Large-eddy simulation of turbulent flow in stirred tank with a curved blade impeller

The turbulent flow field generated in a baffled stirred tank by a curved blade impeller has been investigated by employing large-eddy simulation (LES). The Smagorinsky-Lilly and kinetic energy transport model was used to model the unresolved, or subgrid, scales. The simulation has been validated by using available experimental observations on Rushton turbine and found reasonable agreement justifying the capability of the LES model in accurate prediction of turbulent characteristics in a stirred tank. Detailed analysis has been done for a stirred tank with a curved blade (CD-6) impeller to ascertain the flow characteristics of the curved blade impeller, which is generally considered to be the highly efficient impeller.