Studies on Some Aspects of Jet Mixers I: Hydrodynamics

Abstract

Mixing is one of the common unit operation employed in chemical industries. Conventional mixers are equipped with impellers but are expensive for mixing in large storage tanks and underground tanks. Jet mixers have become an alternative to impellers for over five decades in the process industry. For the design of jet mixers, the detailed hydrodynamics of the mixing process is not properly understood. In the present paper, hydrodynamic techniques are used to simulate jet mixing in a cylindrical tank. For this purpose, experiments were carried out to study the effects of various parameters such as nozzle diameter, jet position and jet velocity on mixing time. Results show that, for a given geometric arrangement, jet diameter is significantly more important in determining hydrodynamic characteristics of jet mixer. The results obtained give a good understanding of hydrodynamic aspects of mixing process in jet mixed tanks.