Friction Factor Distribution at the Side Wall of a Turbulent Agitated Vessel with Baffles Using a MAXBLEND Impeller

In analogy to momentum, heat, and mass transfer, the friction factor at the sidewall plays a crucial role in transport phenomena in chemical processes using agitated vessels. The present work numerically investigated the distribution of the friction factor in a turbulent agitated vessel with the aid of a computational fluid dynamics simulation. The numerically obtained velocity distribution for a paddle impeller showed a good agreement with experimental and theoretical values, which indicated that the numerical procedure was reliable. A circulation flow induced by a MAXBLEND impeller was deformed by adding baffle clearance, and a more complex flow pattern was observed. The friction factor in the baffled vessel using the MAXBLEND impeller had large-scale fluctuations upon installing baffle clearance, which may show the enhancement of heat/mass transfer at the sidewall of the vessel.