Investigation of Continuous-Flow Mixing of Non-Newtonian Fluids with Energy-Efficient Coaxial Mixers through Advanced Flow Visualization Techniques and Computational Fluid Dynamics

通过先进的流动可视化技术和计算流体动力学研究使用节能同轴混合器的非​​牛顿流体的连续流动混合

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04644
• 负责人: EinMozaffari, Farhad
• 金额: $ 2.4万
• 依托单位: Ryerson University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=747128
• 关键词: Investigation; Continuous; Flow; Mixing; Non

Continuous-flow mixing is widely utilized in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, polymer, wastewater treatment, chemical, and biochemical industries since it has several advantages over the batch mixing operation. For instance, it provides high production rates, improves process control, and saves operation time and labor costs by eliminating loading and unloading materials and between-cycle cleaning. However, a comprehensive study performed in our research lab demonstrates that the continuous mixing of non-Newtonian fluids with the traditional mixers is far from ideal mixing and creates non-ideal flows (e.g. channeling, recirculation, and dead zone) that significantly affect the quality of the final product. The elimination of these non-ideal flows is a difficult task and requires a considerable increase in power consumption of the traditional mixers. Our preliminary study shows that the use of the coaxial mixers (a combination of a close clearance impeller and a central impeller) is a promising approach for the mixing of non-Newtonian fluids with complex rheology in the continuous mode. Thus, there is a clear need to fully investigate the use of energy-efficient coaxial mixers in the continuous-flow mixing of non-Newtonian fluids. The long term research program goal is to develop methodology and tools to design energy-efficient mixing systems for fluids with complex rheology in the continuous mode and to incorporate process dynamics into the scale up criteria through advanced flow visualization techniques and computational fluid dynamics. The work is of great importance to the chemical industry of Canada. Failure to provide the necessary mixing may result in severe manufacturing problems ranging from costly corrections in the plant to complete failure of a process. The annual loss due to poor mixing is estimated at $10 billion in the North America chemical industry alone [Handbook of Industrial Mixing]. The proposed research program will improve our understanding of continuous-flow mixing of complex fluids with the energy-efficient mixers and answer some of the fundamental questions about the design criteria. Applying the findings of this study will reduce the effect of non-ideal flows and improve variability reduction in the continuous mixing processes. This will lead to capital cost savings, chemical cost reduction, improved equipment design and selection, more reliable process monitoring and control, increased throughput for existing plant, improved quality of products, and more efficient use of power. Thus, the proposed research will contribute to the increased economic activity of the Canadian chemical industry, and will impact our society, quality of life, health and environment. It will also contribute to the education and training of HQP in the field of mixing technology, rheology, advanced flow visualization techniques (e.g. tomography and ultrasonic velocimetry), computational fluid dynamics, dynamic modeling and identification.

连续流混合被广泛用于药品，化妆品，食物，聚合物，废水处理，化学和生化行业，因为它比批处理混合操作具有多个优点。例如，它通过消除加载和卸载材料以及循环清洁之间的量提供高生产率，改善过程控制并节省运营时间和人工成本。但是，在我们的研究实验室中进行的一项全面研究表明，非牛顿液与传统混合器的连续混合远非理想的混合，并且会产生非理想的流动（例如，渠道，再循环和死区）显着影响最终产品的质量。消除这些非理想流是一项艰巨的任务，需要大幅度增加传统混合器的功耗。我们的初步研究表明，使用同轴混合器（近距离叶轮和中央叶轮的组合）是将非牛顿流体与复杂流变在连续模式下混合与复杂的流变学的有前途的方法。因此，显然需要充分研究在非牛顿流体的连续流中使用节能同轴混合器的使用。长期研究计划的目标是开发方法和工具，以在连续模式下设计具有复杂流动性的流体的节能混合系统，并通过先进的流动可视化技术和计算流体动力学将过程动态纳入规模。这项工作对于加拿大的化学工业非常重要。不提供必要的混合可能会导致严重的制造问题，从工厂的昂贵校正到完全失败。仅在北美化学工业（工业混合手册）就估计，由于混合不良而造成的年损失估计为100亿美元。拟议的研究计划将提高我们对复杂流体与节能混合器的连续流相混合的理解，并回答有关设计标准的一些基本问题。应用这项研究的发现将减少非理想流动的影响，并改善连续混合过程的变异性。这将导致节省资本成本，降低化学成本，改进的设备设计和选择，更可靠的过程监控和控制，增加现有工厂的吞吐量，改进的产品质量以及更有效地使用功率。因此，拟议的研究将有助于加拿大化学工业的经济活动增加，并影响我们的社会，生活质量，健康和环境。它还将在混合技术，流变，高级流动可视化技术（例如，层析成像和超声速度计），计算流体动力学，动态建模和识别的领域中有助于HQP的教育和培训。