Fluent Technology Aids Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation To Improve Mixing Tank Design

In an effort to improve their design process for mixing tanks, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Japan, used Fluent's CFD software. Mixing is one of the most fundamental unit operations in the chemical industry. However, mixing analysis in commercial environments is very difficult because a wide range of complicated geometrical configurations is used and numerous chemical reactions may be occurring.

Mitsubishi used Fluent's Discrete Phase Model to simulate flow in a mixing tank containing two kinds of impellers: a Pfaudler blade and a disc-turbine. Gas hold-up, agitation power, and the mass transport coefficient (KLa) were all calculated using CFD flow analysis. The predictions compared well with those obtained from experiments. This approach improved the design process at Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation by increasing engineers' understanding of physical factors influencing the mixer's performance.