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CARPET 6:
Experimental Investigation and Modeling of Stirred Tank reactors

Objectives:

To develop a mathematical framework based on kinetic theory/population balance for the simulation of reactive systems in stirred tank reactors. A 3D dynamic model will be implemented in a program code and applied to a real multiphase chemical reactive process and/or crystallization. The work will focus on the description of the coupling between flow phenomena, coalescence, breakup, growth and chemical kinetics and mass- and heat transfer processes in operating reactors. The numerical model will be validated against experimental data obtained in our own lab on particle size distribution, growth, etc. as a function of local position, shear, temperature, etc.

Background:

Stirred tank reactor models based on kinetic theory/population balance models are still on an early stage and further development is needed. The present multi-phase flow program codes contain many uncertain closure schemes, constitutive laws and model concepts. It has thus become necessary to carry out a critical evaluation of the various model formulations available aiming to achieve a proper description of these reactors. It is generally believed that the role of CFD in future design of chemical reactors will increase substantially. However, the real achievements describing operating stirred tank reactors, containing a chemical reacting system, with such complex models (i.e. compared to the simpler dispersion models) is strictly not proven yet.

Scope of the work:

Formulate and analyze the physics for such reactors containing multi-component mixtures in operating industrial reactors. Focus will be on the best choice of stirrer model, the consistency between the model framework for the stirrer (non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinates?) and the population balance model formulation. Emphasis will also be put on the application of the reactor model to real reactive systems evaluating the achievements gained by such complex models. The goal of the work is a numerical model implemented in a program code applicable to stirred tank reactors in general.

Affiliation:

NTNU, Department of Chemical Engineering.

Supervisors:

Hugo A. Jakobsen and Morten C. Melaaen (Tel-Tek) in collaboration with Hallvard Svendsen , Paal Skjetne , and John Morud