CFD modelling of pump-around jet mixing tanks: a discrepancy in concentration profiles

Abstract

Jet mixing tanks are important in chemical processes. Over the past two decades or so, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been employed to study jet mixers. The shortfalls of the previous CFD models were the discrepancy in concentration profiles between simulation and experiment and the absence of exact inlet turbulence conditions. So, in our present work, the CFD model was developed to investigate the proper conditions for jet mixing tank simulation and improve the accuracy of concentration profile prediction by using an appropriate grid arrangement, a realizable k-epsilon model, and a second-order upwind discretization scheme. The results revealed that the CFD model with proper inlet conditions predicted the overall mixing time well and somewhat improved the predicted concentration profiles. Further, the reasons for discrepancies in concentration profiles were inappropriate inlet turbulence conditions and overprediction in total momentum available for mixing due to the flat top liquid surface assumption. In addition, this discrepancy may be caused by the dynamic response of concentration measuring device.