See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/261548077

Multiple-impeller stirred vessel studies

Article  in  Reviews in Chemical Engineering · March 2014

DOI: 10.1515/revce-2013-0028

CITATIONS READS

27 4,311

4 authors:

See Tiam You Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman

University of Malaya University of Malaya
7 PUBLICATIONS   86 CITATIONS    315 PUBLICATIONS   11,455 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Raja Shazrin Shah Raja Ehsan Shah M. Iskandar Mohamad Nor

Galaxy Tech Solutions (KL) Sdn Bhd University of Malaya
19 PUBLICATIONS   142 CITATIONS    29 PUBLICATIONS   288 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Application of response surface methodology in process parameters optimization for phenol mineralization using Fenton's peroxidation View project

Optmisation of Remazol Black B using Fenton-like Peroxidation View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Raja Shazrin Shah Raja Ehsan Shah on 05 March 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 DOI 10.1515/revce-2013-0028      Rev Chem Eng 2014; 30(3): 323–336

See Tiam You, Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman*, Raja Shazrin Shah Raja Ehsan Shah
and Mohamad Iskandr Mohamad Nor

Multiple-impeller stirred vessel studies

Abstract: Multi-impeller stirred vessels are widely used for Stirred vessels using multiple impellers are widely
industrial applications. Based on the numerous studies used in chemical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food
that reported the motivation and importance of studies on processing, and many other industries for mixing pro-
multi-impeller systems, a systematic study was conducted cesses. Researchers have focused on multiple-phase
to identify the focus and objectives of research and types systems such as gas-liquid, gas-liquid-solid, and solid-
of experiments conducted using multi-impeller systems. liquid systems in view of the wide industrial applica-
Researchers mainly focused on the effects of impeller tions of multiple-impeller stirred vessels (Khopkar and
spacing, off-bottom clearance, and type of impeller com- Tanguy 2008, Min et al. 2008, Bao et al. 2012). Detailed
binations. Most experiments were conducted on power knowledge of the mixing process in stirred vessels is of
number, power consumption, gas hold-up, and gas-liquid paramount importance for increasing process productiv-
mass transfer. Research works have not exhausted all ity and reducing losses (Vrabel et  al. 1999). Insufficient
impeller-type combinations and there are still opportuni- knowledge of dynamic behavior in stirred vessels has
ties for future work. Computational fluid dynamics stud- caused an estimated several billion dollar production
ies involving multi-impeller systems are also still lacking loss annually in several industries (Smith 1990, Fishwick
owing to flow complexities. This work can serve as a road- et al. 2005).
map for future study themes. The present paper aims at giving a clear overview
of research reported on multiple-impeller systems. A
Keywords: flow pattern; gas hold-up; mass transfer coef- detailed review of relevant work on single- and multi­
ficient; multi-impeller; power number. phase systems involving dual or triple impellers is pre-
sented. The focus and motivation of reported works will
provide an insight into current problems/issues being
*Corresponding author: Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman, Faculty of
Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University
addressed.
of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
e-mail: azizraman@um.edu.my

2 A
 pplication of multiple-impeller
See Tiam You, Raja Shazrin Shah Raja Ehsan Shah and Mohamad
Iskandr Mohamad Nor: Faculty of Engineering, Department of
Chemical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
systems for stirred vessels
Recent literature has indicated the advantageous char-
acteristics of multiple-impeller systems (Pan et al. 2008,
1 Introduction Wang et  al. 2009, Li et  al. 2012) desirable for specific
industrial applications compared to single-impeller
Multi-impeller stirred vessels utilize two, three, or more systems. Some researchers (Lehn et al. 1999, Vrabel et al.
impellers in a single shaft configuration (Figure 1). The 2000, Shewale and Pandit 2006) reported the use of mul-
number of studies reporting work on dual- and triple- tiple-impeller systems to solve industrial mixing problems
impeller configurations are relatively few even though despite their being more complex than systems having
they are common in the industry, and fewer still focus on only one impeller. These systems also have a height of
systems with more than three impellers (Armenante and liquid-to-tank diameter ratio (H/T) exceeding 1.0, a value
Chang 1998, Armenante et  al. 1999, Fajner et  al. 2008) that would be considered as irregular in a single-impeller
because increasing the number of impellers resulted in configuration. Research involving the tallest tank shows
increased flow complexity (Zadghaffari et al. 2009). Addi- that it is a stirred vessel with H/T ratio of 4.0 and fitted
tionally, the tank height required for systems with more with four impellers (Moucha et  al. 1995). The practical
than three impellers is not practical for industrial applica- number of impellers employed should agree with the fol-
tions (Davis 2010). lowing expression:

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
324      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

A B et  al. 2012, Li et  al. 2012), which are found in industries
such as chemical, mining, pharmaceutical, and biotechno-
C4 logical industries (Fishwick et al. 2005, Fajner et al. 2008,
Khopkar and Tanguy 2008, Min et  al. 2008, Zadghaffari
et al. 2009, Montante et al. 2010, Taghavi et al. 2011). Mul-
C3 tiple-impeller systems in gas-liquid-solid applications are
also employed in chemical industries, mineral processing
H industries, wastewater treatment plants, and biochemical
industries to cater to specific mixing and contact require-
C2
ments between the phases (Dohi et al. 2004, Murthy et al.
2007, Bao et al. 2008, Panneerselvam et al. 2008).
D Motivations of selection especially in gas-liquid and
C1
gas-liquid-solid systems are described in Gogate et  al.
(2000) and Shewale and Pandit (2006). Comparative
T
advantages of multiple- over single-impeller systems are
Figure 1 Stirred tanks. (A) Flat bottom and (B) dish bottom. summarized in Table 1. In the presence of gas, multiple-
impeller systems are reported to have better performance
compared to single-impeller systems. Numerous research-
H -D H -2 D ers have reported that the multiple-impeller system is
>n > (1)
D 2D  more feasible and flexible than the single impeller system

when dealing with a large amount of fluid (Gogate et al.
2000, Wang et al. 2009). Moreover, multiple-impeller con-
where H is the height of liquid in the vessel, n is the
figurations consume less power per volume (Figures 2–4),
number of impellers used, and D is the diameter of impel-
which results in significant power saving for the mixing
lers (Davis 2010). This is to ensure that the impellers are
process (Bouaifi and Roustan 2001, Alliet-Gaubert et  al.
adequately spaced apart because if the impellers were
2006). Thus, there is a need for more research on indus-
placed too close together, the power imparted would be
trial applications of impeller systems.
low; and if placed too far apart, there would not be ade-
quate mixing (Babalona et al. 2005).
Examples of industrial gas-liquid reaction-based
applications with multiple-impeller systems are fermenta- 3 Design variation
tions, hydrogenation dissolution, polymerization, crystal-
lization, and wastewater treatment (Fujasová et al. 2004, There are many types of impellers used in multiple-
Puthli et al. 2005, Ochieng and Lewis 2006, Shewale and impeller systems (Gogate et al. 2000, Min et al. 2008). The
Pandit 2006, Bao et al. 2007, Tamburini et al. 2009, Jafari impeller designs used in industrial applications are the

Table 1 Advantages of multiple-impeller systems compare to single-impeller system.

No.  Multiple-impeller systems   References

1  Higher gas hold-up value with same power consumption per volume (as shown in   Gogate et al. (2000), Li et al. (2012)
Figures 2 and 3)
2  Better performance in gas utilization, momentum, heat and mass transfer per unit volume   Pinelli and Magelli (2000), Cabaret et al.
as well as gas distribution compared to single-impeller system (as shown in Figure 4) (2008), Li et al. (2012)
  Higher mass transfer coefficient (kLa) values although gas flow rates change  
3  Gives sufficient mixing performance with lower shear strength compared to single-   Gogate et al. (2000), Shewale and Pandit
impeller system (for bioreactor) (2006)
4  Each impeller can have own flow pattern and function. For example, incoming gas will   Gao et al. (2001), Wang et al. (2009)
be dispersed by lowest impeller, and upper impeller ensures good top-to-bottom liquid
mixing
  Without regularities of single impeller and more intricate  
5  Lower power required for each impeller for solid suspension (as little as 48% and as high   Armenante et al. (1992, 1999), Armenante
as 84%) compared with single-impeller system and Uehara Nagamine (1997)

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies      325

A 0.018
Triple impeller [PTD]
0.016
Dual impeller [PTD]
0.1 TXU 0.014
Single impeller [RT]
0.012

Kla (1/s)
RT
0.01
NS
ε [-]

0.008
TXD
0.006
PBU 0.004
0.01 PBD 0.002
50 500 0
0 1E-05 2E-05 3E-05 4E-05
P/VL (Wm-3)
Gas flow rates (m3/s)
B
0.1 3 NS Figure 4 Comparison of mass transfer coefficient, kLa for single-
3 PBU impeller and multiple-impeller system (Puthli et al. 2005).
ε [-]

3 RT
3 TXU
most of the researchers to avoid influence between impel-
3 TXD
0.01
lers in terms of flow pattern.
3 PBD
50 500 A number of researchers have reported that an impel-
P/VL (Wm-3) ler-to-tank diameter ratio (D/T) of 0.3–0.5 leads to better
fluid movement and power efficiency. More power is
Figure 2 Behavior of gas hold-up for single- and triple-impeller
system (Pinelli 1994, Moucha et al. 2003, Fujasová et al. 2004).
required for larger D, whereas small D causes weak fluid
movement (Davis 2010). Impeller clearance and spacing
usually vary between 0.5D and 2D, whereas a different
turbine and paddle impeller designs. Turbine-type impel-
flow pattern is created as impeller spacing changes (Baba-
lers can be further classified as axial flow or radial flow
lona et  al. 2005, Pan et  al. 2008). However, a turbulent
impellers. Previous researchers have reported four new
flow is created by adding baffle to the system to improve
impeller designs, namely, Rayneri-Sevin, hybrid impel-
solid suspension. The standard margin for baffles is 0.08–
ler, asymmetric deep hollow blade (BT-6), and Prochem
0.10T with 90°C toward center (Martín et al. 2008). Unfor-
Maxflo (MF) hydrofoil (Foucault et  al. 2006). Different
tunately, no detailed discussion on the baffle size and
combinations or different types of impellers such as axial
shape and number of baffles is found in recent researches.
and radial flow impellers will have different effects on
However, some research work on the mixing performance
mixing performance such as power number, mixing time,
has been done without using baffles (Cabaret et al. 2008).
and gas hold-up (Wang et al. 2009). Table 2 summarizes
the impeller types and combinations in recent research.
Table 2 also shows that the Rushton turbine (RT) has been
the most studied, followed by the pitched blade turbine 4 E
 ffect of multiple impellers on
(PBT) and combination of RT and PBT. In addition, a
pairing system using the same impeller (RT) was used by
various parameters

4.1 Flow pattern

12
Triple impeller [a]
10 Dual impeller [b] Flow patterns are a visual representation of fluid flow in
8
Single impelller [c] a stirred vessel. The studies done by Wu and Patterson
Gas Hold up (%)

Single impeller [d] (1989) on mean velocities, turbulent intensities, one-

6
dimensional energy spectra, and turbulence macro and
4 micro scales for RT stirred tanks showed that 60% of the
2
energy input dissipated in the immediate impeller and jet
flow regions from impellers. Hence, power transfer from
0
0 1 2 3 4 impeller to the fluid can be improved by understanding
P/V (kW/m3) the underlying flow patterns (Babalona et al. 2005, Davis
2010). Based on the study done by Kuboi and Nienow
Figure 3 Comparison of gas hold-up for single-impeller
and multiple-­impeller system. (A) Gogate and Pandit (1999),
(1982) on interaction between impellers, it was discov-
(B) ­Arjunwadkar et al. (1998b), (C) Greaves and Barigou (1988), ered that large impeller clearance and spacing have only
and (D) Abradi (1988). little or no influence on flows produced by each impeller.

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
326      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

Table 2 Summary of impellers used in multiple-impeller systems.

References   Types of impellers used

Armenante and Chang (1998), Jaworski et al. (2000), Cabaret  Rushton turbine (RT)
et al. (2008), Liu et al. (2008), Pan et al. (2008), Zadghaffari
et al. (2009), Taghavi et al. (2011), Li et al. (2012)
Arjunwadkar et al. (1998a, 1999)   Pitched blade turbine (PBT)
Arjunwadkar et al. (1998a), Shukla et al. (2001), Shewale   Combination:
and Pandit (2006), Jahoda et al. (2007) PBT
RT
Li et al. (2009)   RT
Half elliptical blade disk turbine (HEDT) Hydrofoil impeller up flow (TXU)
Wang et al. (2010)   Combination:
RT
Alternate blade disc turbine (ABDT)
PBT upflow (PBTU)
PBT turbine downflow (PBTD)
Dohi et al. (2001)   Top = PBT
Middle = PBT
Bottom = Pfaudler-type impeller
Foucault et al. (2006)   RT (top)
Rayneri-Sevin impeller
Hybrid impeller
Anchor impeller
Min et al. (2008)   Prochem Maxflo hydrofoil impeller (top and middle)
Asymmetric deep hollow blade (BT-6) (bottom)
Montante et al. (2010)   PBT (top)
Radial concave blade turbine (bottom)
Bao et al. (2007, 2008)   Up-pumping wide-blade hydrofoils (WHU) (top and middle)
HEDT (bottom)
Pinelli and Magelli (2000)   Hydrofoil impeller

However, a flow pattern study using photographic method However, Mao (1998) stated that besides three stable
conducted by Weng (1983) showed that the flow pattern is flow patterns there are another four unstable flow pat-
significantly affected by the spacing between impellers for terns observed with different clearances. He also further
the dual RT system. Similarly, the flow pattern of an RT is stated that for liquid height of H = 2T, the impellers oper-
also found to be very different from that of a single impel- ated independently of one another when the impeller
ler when the spacing between impellers is rather small
(Mishra and Joshi 1994). Rutherford et al. (1996) then sum-
marized that flow patterns created by multiple-impeller A B C
z/T z/T
1.40 z/T 1.40
system are strongly affected by the following parameters: 1.40
1. Off-bottom clearance for the lower impeller from the
tank bottom, C1.
0.88
2. Spacing between two impellers, S.
3. Submergence of the upper impeller below the fluid 0.715
surface. 0.55
0.40 0.40
In addition, they also stated that the flow pattern basically 0.15
could be divided into three types (Figure 5): r/T r/T r/T
0 0.5 0 0.5 0 0.5
1. Parallel flow Parallel flow Merging flow Diverging flow
2. Merging flow (a flow pattern with two main
(C1=D=0.40T, C2=0.48T) (C1=D=0.40T, C2=0.315T) (C1=D=0.40T, C2=0.48T)
circulations in a multiple-impeller stirred tank)
3. Diverging flow (a flow pattern with three main Figure 5 Basic stable flow patterns. Reprinted from Pan et al.
circulations in a multiple-impeller stirred tank) (2008) with permission from Elsevier.

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies      327

spacing, C2, was not less than the tank diameter, T, with Table 3 Relation between flow pattern and impeller spacing (Pan
each impeller being able to produce its own flow char- et al. 2008).
acteristic as if in a single-impeller system. This phenom-
  Rutherford   Mao   Pan et al. (2008)
enon is termed as parallel flow. When C2 is no more than
et al. (1996) (1998)
1/3T, flow is almost a straight line orientation toward one
another behind impeller streams. The flow was found Flow   H = 2T,   H = T   D = 0.33T   D = 0.40   D = 0.50T
pattern C1 = 0.33T D = 0.33T
to merge at an elevation midway between the impellers
D = 0.33T
and forms two large vortices. This is named as merging
flow. Liu et  al. (2008) and Pan et  al. (2008) studied the Parallel   C1 > 0.20T   C2  ≥  0.50T   C1 = D   C1 = D   C1 = D
flow pattern using advanced technologies to investigate flow C2 > 0.385T C2  ≥  0.40T C2  ≥  0.38T C2  ≥  0.32T
C3 < 0.415T
the relation between impeller spacing and flow pattern
(Table 3). Most of the researches were done on a dual RT Merging   C1 > 0.17T   C2  ≤  0.33T   C1 = D   C1 = D   C1 = D
system as it is widely used for a variety of mixing pro- flow C2 > 0.385T C2  ≥  0.38T C2  ≥  0.36T C2  ≥  0.27T
cesses. The flow structures developed using the RT are Diverging   C1 > 0.15T     C1  ≤  0.15T   C1  ≤  0.15T   C1  ≤  0.15T
complex (Liu et al. 2008). flow C2 > 0.385T

S
4.2 Power number N pT ≈ N p1 + N p2 ++ N pn , for >1 (3)
D 

Power number is a dimensionless parameter used for esti- S

N pT < N p1 + N p2 ++ N pn , for <1 (4)
mating the power consumed by mixing impellers. Power D 
number is a function of fluid density, impeller dimen-
In addition, power number is related to flow pattern
sions, and rotational speed of impeller (Taghavi et  al.
(parallel, diverging, and merging). Parallel flow pattern
2011). In addition, Wang et al. (2009) reported that power
dominates when impeller spacing is large, indicating
number is constant and dependent on impeller design
that each impeller does not cause obstruction to mixing
and geometric parameters of the vessel and internals in
(Mahmoudi and Yianneskis 1992, Armenante and Chang
the absence of gas.
1998). Moreover, Pan et  al. (2008) observed that power
Bittins and Zehner (1994) proposed the following
number decreases slightly in the diverging-flow case (Np
equation to calculate the power number:
2-RT = 9.5) and decreases significantly in the merging-flow
P (2) case (8.4).
NP =
ρN 3 D 5 The wealth of experimental data available for mul-

tiple-impeller systems opens avenues for numerical pre-
where ρ is the density of the mixing fluid used, N is the dictions. Taghavi et al. (2011) discovered that the largest
impeller rotational speed, P is the power consumption of relative standard deviation among the replicate determi-
the mixing process, and D is the diameter of the impeller nations of 200 short measurements during 340 s of meas-
used. urement time was  < 1% for single-phase systems. This
Previous researchers have investigated whether shows that the reproducibility of measurement is quite
the total power number was equal to the summation or reliable. The deviation of experimental power number
number of impellers used for multiple-impeller systems values from computed values is shown in Figure 6. The
especially RT and PB impellers (Armenante and Chang difference of power number from the numerical method
1998, Armenante et al. 1999). Moreover, it was discovered is only 2% higher than the experimental result. The
that power number is dependent on the design of the average power number reported is approximately 8.9.
impeller such as impeller pacing and position. Hudcova Contrary to other researchers, J­aworski et  al. (2000)
et  al. (1989) reported that power number increased and calculated the power number for dual RT stirred tanks
reached the individual additive power with increas- with ΔC = T by the standard κ-ε and RNG κ-ε model,
ing impeller spacing for an unaerated dual-disc turbine which was 8.32 and 8.11, respectively. At the same time,
impeller system. Findings on this issue are summarized the power numbers reported by Kasat et  al. (2008),
in Table  4. Most of the findings agree that total power Khopkar and Tanguy (2008), and Pan et  al. (2008) for
number is equal to the summation of power for each parallel-flow regime with dual RT were 10, 7.6 and 7.14,
impeller under certain conditions. respectively. This shows that power number prediction

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
328      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

Table 4 Summary of power number studies (Armenante and Chang 1998, Armenante et al. 1999).

References   Conditions   Finding   Remark

Nienow and   Dual RT   Np1 = 4.9 NpT

Lilly (1979) S/D = 2 NpT = 10.2 = 2.082
Np1
S/D  ≤  1 NpTn = n × Np  
Kuboi and   Dual RT   Np1 = 3.6   NpT = Np1+Np2
Nienow (1982) H/T = 1 Np2 = 3.9
NpT = 7.5
Roustan (1985)  Dual RT   NpT = 10.4 NpT
= 2.122
Triple RT NpT = 14.2 Np1

NpT
= 2.898
Np1
 
Machon and   RT and PBT   NpT < ∑Np  
Vlcek (1985) S/D < 1 NpT < ∑Np
S/D = 1
Nocentini et al.   Single impeller   Np = 4.6 NpT
= 4.022
(1988) Four impeller Np = 18.5 Np1

  Np not affected by liquid height

Lu and Yao   Triple impeller NpT   Each impeller has a different Np (5.05, 5.5, and 3.75
≈3
(1991) Np1 for top, middle and bottom, respectively)
 
Puthli et al.   Single impeller RT   Np = 4.8   Np for RT = 4.8 and Np for PBT = 1.5. Total Np equal to
(2005) RT+PBT Np = 6.3 summation Np for each impeller.
RT+2PBT Np = 7.8

by computational methods is reliable and comparable to impellers are within the tanks) (Armenante et al. 1999).
those from experiments. Similar to power number, there are concerns on how
the geometrical design of stirred tanks affects power
consumption, especially impeller design and position.
4.3 Power consumption Table 5 summarizes the effects of geometrical design
of impeller on power consumption. It shows the same
Power consumption per unit mass is one of the key results as power number. Armenante and Uehara Nag-
parameters for designing a stirred vessel, especially in amine (1997) reported that when the lower impeller was
scaling up. It is a function of the number of impellers, close to the tank bottom (1/48 < C1/T < 1/8), power con-
types of impellers, agitation speed, physical properties sumption for both dual-disc turbine system and PBT
of the fluid, the phases to be dispersed, and geometrical system was less than twice of that consumed by a single-
design of the system (all dimensions and positions of impeller system.

12

11

10

9
Np

8
Experimental data
7
Simulation data
6
150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650
N (rpm)

Figure 6 Comparing experimental and simulation power number with increasing impeller rotational speed (Taghavi et al. 2011).

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies      329

Table 5 Effect of geometrical design of impeller on power consumption (Armenante and Chang 1998, Armenante et al. 1999).

References   Conditions   Findings   Remarks

Bates et al.   S/D < 4, dual PBT Pt  

<2
(1963) S/D < 1, dual flat-blade turbines (FBT) P1
 
Pt
≈ 1.25
P1

Ho et al.   H/T = 3   For S/D  < 1.5, P increases steeply as S/D increases.

(1987) S/D = 2.0, dual RT When S/D = 1.5, P total equal to 90% summation of each P
S/D = 2.5, triple RT   Pt = ∑P
Abradi   S/D = 2 and C1/D = 1 Pt  
=2
(1988) Dual impeller P1
 
Hudcova   D = 0.33T, H/T = 1 or 2 Pt  
= 1.29
et al. C1 = D P1
(1989) S/D = 0.2
Pt
0.5 < S/D < 1.5 1.54 < < 1.91
S/D > 2 P1

Pt
=2
P1
 
Abrardi   Multiple-impeller system  
(1990) 1.5 < S/D < 2   Pt = ∑P
Chiampo   C1 = D Pt   S/D < 0.6
=2
(1991) High speed ( > 450rpm), S/D  ≥  1.6 P1 P increases moderately
 
Low speed, S/D  ≥  1.9 0.6 < S/D < 1.3
Slightly increased
S/D > 1.3
If turbulence occurs power increases steeply

S (5) The RT+TXU+TXU combination displayed the lowest per-

PT ≈ P1 + P2 ++ Pn , for > 1.5
D  formance, which demonstrates that axial-type impellers
are unsuitable for multiphase mixing.
S Nienow and Bujalski (2002) studied the formation of
PT < P1 + P2 ++ Pn , for < 1.5 (6)
D different cavity structures behind the RT. Growth in cavity

size causes reduction in power consumption. Four types
Additionally, Wang et  al. (2009) reported that axial of cavity structures have been identified as cavity grows:
impellers consumed less energy than radial impellers ragged cavities, 3-3 structure, clinging cavities, and vortex
in both single- or multiple-phase systems. Moreover, the cavities (Doran 1995). Bao et  al. (2012) have recently
axial impeller displayed insensitivity to aeration regard- studied the cavities behind the impeller blade and gas cir-
less of gas flow rate. Kasundra et al. (2008) studied several culation. It was discovered that an increase in top impel-
types of impellers such as self-inducing impeller, pipe ler diameter caused an increase in cavity size behind the
impeller, and disc impeller. They reported that the self- larger up-pumping wide-blade hydrofoils (WHUs), which
inducing turbine impeller has higher power consumption decreased power consumption. Therefore, an increase
compared to those impellers chosen for experiments in in top impeller diameter creates more blockage, which
multiple-impeller stirred vessels, whereas the hydrofoil- causes recirculation of gas to the impeller region, result-
type impeller could create better flow at the same power ing in power consumption reduction.
consumption. However, the radial impeller used higher
power consumption because more power was needed
to disperse gas bubbles. Li et  al. (2009) also found that 4.4 Mixing time
the combination of RT+Techmix 335 hydrofoil upflow
(TXU)+half-elliptical blade disc turbine (HEDT) is superior Mixing time is defined as the time required to achieve the
to RT+TXU+RT and RT+TXU+TXU based on mass transfer desired or specified degree of homogeneity. The desired
coefficient, kLa, when comparing power consumption. degree of mixing used is normally fixed at 95%, which

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
330      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

means that mixing time is the time when tracer concentra- mixing systems. Schneider and Todtenhaupt (1990) were
tion reaches or remains constant within 5% range of the the first to investigate the performance of a coaxial mixer
final concentration (Mavros 2001, Jahoda et al. 2007). in counter-rotating mode. Reduction of mixing time
was observed in counter-rotating mode compared to the
C∞ -Ct
θ( t ) = (7) single Viscopro impeller configuration. Tanguy et  al.
C∞ -Ci
 (1997) studied the mixing performance of dual-impeller
stirred vessels, which were composed of a disc turbine
where Ct, C∞, and Ci are the concentration of tracer at and a helical ribbon impeller mounted in the same axis
respective time t, equilibrium or final concentration, and but rotating at different speeds. Improved performance
initial concentration, respectively. in top-to-bottom pumping was observed compared to a
Mixing time for a multiple-impeller system is much standard helical ribbon impeller. Espinosa-Solares et  al.
higher than for a single-impeller system (Figure 7). Yi (2002) studied the mixing time performance of a hybrid
(2006) reported that mixing time increased significantly dual-impeller system (Rushton impeller+helical ribbon
for dual and triple RTs (about 50% and 75%, respectively), impeller) by keeping the rotational speed ratio constant.
whereas mixing time was almost the same for triple-, Improved performance was observed for this hybrid
dual-, and single-impeller systems for other hydrofoil system compared to the single-impeller system. Foucault
impellers. et al. (2004) compared the performance of coaxial mixer
The focus is more on the effect of impeller combi- configurations consisting of a wall-scraping impeller and
nation in studies of mixing time in multiple-impeller several dispersing impellers operated in counter- and
systems. Kasat and Pandit (2004) studied mixing time on co-rotation modes with Newtonian and non-Newtonian
two combinations of triple impeller (PBT-PBT-PBT and fluids. Co-rotating mode was found to have shorter mixing
PBT-PBT-RT) and reported that using RT as bottom impel- time for both types of fluids in transition regime. Foucault
ler reduced mixing time by 10–15%, but power consump- et al. (2006) studied the coaxial mixing system consisting
tion doubled. Bao et al. (2005b) showed that mixing time of an anchor impeller and three different types of impel-
was reduced by over 40% for radial impellers in single lers (Rushton, Rayneri-Sevin impeller, and hybrid dis-
liquid phase. Wang et  al. (2009) reported that radial persing impeller) using Newtonian and non-Newtonian
impellers like RT or alternate blade disc turbine (ABDT) (shear-thinning) fluids. The introduction of an anchor
broke the injected electrolyte lump into smaller sizes by impeller reduced mixing time in co-rotating mode used
great shear force. Thus, there is better dispersion, which for all three impellers; however, mixing time increased in
results in better mixing and shorter mixing time compared counter-rotating mode.
to that of axial impellers such as PBTD or PBTU. However, Computational methods are also used to predict mixing
when gas is present, the axial liquid movement acceler- time for multiple-impeller systems. Jaworski et  al. (2000)
ates the diffusion of electrolyte solution, which shortens reported computational dynamics (CFD) simulation results
the mixing time compared to that of radial-type impellers. for the dual RT using ANSYS Fluent (ANSYS, Inc., PA, USA)
A number of studies have explored the potential of coaxial and found that mixing time was two to three times higher
than the experimental data. Jahoda et  al. (2007) showed
that large eddy simulation approach described the real flow
45
in a stirred tank better and reflected more realistic courses
6 RT
40 of the liquid homogenization. Zadghaffari et  al. (2009)
6 RT-4 MFU
35 compared the CFD and experimental results using Particle
6 RT-4 MFD
Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. The results showed
Mixing time (s)

30
6 RT -6 RT
25 that there was only 5.5% overprediction to experimental
20 data. Hence, available computational methods can com-
15 plement results of experimental studies.
10 Finally, researchers have studied the effects of off-
5
center shaft operation for multiple impeller system.
Karcz et  al. (2005) showed that mixing time decreased
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 with increased shaft eccentricity for both axial and radial
1/N (s)
impellers but with undesirable increase of power con-
Figure 7 Comparison of mixing time between single- and dual- sumption. Hall et  al. (2005) showed that eccentrically
impeller systems (Abradi 1988). agitated vessels needed slightly shorter mixing time than

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies      331

baffled configurations at the same power consumption per diameter on gas hold-up. The gas hold-up increases with
unit volume. Cabaret et al. (2007) studied the dual shaft increasing top impeller diameter. However, this effect
mixer with off-center shaft operating in counter-rotating decreases, while gas flow rate increases. Therefore, an
mode, which prevented flow compartmentalization and increase in top impeller diameter increases gas recircula-
reduced mixing time. tion in the tank, which increases bubble residence time
and gas hold-up. However, most studies on gas hold-up
have focused on mixing medium, solid content and gas
4.5 Gas hold-up properties such as superficial gas velocity and density
instead of the effects of multiple impellers (Pinelli and
Gas hold-up is defined as the ratio of the gas phase volume Magelli 2000, Shukla et  al. 2001, Bao et  al. 2005a,b,
to the total volume. 2008).
HG -H o
ε= (8)
HG
 4.6 Mass transfer coefficient

A number of studies on the effects of multiple-impeller Gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient (kLa) is one of the
systems on gas hold-up (Pinelli 1994, Moucha et  al. global parameters that is dependent on the impeller
2003), using identical triple impellers on a single shaft, design, tank geometry, power consumption, and proper-
reported that axial flow pattern produced greater gas ties of the gas-liquid system. It determines the efficiency of
hold-up. However, Arjunwadkar et  al. (1998a) used RT gas transfer within the stirred vessels. The rate of oxygen
and axial flow PB impellers and discovered that the com- transfer in nitrogen-purged medium or dissolved oxygen
bination of PB pumping down in the upper stages and RT probe was commonly used to calculate gas-liquid mass
in the bottom stage is the most effective configuration. transfer coefficient. As shown in Eq. (8), kLa will be deter-
Moucha et al. (2003) showed that down-pumping impel-  C *-C final 
ler ­
configuration increased liquid circulation, which mined from the plotted graph of ln  against t,
 C *-Cin 
impedes rising bubbles and increases gas hold-up. As where kLa is the slope of the graph.
a result, gas hold-up is dependent on the impeller type
used. Fujasová et  al. (2004) reported that gas hold-up 1  C *-C final  (9)
kLa = ln 
is consistent for all types of impellers investigated t  C *-Cin 

(Figure 2). Bao et al. (2006) recommended using concave-
blade disk turbine (HEDT) or radial impeller as the lowest The average value of kLa in a stirred tank can be calculated
impeller. It was reported that the radial bottom impel- through Eq. (10) (Cabaret et al. 2008):
ler efficiently disperses gas while operating at higher
k L aTop + k L a Bottom
relative power demand and provides better gas hold-up. k L amean = (10)
2 
Bao et  al. (2012) studied the influence of top impeller

0.1
0.09
0.08
Experimental kLa (s-1)

0.07
0.06
0.05
Centered shaft without baffles
0.04
Off-centered shaft
0.03
Dual shaft Co-rotating
0.02
Dual shaft Counter-rotating
0.01
Centered shaft with baffles
0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
Predicted kLa (s-1)

Figure 8 Comparison between experimental kLa and predicted kLa (Cabaret et al. 2008).

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
332      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

The study done by Lu (2004) showed that kLa for each number, power consumption, flow pattern, gas hold-up,
impeller was the same at any position, but the mean mass transfer coefficient, and mixing time. An overview
or average value for kLa in a stirred tank for a multiple- of their results is also reviewed in this work. This review
impeller system was not equal to the mean value. Eq. (11) signals that there is room for future study on multiple
describes the mass transfer coefficient in a multiple impeller systems, particularly in the aspects below:
impeller system. Shewale and Pandit (2006) and Cabaret 1. Studies on different combinations other than RT and
et al. (2008) compared the correlation using Eq. (12) with PB impeller.
experimental data, which is shown in Figure 8. The exper- 2. CFD studies on multiple-impeller systems with data
imental data in the multiple impeller system fitted well focused on flow pattern, power consumption, and gas
into both correlations. hold-up.
3. Studies on solid suspensions using multiple-impeller
 Q 
kLa = 0.134  + 0.0039 (11) systems, particularly on systems involving gas.
 ND 3 


kLa = cN aQ b

(12)
Nomenclature
In addition, Arjunwadkar et  al. (1998b) and Shukla H Height of liquid in stirred tank, m
et al. (2001) studied bioreactors using dual-impeller system HG Height of liquid in the presence of gas, m
Ho Height of liquid in absence gas, m
and showed that kLa in a fermenter is a strong function of
n Number of impellers used
mode of energy dissipation and physical-chemical prop- D Diameter of impeller used, m
erties of the liquid media. Moucha et  al. (2003) studied T Diameter of stirred tank, m
the effects of impeller configurations on kLa at constant C 1 Off-bottom clearance of lower impeller, m
power consumption and reported that the kLa values are C2 Spacing between lower and middle impellers, m
C3 Spacing between middle and top impellers, m
approximately independent of impeller configuration at
S Impeller spacing, m
higher power consumption (800 W/m3); the impeller con- Np Power number
figuration with high power number provides significantly P Power consumption, kg m2/s3
high kLa at low power consumption (300W/m3), Suhaili ρ Density of fluid, kg/m3
et al. (2010) reported that the combination of two concave N Agitation speed, rpm
blade disc turbines enhances mass transfer coefficient by θ(t) Mixing time, s
C Concentration of tracer
about 5–50% and 18–65% compared to dual RT in New-
ε Gas hold-up
tonian and non-Newtonian systems, respectively. Karimi RT Rushton turbine
et al. (2013) reported that mass transfer coefficient behav- PBT Pitched blade turbine
ior for single and dual impellers was almost the same, HEDT Half-elliptical blade disk turbine
with the dual impeller having insignificantly higher value TXU Hydrofoil impeller up flow
WHU Up-pumping wide-blade hydrofoil
compared to the single impeller. Additionally, RT shows
ABDT Alternate blade disc turbine
higher performance ( > 50%) compared to PBT in single- CFD Computational fluid dynamics
and dual-impeller systems.

Acknowledgments: This research is supported by a Post-

graduate Research Fund (PPP) with project number PG115-
5 Conclusion 2012B from the University of Malaya.

Recent studies on multiple-impeller systems focused on

the effects of multiple impeller combinations and off- Received August 13, 2013; accepted January 26, 2014; previously
bottom clearance and space between impellers on power published online March 27, 2014

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies      333

References
Abradi V, Rovero G, Sicardi S, Baldi G, Conti R. Sparged vessels Bouaifi M, Roustan M. Power consumption, mixing time and
agitated by multiple impellers. Proc Eur Conf Mixing 1988; homogenisation energy in dual-impeller agitated gas-liquid
6: 329–336. reactors. Chem Eng Process Process Intensif 2001; 40: 87–95.
Abradi V, Rovero G, Baldi G, Sicardi S, Conti R. Hydrodynamics of Cabaret F, Rivera C, Fradette L, Heniche M, Tanguy PA.
a gas-liquid reactor stirred with a multiple-impeller system. Hydrodynamics performance of a dual shaft mixer with
Chem. Eng. Res. Des 1990. 68: 516–522. viscous Newtonian liquids. Chem Eng Res Des 2007; 85:
Alliet-Gaubert M, Sardeing R, Xuereb C, Hobbes P, Letellier B, Swaels P. 583–590.
CFD analysis of industrial multi-staged stirred vessels. Chem Eng Cabaret F, Fradette L, Tanguy PA. Gas-liquid mass transfer in
Process Process Intensif 2006; 45: 415–427. unbaffled dual-impeller mixers. Chem Eng Sci 2008; 63:
Arjunwadkar SJ, Saravanan K, Pandit AB, Kulkarni PR. Optimizing 1636–1647.
the impeller combination for maximum hold-up with minimum Chiampo F. Gas-liquid mixing in a multiple impeller stirred vessel.
power consumption. Biochem Eng J 1998a; 1: 25–30. In: Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Mixing.
Arjunwadkar SJ, Sarvanan K, Kulkarni PR, Pandit AB. Gas-liquid Bruge, Belgium, 1991.
mass transfer in dual impeller bioreactor. Biochem Eng J Davis RZ. Design and scale-up of production scale stirred tank
1998b; 99–106. fermentors. Unpublished Master of Science dissertation. Utah
Armenante PM, Chang G-M. Power consumption in agitated vessels State University, Logan, UT, USA, 2010.
provided with multiple-disk turbines. Ind Eng Chem Res 1998; Dohi N, Matsuda Y, Itano N, Minekawa K, Takahashi T, Kawase Y.
37: 284–291. Suspension of solid paticles in multi-impeller three phase
Armenante PM, Uehara Nagamine E. Solid suspension and power stirred tank reactors. Can J Chem Eng 2001; 79: 107–111.
dissipation in stirred tanks agitated by one or two impellers at Dohi N, Takahashi T, Minekawa K, Kawase Y. Power consumption
low off-bottom impeller clearances. In: Proceedings of the 9th and solid suspension performance of large-scale impellers in
European Conference on Mixing. Nancy, France, 1997. gas-liquid-solid three-phase stirred tank reactors. Chem Eng J
Armenante PM, Huang Y-T, Li T. Determination of the minimum 2004; 97: 103–114.
agitation speed to attain the just dispersed state in solid-liquid Doran PM (1995). Bioprocess Engineering Principles 2nd: Mixing.
and liquid-liquid reactors provided with multiple impellers. UK, Elsevier Ltd. 8: 274–275.
Chem Eng Sci 1992; 47: 2865–2870. Espinosa-Solares T, Brito-de la Fuente E, Tecante A, Medina-Torres L,
Armenante PM, Mazzarotta B, Chang G-M. Power consumption in Tanguy PA. Mixing time in rheologically evolving model fluids
stirred tanks provided with multiple pitched-blade turbines. by hybrid dual mixing systems. Chem Eng Res Des 2002; 80:
Ind Eng Chem Res 1999; 38: 2809–2816. 817–823.
Babalona E, Bahouma D, Tagia S, Pantouflas E, Markopoulos J. Fajner D, Pinelli D, Ghadge RS, Montante G, Paglianti A, Magelli F.
Power consumption in dual impeller gas liquid contactors: Solids distribution and rising velocity of buoyant solid particles
impeller spacing, gas flow rate, and viscosity effects. Chem in a vessel stirred with multiple impellers. Chem Eng Sci 2008;
Eng Technol 2005; 28: 802–807. 63: 5876–5882.
Bao Y, Gao Z, Hao Z, Long J, Shi L, Smith JM, Kirkby NF. Effects Fishwick RP, Winterbottom JM, Parker DJ, Fan X, Stitt EH.
of equipment and process variables on the suspension of Hydrodynamic measurements of up-and down-pumping
buoyant particles in gas-sparged vessels. Ind Eng Chem Res pitched-blade turbines in gassed, agitated vessels, using
2005a; 44: 7899–7906. positron emission particle tracking. Ind Eng Chem Res 2005;
Bao Y, Hao Z, Gao Z, Shi L, Smith JM. Suspension of buoyant 44: 6371–6380.
particles in a three phase stirred tank. Chem Eng Sci 2005b; Foucault S, Ascanio G, Tanguy PA. Coaxial mixer hydrodynamics with
60: 2283–2292. Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. Chem Eng Technol 2004;
Bao Y, Hao Z, Gao Z, Shi L, Smith JM, Thorpe RB. Gas dispersion and 27: 324–329.
solid suspension in a three-phase stirred tank with multiple Foucault S, Ascanio G, Tanguy PA. Mixing times in coaxial mixers
impellers. Chem Eng Commun 2006; 193: 801–825. with Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. Ind Eng Chem Res
Bao Y, Gao Z, Huang X, Shi L, Smith JM, Thorpe RB. Gas-liquid 2006; 45: 352–359.
dispersion with buoyant particles in a hot-sparged stirred tank. Fujasová M, Linek V, Moucha T, Prokopová E. Energy demands of
Ind Eng Chem Res 2007; 46: 6605–6611. different impeller types in gas-liquid dispersions. Sep Purif
Bao Y, Zhang X, Gao Z, Chen L, Chen J, Smith JM, Kirkby NF. Gas Technol 2004; 39: 123–131.
dispersion and solid suspension in a hot sparged multi-impeller Gao Z, Smith JM, Müller-Steinhagen H. Gas dispersion in sparged
stirred tank. Ind Eng Chem Res 2008; 47: 2049–2055. and boiling reactors. Chem Eng Res Des 2001; 79: 973–978.
Bao Y, Yang J, Chen L, Gao Z. Influence of the top impeller diameter Gogate PR, Pandit M. Scale effect on gas hold-up characteristics
on the gas dispersion in a sparged multi-impeller stirred tank. in multiple-impeller fermenter. In: AIChE Spring Meeting,
Ind Eng Chem Res 2012; 51: 12411–12420. Houston, TX, 1999.
Bates RL, Fondy PL, Corpstein RR. An examination of some Gogate PR, Beenackers AACM, Pandit AB. Multiple-impeller systems
geometric parameters of impeller power. Ind Eng Chem Process with a special emphasis on bioreactors: a critical review.
Des Dev 1963; 2: 310–314. Biochem Eng J 2000; 6: 109–144.
Bittins K, Zehner P. Power and discharge numbers of radial-flow Greaves M, Barigou M. The internal structure of gas-liquid
impellers. Fluid-dynamic interactions between impeller and dispersions in a stirred reactor. In: Proceedings of the 6th
baffles. Chem Eng Process Process Intensif 1994; 33: 295–301. European Conference on Mixing, Cranfield, UK, 1988: 313.

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
334      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

Hall J, Barigou M, Simmons MJH, Stitt EH. Comparative study Lu WM, Yao CL. Gas dispersion in a multi-stage impeller stirred tank.
of different mixing strategies in small high throughput In: Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on Mixing,
experimentation reactors. Chem Eng Sci 2005; 60: 2355–2368. Brugge, Belgium, 1991.
Ho CS, Oldshue JY, editors. Biotechnology processes: scale-up and Machon V, Vlcek J. Dual impeller systems for aeration of liquids:
mixing. New York: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, an experimental study. In: Proceedings of the 5th European
1987: 107–115. Conference on Mixing. Wurzburg, Germany, 1985: 155–169.
Hudcova V, Machon V, Nienow AW. Gas-liquid dispersion with dual Mahmoudi S, Yianneskis M. The variation of flow pattern and
Rushton impellers. Biotechnol Bioeng 1989; 34: 617–628. mixing time with impeller spacing in stirred vessels with two
Jafari R, Tanguy PA, Chaouki J. Experimental investigation on solid Rushton impellers. In fluid mechanics of mixing. Springer
dispersion, power consumption and scale-up in moderate to Netherlands, 1992: 11–18.
dense solid-liquid suspensions. Chem Eng Res Des 2012; 90: Mao DM. Study on mixing and flow in vessels stirred by multideck
201–212. impellers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Zhejiang
Jahoda M, Moštek M, Kukuková A, Machon V. CFD modelling of University, Hangzhou, China, 1998.
liquid homogenization in stirred tanks with one and two Martín M, Montes FJ, Galán MA. On the contribution of the scales
impellers using large eddy simulation. Chem Eng Res Des of mixing to the oxygen transfer in stirred tanks. Chem Eng J
2007; 85: 616–625. 2008; 145: 232–241.
Jaworski Z, Bujalski W, Otomo N, Nienow AW. CFD study of Mavros P. Flow visualization in stirred vessels: A review of
homogenization with dual Rushton turbines – comparison with experimental techniques. Chem Eng Res Des 2001; 79:
experimental results: Part I: Initial studies. Chem Eng Res Des 113–127.
2000; 78: 327–333. Min J, Bao Y, Chen L, Gao Z, Smith JM. Numerical simulation of
Karcz J, Cudak M, Szoplik J. Stirring of a liquid in a stirred tank with gas dispersion in an aerated stirred reactor with multiple
an eccentrically located impeller. Chem Eng Sci 2005; 60: impellers. Ind Eng Chem Res 2008; 47: 7112–7117.
2369–2380. Mishra V, Joshi J. Flow generated by a disc turbine. IV: Multiple
Karimi A, Golbabaei F, Mehrnia MR, Neghab M, Mohammad K, impellers. Chem Eng Res Des 1994; 72: 657–668.
Nikpey A, Pourmand MR. Oxygen mass transfer in a stirred Montante G, Laurenzi F, Paglianti A, Magelli F. Two-phase flow and
tank bioreactor using different impeller configurations for bubble size distribution in air sparged and surface-aerated
environmental purposes. Iran J Environ Health Sci Eng 2013; vessels stirred by a dual impeller. Ind Eng Chem Res 2010; 49:
10: 1–9. 2613–2623.
Kasat GR, Pandit AB. Mixing time studies in multiple impeller Moucha T, Linek V, Prokopová E. Gas hold-up, mixing time and
agitated reactors. Can J Chem Eng 2004; 82: 892–904. gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient of various
Kasat GR, Pandit AB, Ranade VV. CFD Simulation of Gas-Liquid Flows multiple-impeller configurations: Rushton turbine, pitched
in a Reactor Stirred by Dual Rushton Turbines. Int J Chem React blade and Techmix impeller and their combinations. Chem Eng
Eng 2008; 6: 1628. Sci 2003; 58: 1839–1846.
Kasundra RB, Kulkarni AV, Joshi JB. Hydrodynamic and mass Moucha T, Linek V, Sinkule J. Measurement of kLa in multiple-
transfer characteristics of single and multiple impeller impeller vessel with significant axial dispersion in both
hollow self-inducing reactors. Ind Eng Chem Res 2008; 47: phases. Chem Eng Res Des 1995; 73: 286–290.
2829–2841. Murthy B, Ghadge RS, Joshi JB. CFD simulations of gas-liquid-solid
Khopkar AR, Tanguy PA. CFD simulation of gas-liquid flows in stirred stirred reactor: prediction of critical impeller speed for solid
vessel equipped with dual Rushton turbines: influence of suspension. Chem Eng Sci 2007; 62: 7184–7195.
parallel, merging and diverging flow configurations. Chem Eng Nienow A, Bujalski W. Recent studies on agitated three-phase
Sci 2008; 63: 3810–3820. (gas-solid-liquid) systems in the turbulent regime. Chem Eng
Kuboi R, Nienow AW. The power drawn by dual impeller systems Res Des 2002; 80: 832–838.
under gassed and ungassed conditions. In: Proceedings of Nienow AW, Lilly MD. Power drawn by multiple impellers in sparged
the 4th European Conference on Mixing, Noordwijkerhout, the agitated vessels. Biotechnol Bioeng 1979; 21: 2341–2345.
Netherlands, 1982: 247. Nocentini M, Magelli F, Pasquali G, Fajner D. A fluid-dynamic
Lehn MC, Myers KJ, Barker A. Agitator design for solids suspension study of a gas-liquid, non-standard vessel stirred by multiple
under gassed conditions. Can J Chem Eng 1999; 77: 1065–1071. impellers. Chem Eng J 1988; 37: 53–59.
Li X, Yu G, Yang C, Mao Z-S. Experimental study on surface aerators Ochieng A, Lewis AE. CFD simulation of solids off-bottom
stirred by triple impellers. Ind Eng Chem Res 2009; 48: suspension and cloud height. Hydrometallurgy 2006; 82:
8752–8756. 1–12.
Li Z, Hu M, Bao Y, Gao Z. Particle image velocimetry experiments Pan C, Min J, Liu X, Gao Z. Investigation of fluid flow in a dual
and large eddy simulations of merging flow characteristics in rushton impeller stirred tank using particle image velocimetry.
dual Rushton turbine stirred tanks. Ind Eng Chem Res 2012; 51: Chin J Chem Eng 2008; 16: 693–699.
2438–2450. Panneerselvam R, Savithri S, Surender GD. Computational fluid
Liu X, Bao Y, Li Z, Gao Z, Smith JM. Particle image velocimetry study dynamics simulation of solid suspension in a gas-liquid-solid
of turbulence characteristics in a vessel agitated by a dual mechanically agitated contactor. Ind Eng Chem Res 2008; 48:
Rushton impeller. Chin J Chem Eng 2008; 16: 700–708. 1608–1620.
Lu WM. Gas-liquid mass transfer in gassed mechanically agitated Pinelli D, Magelli F. Analysis of the fluid dynamic behavior of
vessel. In: Lu WM, editor. Multiple impeller gas-liquid the liquid and gas phases in reactors stirred with multiple
contactors. Taiwan: RESI Corporation, 2004; 8: 153–190. hydrofoil impellers. Ind Eng Chem Res 2000; 39: 3202–3211.

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies      335

Pinelli D. Hold-up in low viscosity gas-liquid systems stirred with Taghavi M, Zadghaffari R, Moghaddas J, Moghaddas Y. Experimental
multiple impellers. comparison of different agitator types and and CFD investigation of power consumption in a dual Rushton
sets. Inst Chem Eng Symp Ser 1994; 136: 81–88. turbine stirred tank. Chem Eng Res Des 2011; 89: 280–290.
Puthli MS, Rathod VK, Pandit AB. Gas-liquid mass transfer studies Tamburini A, Cipollina A, Micale G, Ciofalo M, Brucato A. Dense
with triple impeller system on a laboratory scale bioreactor. solid-liquid off-bottom suspension dynamics: simulation and
Biochem Eng J 2005; 23: 25–30. experiment. Chem Eng Res Des 2009; 87: 587–597.
Roustan M. Power consumed by rushton turbines in non-standard Tanguy PA, Thibault F, Fuente EBDL, Espinosa-Solares T, Tecante A.
vessels under gassed conditions. In: Proceedings of the Mixing performance induced by coaxial flat blade-helical
5th European Conference on Mixing, Wurzburg, Germany, ribbon impellers rotating at different speeds. Chem Eng Sci
1985. 1997; 52: 1733–1741.
Rutherford K, Lee KC, Mahmoudi SMS, Yianneskis M. Hydrodynamic Vrabel P, Van der Lans RGJM, Cui YQ, Luyben KCAM. Compartment
charateristics of dual Rushton impeller stirred vessels. AICHE J model approach: mixing in large scale aerated reactors with
1996; 42: 332–346. multiple impellers. Chem Eng Res Des 1999; 77: 291–302.
Schneider T, Todtenhaupt E. Mixing times and heat Vrabel P, van der Lans RGJM, Luyben KCHAM, Boon L, Nienow AW.
transfer in coaxial stirrers. EKATO Ruehr-Mischtech. Mixing in large-scale vessels stirred with multiple radial
G.m.b.H., Schopfheim, Germany. Chem Ing Tech 1990; 63: or radial and axial up-pumping impellers: modelling and
208–209. measurements. Chem Eng Sci 2000; 55: 5881–5896.
Shewale SD, Pandit AB. Studies in multiple impeller agitated Wang T, Yu G, Yong Y, Yang C, Mao Z-S. Hydrodynamic characteristics
gas-liquid contactors. Chem Eng Sci 2006; 61: 489–504. of dual-impeller configurations in a multiple-phase stirred
Shukla VB, Veera UP, Kulkarni PR, Pandit AB. Scale-up of tank. Ind Eng Chem Res 2009; 49: 1001–1009.
biotransformation process in stirred tank reactor using dual Weng ZX. The effect of the distance between multiple impellers in
impeller bioreactor. Biochem Eng J 2001; 8: 19–29. the turbulent tank. Chem Eng 1983; 6: 1–6.
Smith J. Industrial needs for mixing research. Chem Eng Res Des Wu H, Patterson G. Laser-Doppler measurements of turbulent-flow
1990; 68: 3–6. parameters in a stirred mixer. Chem Eng Sci 1989; 44: 2207–2221.
Suhaili N, Mohamed MS, Mohamad R, Ariff AB. Gas-liquid mass Yi M. Mixing in stirred tanks with multiple impellers. Journal of East
transfer performance of dual impeller system employing China University of Science and Technology, Natural Science
Rushtons, concave-bladed disc (CD-6) turbines and their Edition 2006; 32: 357–360.
combination in stirred tank bioreactor. J Appl Sci Res 2010; 6: Zadghaffari R, Moghaddas JS, Revstedt J. A mixing study in a double-
234–244. Rushton stirred tank. Comput Chem Eng 2009; 33: 1240–1246.

See Tiam You, a native Malaysian, graduated with a chemical engi- Raja Shazrin Shah graduated with a chemical engineering degree
neering degree in 2012 and enrolled in a master’s degree program in 2004 from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, and received his
at the University of Malaya, Malaysia, in the same year. Encouraged master’s degree in 2010 from the same university. He worked on
by research interests in the field of mixing and with excellent labo- applied research for resource recovery for waste streams coming
ratory skills, his current research focuses on performance studies from natural rubber and palm oil industries in Malaysia, with partic-
in a multi-impeller stirred vessel for gas-liquid-solid system aiming ular emphasis on membrane technologies. He joined as a doctoral
at identifying key parameters that enhance performance in a multi- candidate in 2012 in the same university, working on hydrodynamic
impeller stirred vessel. studies on multiphase systems in stirred reactors.

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
 336      S. Tiam You et al.: Multi-impeller stirred vessel studies

Abdul Aziz completed his PhD in the area of three-phase mixing.

Mohamad Iskandr Mohamad Nor is a senior lecturer in the Depart-
Currently, he is an associate professor and holds the position of
ment of Chemical Engineering at University of Malaya, Malaysia.
deputy dean at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya,
He received his BE and MSc in Chemical Engineering from Lake-
Malaysia. His research interests are in mixing in stirred vessels and
head University and Queen’s University, Canada, respectively. His
cleaner production technologies. He is also active in consultancy
interests include applications of computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
projects and supervised many PhD candidates. He is a member of a
in Chemical Engineering, Linux OS and open source software in
number of professional and learned societies such as the Institution
engineering.
of Chemical Engineers (IChemE, UK), the Institution of Engineers
Malaysia (IEM), and the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Brought to you by | University of Malaya Library

Authenticated | azizraman@um.edu.my author's copy
Download Date | 7/17/14 11:32 AM
View publication stats