04
10 %Vol. 5 %Vol. H90 njs

1.0E+05 Re [-]

1.0E+06

Fig. 8. Related power number, nj s and nH90 for mean dispersed phase volume fractions of 5% and 10% for a vessel diameter of 0.4 m.

0.15

0.35

0.55

0.75

0.95

Fig. 7. Local particle volume fractions measured in D = 0.9 m with a mean particle volume fraction of 5% at stirrer speed of 275 min1 , suspension height > 0.9D.

0.85D. No evidence was found of a pronounced minimum of the local particle concentration in the centre of the secondary ow eld as it is predicted by some CFD simulations (e.g. Sommerfeld and Decker, 2003). 3.2. Power number The experimental results of the power number shown in this contribution were obtained in the mid-sized vessel with a diameter of 0.4 m. The general tendency of the results, however, was conrmed by measurements with the other two vessel sizes of 0.2 and 0.9 m as well. Fig. 8 shows the related power number NP Sus /NP Water vs. Reynolds number for 5 and 10 vol% mean dispersed phase volume fraction. Furthermore, nj s and nH90 are indicated. The measurements were carried out with the vessel mounted on a pneumatic bearing with a lever arm, load cell combination to determine the torque. The results in Fig. 8 show the related power numbers of both particle volume fractions to be lower than the power numbers of the single phase system for higher Reynolds numbers above approximately 105 . This was not expected and is opposed to other publications (Niesmak, 1982; Bujalski et al., 1999; Greaves and Loh, 1984; Wu et al., 2002). A decrease of the

power number in suspensions so far has only been reported for Rushton turbines and very high dispersed phase concentrations of 49 vol% where a non-Newtonian behaviour of the mixture can be assumed (Wu et al., 2002). For clarity, the progression of the curves can be divided into three different sections. In Section 1, at Reynolds numbers below 6 104 , a decrease of the related power number can be observed with rising Reynolds numbers. This is probably caused by the reduced bottom clearance of the impeller due to the sedimented particles on the bottom of the vessel leading to a larger power number (Bates et al., 1966). According to Liepe et al. (1998), a reduction of the bottom clearance can increase the power number up to 25%. With an increasing Reynolds number the thickness of the solids layer on the bottom is reduced and therefore the power number decreases also due to an increased bottom clearance of the stirrer. Accordingly, this effect is more pronounced for the mean particle volume fraction of 10%. At the impeller speed for complete suspension nj s all particles are suspended thus the available bottom clearance of the stirrer has reached its maximum. Although the bottom clearance of the stirrer with no particles at the bottom is identical to the bottom clearance of the single-phase system, a power number smaller than the one of a single-phase system can be observed. At this Reynolds number a complete suspension has been achieved, but it is not homogeneous, yet. In Section 2, for an impeller speed between nj s and nH90 , the related power numbers remain almost constant. As a result of the upward-directed secondary ow eld of the stirrer and the natural behaviour of the particles to settle, a clear liquid layer between the suspended particles and the surface is formed (Einenkel, 1979; Kraume and Zehner, 2001). In consequence the stirrer is rotating in a local particle concentration that is signicantly higher than the mean concentration. The increased mean density in the proximity of the stirrer in consequence should lead to a higher related power number that decreases with an increasing stirrer speed and thereby increased suspension height. What we observe in Fig. 8 is the opposite. In all investigated cases for impeller speeds larger than nj s the related power number rises with higher impeller speed and an increasing height

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of the suspension (Section 3). The effect observed here is not entirely understood, but several known phenomena can be employed to explain this behaviour. Firstly, the reduction of the solids fraction between the blades of the stirrer due to centrifugal effects can reduce the power number to a degree where it is equal to the one of a singlephase system (Nienow, 1992). Secondly, the inuence of the particles on the turbulence of the continuous phase is likely to have an impact on the power consumption. Particles with a diameter smaller than the Kolmogorov scale are able to follow even the smallest eddies (Gore and Crowe, 1989). Due to the additional mass of the particles, more kinetic energy is dissipated and the turbulence of the continuous phase is reduced (Graham, 2000). Since the increase of shear stress in a turbulent uid is comparable to a uid with higher viscosity (Lee and Brner, 1987), a reduction of the turbulence would lead to smaller shear stress and to reduced power consumption. The third effect is related to the known fact that the velocity of the secondary ow and thereby the circulation number is reduced with an increasing solids content (Angst et al., 2001; Kohnen and Bohnet, 2001). The effect in a stirred vessel can be explained in analogy to a centrifugal pump. If the ow rate of a centrifugal pump is reduced by a reduction of the in- or outlet cross-section, a drop in the power consumption will occur because less uid is being accelerated. A similar behaviour can be assumed for an axial pumping stirrer in a vessel with the ow rate being reduced by particles (Zehner, 2005). This correlates with the experimental results in Fig. 8 where the related power number was consistently lower for 10 vol% than for 5 vol% mean particle volume fraction at higher Reynolds numbers. As noted above, between the impeller speed for complete suspension nj s and the homogeneous suspension, the particle concentration in the proximity of the stirrer is higher than the mean concentration. Fig. 8 indicates that an increasing stirrer speed leads to an increasing related power number although the suspension height is rising thus the local solids concentration around the stirrer is reduced. To understand this phenomenon the clear layer of continuous phase above the suspension height has to be taken into account. This layer is not involved in the circulation induced by the stirrer (Bujalski et al., 1999; Kraume, 1992) and in consequence has little inuence on the power input. At any stirrer speed higher than nj s , the entire solids content is circulated, but only the volume of the continuous phase situated below the suspension height is circulated as well. Thus, a low suspension height not only reduces the power number due to the reduced circulation because of the increased solids concentration around the stirrer, it also circulates onlys a limited amount of the continuous phase. This leads to an increased velocity of the continous phase in the region where the circulation hoop is reaccelerated by the stirrer. Therefore, in Section 3, for impeller speeds higher than nH90 an increasing stirrer speed leads by a rising suspension height to a decreasing solids concentration around the stirrer and a decreasing velocity of

1 NP Sus /NP Water [-]

0.9

0.8 0 5 10 15 20 Particle volume fraction [%vol.] 25

Fig. 9. Related power numbers for mean dispersed phase volume fractions from 1.625.1 vol% at a Reynolds number of 2 105 for a vessel diameter of 0.4 m.

the circulated continuous phase which both result in a rising power number. These results are conrmed by the measurements presented in Fig. 9. In this case, the torque was measured with a commercial torque metre. Here, the related power number at a xed Reynolds number of 2 105 is shown for various mean dispersed phase volume fractions from 1.6% to 25.1%. The corresponding impeller speed was in all cases larger than nj s . Fig. 9 shows a steady decrease of the related power number with increasing particle volume fraction. As mentioned before, these ndings do not conrm the results of other workgroups. It is likely that the geometry and proportions chosen, the combination of and axially, downward pumping impeller and a dished bottom are responsible for the reduction of the power number. 4. Conclusions At a stirrer speed matching the H90 criterion, the local particle concentrations at the measuring points located between 0.3D and 0.8D, 0.25H and 0.75H are quite close to the mean concentration of particles in the vessel under comparable conditions. In the investigated systems with a particle diameter of 200 m, the H90 criterion is a good indicator for a homogeneous distribution below the suspension height. The local particle concentrations in the different vessels with impeller speeds meeting the H90 criterion were found to be remarkably similar. In all investigated systems no evidence of a pronounced local minimum in the centre of the toroidal vortex formed by the secondary ow eld were found. Signicant inhomogeneities were detected in the direct proximity of the wall as well as at the shaft above the stirrer. There is a reduction of the local particle concentration with increasing bottom clearance and decreasing radius. The power number of all investigated scales and mean particle volume fractions was less than the power number for the equivalent single-phase systems at impeller speeds higher than nj s . The observed reduction of approximately 10% of the power number (Fig. 8) may have no impact on design and construction of vessels but is certainly remarkable.

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R. Angst, M. Kraume / Chemical Engineering Science 61 (2006) 2864 2870 Einenkel, W.G., 1979. Description of uid dynamics in stirred tanks, VDI Forschungsheft no. 595 (in German). Godfrey, J.C., Zhu, Z.M., 1994. Measurement of particle-liquid proles in agitated tanks. A.I.Ch.E. Symposium Series 299 (90), 181. Gore, R., Crowe, C.T., 1989. Effect of particle size on modulating turbulence intensity. International Journal of Multiphase Flow 15, 279285. Graham, D., 2000. Turbulence attenuation by small particles in simple shear ows. Journal of Fluid Engineering 122, 134137. Greaves, M., Loh, V.Y., 1984. Power consumption effect in tree phase mixing, IChemE Symp. Ser. No. 89, 6996. Heywood, N.I., Rehman, S., Whittemore, R.G., 1992. A comparison of the efciency of ve agitator designs for solids concentrations. In: King, R. (Ed.), Fluid Mechanics of Mixing: Modelling Operations and Experimental Techniques. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 117129. Kohnen, C., Bohnet, M., 2001. Measurement and simulation of uid ow in agitated solid/liquid suspensions. Chemical Engineering & Technology 24 (6), 639643. Kraume, M., 1992. Mixing times in stirred suspensions. Chemical Engineering & Technology 15, 313318. Kraume, M., Zehner, P., 2001. Experience with experimental standards for measurements of various parameters in stirred tanksa comparative test. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, Transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers 2001, 79(Part 8), p. 811. Lee, S.L., Brner, T., 1987. Fluid ow structure in a dilute turbulent twophase suspension in a vertical pipe. International Journal of Multiphase Flow 13, 233246. Liepe, F., Sperling, R., Jembere, S., 1998. Rhrwerke, Theoretische Grundlagen, Auslegung und Bewertung, Eigenverlag Fachhochschule Kthen, Kthen, pp. 9397. Mak, A.T.C., Ruszkowski, S.W., 1990. Scaling-up of solids distribution in stirred vessels. Institute of Chemical Engineering Symposium Series 121, 379. McKee, S.L., Williams, R.A., Dickin, F.J., Mann, R., Brinkel, J., Ying, P., Boxman, A., McGrath, G., 1994. Measurement of concentration proles and mixing kinetics in stirred tanks using a resistance tomographic technique. Institute of Chemical Engineers Symposium Series 136, 916. Nienow, A.W., 1992. The suspension of solids. In: Harnby, N., Edwards, M.F., Nienow, A.W. (Eds.), Mixing in the Process Industries. Butterworths, London, pp. 364393. Niesmak, G., 1982. Feststoffverteilung und Leistungsbedarf gerhrter Suspensionen, Diss. TU Braunschweig. Penaz, F., Rod, V., Rehakova, M., 1978. Concentration distribution of suspension in a mixed vessel. Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications 43, 848. Ritter, J., Kraume, M., 2000. Inline-measurement technique for drop size distributions in liquid/liquid-systems at high dispersed phase fractions. Chemical Engineering & Technology 23, 7. Sommerfeld, M., Decker, S., 2003. State of the art trends in CFD simulation of stirred vessels. Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Mixing, Bamberg, p. 1. Spidla, M., Sinevic, V., Jahoda, M., Machon, V., 2004. Local solids concentration proles in the pilot plant mixing vessel. Proceedings of 31st International Conference SSCHE, Tatransk Matliare, Slovak Republic. Weinspach, P.M., 1969. Hydrodynamisches Verhalten von Suspensionen im RHRGEFSS. Chemie Ingenieur Technik 41, 260265. Wu, J., Zhu, Y.G., Pullum, L., 2002. Suspension of high concentration slurry. A.I.Ch.E. Journal 48 (6), 13491352. Zehner, P., 2005. Personal communication. Zwietering, T.N., 1958. Suspending of solid particles in liquid by agitators. Chemical Engineering Science 8, 244253.

Notation d D H n NP r R Greek letters density, kg/m3 volume fraction, vol% Indices H90 js L S Sus References
Alban, F.B., Sajjadi, S., Yianneskis, M., 2004. Dynamic tracking of fast liquidliquid dispersion processes with a real-time in situ optical technique. Transactions of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, Part A, Chemical Engineering Research and Design 82, 10541060. Angst, R., Kraume, M., 2005. Experimental investigations of the particle distribution in three differently sized stirred solid/liquid systems. In: Sommerfeld, M. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 11th Workshop on Two-Phase Flow Predictions, Merseburg. Angst, R., Mier, P., Kraume, M., 2001. Application of LDA and PIV to solid/liquid ow in jet loop reactors with high dispersed phase volume fraction. Experimental Heat Transfer, Fuid Mechanica and Thermodynamics. Edizioni ETS, Pisa, Italy, pp. 11291133. Ascanio, G., Castro, B., Galindo, E., 2004. Measurement of power consumption in stirred vesselsa review. Chemical Engineering Research and Design 82 (A9), 12821290. Barresi, A., Baldi, G., 1987. Solid dispersion in an agitated vessel. Chemical Engineering Science 42 (12), 2949. Bates, R.L., Fondy, P.L., Fenic, J.G., 1966. Impeller characteristics and power. In: Uhl, V.W., Gray, J.B. (Eds.), Mixing, Theory and Practice, vol. 1. Academic Press, New York, pp. 112176. Bilek, P., Rieger, F., 1990. Distribution of solid particles in a mixed vessel. Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications 55, 2169. Brucato, A., Micale, G., Montante, G., Scuzzarella, A., 2002. Experimental investigation and CFD simulation of dense solidliquid suspensions in a fully bafed mechanically stirred tank. In: Sommerfeld, M. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Two-Phase Flow Prediction, Merseburg. Bujalski, W., Takenaka, K., Paolini, S., Jahoda, M., Paglianti, A., Takahashi, K., Nienow, A.W., Etchells, A.W., 1999. Suspension and liquid homogenization in high solids concentration stirred chemical reactors. Transactions of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Part A, Chemical Engineering Research and Design 77, 241247.

diameter of the stirrer, m diameter of the vessel, m height of the vessel, m stirrer speed, 1/min power number, dimensionless radius of measuring point, m radius of the vessel, m

90% suspension height just suspended liquid phase solid phase suspension