Optimization design of semi-open impeller based on thrombogenicity in a blood pump.

BACKGROUND: Blood clots are composed of aggregated fibrin and platelets, and thrombosis is the body's natural response to repairing injured blood vessels or stopping bleeding. However, when this process is activated abnormally, such as in a mechanical blood pump, it can lead to excessive thrombus formation. Therefore, how to avoid or reduce the probability of thrombus formation is an important indicator of the stable operation of a blood pump. METHODS: In this paper, Lagrangian particle tracking trajectories are simulated to study platelet transport in a blood pump. The design of the thrombus blood pump was optimized using an orthogonal design method based on three factors: inlet angle, outlet angle, and blade number. The effect of blood pump pressure, rotational speed, impeller outlet angle, inlet angle, and number of blades on thrombus formation was analysed using Fluent software. The thrombogenic potential was derived by analyzing the trajectory and flow parameters of platelet particles in the blood pump, as well as the statistical parameters of residence time and stress accumulation thrombus in the platelet pump. RESULTS: When the impeller inlet angle is 30°, the outlet angle is 20°, and the number of blades is 6, the probability of thrombus formation is minimized in the orthogonal design method, aligning with the requirements for blood pump performance. CONCLUSIONS: These design parameters serve as a numerical guideline for optimizing the geometry of the semi-open impeller in blood pumps and provide a theoretical foundation for subsequent in vitro experiments.

Prevention of thrombus formation in blood pump by mechanical circular orbital excitation of impeller in magnetically levitated centrifugal pump.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical circulatory support devices, such as left ventricular assist devices, have recently been used in patients with heart failure as destination therapy but the formation of thrombus in blood pumps remains a critical problem. In this study, we propose a mechanical antithrombogenic method by impeller excitation using a magnetically levitated (Maglev) centrifugal pump. Previous studies have shown that one-directional excitation prevents thrombus; however, it is effective in only one direction. In this study, we aimed to obtain a better effect by vibrating it in a circular orbit to induce uniform changes in the shear-rate field entirely around the impeller. METHODS: The blood coagulation time was compared using porcine blood. (1) The flow rate was set to 1 L/min, and applied excitation was at a frequency of 280 Hz and amplitude of 3 µm. (2) Moreover, the effect was compared by varying the frequency, amplitude, and direction of the excitation. In this experiment, the flow rate was set to 0.3 L/min. RESULTS: (1) The thrombus formation time was 77 min without excitation and 133 min with excitation, which was 1.7 times longer. (2) The results showed no difference between (280 Hz, 3 µm) and (50 Hz, 16 µm) circular orbital excitations, and no directional difference, with thrombus formation of 2.5 times longer under all conditions than that without excitation. CONCLUSION: In the case of simple reciprocating excitation, the time was approximately 1.2 times longer. This indicated that the circular orbital excitation is more effective.

A Novel Method of Impeller Blade Monitoring Using Shaft Vibration Signal Processing.

The monitoring of impeller blade vibrations is an important task in the diagnosis of turbomachinery, especially in terms of steam turbines. Early detection of potential faults is the key to avoid the risk of turbine unexpected outages and to minimize profit loss. One of the ways to achieve this is long-term monitoring. However, existing monitoring systems for impeller blade long-term monitoring are quite expensive and also require special sensors to be installed. It is even common that the impeller blades are not monitored at all. In recent years, the authors of this paper developed a new method of impeller blade monitoring that is based on relative shaft vibration signal measurement and analysis. In this case, sensors that are already standardly installed in the bearing pedestal are used. This is a significant change in the accessibility of blade monitoring for a steam turbine operator in terms of expenditures. This article describes the developed algorithm for the relative shaft vibration signal analysis that is designed to run in a long-term perspective as a part of a remote monitoring system to track the natural blade frequency and its amplitude automatically.

Energy Characteristics of a Bidirectional Axial-Flow Pump with Two Impeller Airfoils Based on Entropy Production Analysis.

This research sought to determine the spatial distribution of hydraulic losses for a bidirectional axial-flow pump with arc- and S-shaped impellers. The unsteady Reynolds time-averaged Stokes (URANS) approach with the SST k-omega model was used to predict the internal flow field. The total entropy production (TEP) and total entropy production rate (TEPR) were used to evaluate the overall and local hydraulic losses. The results show that the distribution of TEP and TEPR was similar for both impeller cases. Under a forward condition, TEP mainly comes from the impeller and elbow pipe. The high TEPR inside the impeller can be found near the shroud, and it shifts from the leading edge to the trailing edge with an increase in the flow rate due to the decline in the attack angle. The high TEPR inside the elbow pipe can be seen near the inlet, and the area shrinks with an increase in the flow rate caused by a reduction in the velocity circulation. Under the reverse condition, TEP mainly comes from the impeller and the straight pipe. The TEPR of the region near the shroud is obviously higher than for other regions, and the area of high TEPR near the suction side shrinks with an increase in the flow rate. The high TEPR of the straight pipe can be found near the inlet, and declines in the flow direction. These results provide a theoretical reference for future work to optimize the design of the bidirectional axial-flow pump.

Characterization of the gas dispersion behavior of multiple impeller stages by flow regime analysis and CFD simulations.

Multiple impeller reactors are widely used due to their advanced gas utilization and an increased volumetric mass transfer coefficient. However, with the application of Rushton impellers, gas dispersion efficiency varies between the bottom and the upper impeller levels. The present study analyzes the individual flow regime, power input, and gas hold-up in each compartment of a reactor equipped with four Rushton impellers. The results indicate that the pre-dispersion of the air introduced by the bottom impeller (up to 80%) plays a key role in a better gas retention efficiency of the upper impellers (>300%) and leads to a shift of the cavity and flooding lines in the flow map (Fr- vs Fl-Number) of the upper impellers. A novel analysis of the bubble flow in the dispersed state via a two-phase LES-based CFD model reveals that a more homogenous distribution of air bubbles in the upper compartments leads to high compartment gas hold-up values, but fewer bubbles in the vicinity of the impellers. The measured and simulated data of this study indicate that the upper impellers' efficiency mostly depends on the flow regime of and the pre-dispersion by the bottom impeller rather than on the upper impellers' flow regimes. These results contribute to the understanding of essential mixing processes and scaling of aerated bioreactors.

Evaluation of real-time thrombus detection method in a magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump using a porcine left ventricular assist circulation model.

Pump thrombosis induces significant complications and requires timely detection. We proposed real-time monitoring of pump thrombus in a magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump (mag-lev pump) without using additional sensors, by focusing on the changes in the displacement of the pump impeller. The phase difference between the current and displacement of the impeller increases with pump thrombus. This thrombus detection method was previously evaluated through simulated circuit experiments using porcine blood. Evaluation of real-time thrombus detection in a mag-lev blood pump was performed using a porcine left ventricular assist circulation model in this study. Acute animal experiments were performed five times using five Japanese domestic pigs. To create thrombogenic conditions, fibrinogen coating that induces thrombus formation in a short time was applied to the inner surfaces of the pump. An inflow and an outflow cannula were inserted into the apex of the left ventricle and the carotid artery, respectively, by a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allowed minimal bleeding and hypothermia. Pump flow was maintained at 1 L/min without anticoagulation. The vibrational frequency of the impeller (70 Hz) and its vibrational amplitude (30 µm) were kept constant. The thrombus was detected based on the fact that the phase difference between the impeller displacement and input current to the magnetic bearing increases when a thrombus is formed inside a pump. The experiment was terminated when the phase difference increased by over 1° from the lowest value or when the phase difference was at the lowest value 12 hours after commencing measurements. The phase difference increased by over 1° in three cases. The pump was stopped after 12 hours in two cases. Pump thrombi were found in the pump in three cases in which the phase difference increased by over 1°. No pump thrombus was found in the other two cases in which the phase difference did not increase. We succeeded in real-time thrombus monitoring of a mag-lev pump in acute animal experiments.

CFD Modelling and Optimization Procedure of an Adhesive System for a Modular Climbing Robot.

Adhesion systems are very important in robots for infrastructure inspection (especially in vertical walls). They present the challenge of optimizing the ratio vacuum/power consumption in battery-powered robots. In this paper, a CFD (computer fluid dynamics) modelling and optimization process of a robot adhesion system is carried out to determine the best performing configuration in terms of vacuum and power consumption. Analytical and numerical models were developed to predict the behaviour of the system for different configurations. The models were validated, using test rig measurements, by calibrating an arbitrary defined inlet height that simulates the leakage flow. Then, different geometric parameters were varied to determine the best performing configuration based on the vacuum/power consumption ratio value. The model presented in the paper was capable of predicting the behaviour of the system for different configurations, with a margin of error of 15% for the vacuum prediction and 25% for the motor power calculation. Finally, the model was used to optimize parameters of the system, like the number of blades of the impeller. The adhesion system was conceived for the modular autonomous climbing legged robot ROMERIN.

Energy Loss and Radial Force Variation Caused by Impeller Trimming in a Double-Suction Centrifugal Pump.

Impeller trimming is an economical method for broadening the range of application of a given pump, but it can destroy operational stability and efficiency. In this study, entropy production theory was utilized to analyze the variation of energy loss caused by impeller trimming based on computational fluid dynamics. Experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the energy loss and fluid-induced radial forces. The pump's performance seriously deteriorated after impeller trimming, especially under overload conditions. Energy loss in the volute decreased after trimming under part-load conditions but increased under overload conditions, and this phenomenon made the pump head unable to be accurately predicted by empirical equations. With the help of entropy production theory, high-energy dissipation regions were mainly located in the volute discharge diffuser under overload conditions because of the flow separation and the mixing of the main flow and the stalled fluid. The increased incidence angle at the volute's tongue after impeller trimming resulted in more serious flow separation and higher energy loss. Furthermore, the radial forces and their fluctuation amplitudes decreased under all the investigated conditions. The horizontal components of the radial forces in all cases were much higher than the vertical components.

Detection of thrombosis in a magnetically levitated blood pump by vibrational excitation of the impeller.

The use of contactless support technology for the impeller has led to an increase in the durability of ventricular assist devices (VADs), and these have been in clinical use worldwide. However, pump thrombosis and stroke are still issues to be solved. We have developed a method for detecting the thrombosis in a magnetically levitated blood pump without the need for additional sensors or other equipment. In the proposed method, a sinusoidal current is applied to the electromagnets used for the magnetic bearing, resulting in vibration of the impeller. The phase difference between the current and displacement of the impeller increases with pump thrombosis. First, we describe the principle by which the pump thrombosis is detected. Pump thrombosis reduces the narrowest fluid gap in the pump and this gives rise to a change in the phase difference. Second, we report on experiments in which we changed the narrowest fluid gap using oriented polypropylene tape and showed that decreasing the narrowest fluid gap resulted in an increase in phase difference. For these experiments, the measurements were repeated three times for each condition. Third, we examine the relationship between the pump thrombosis and the phase difference evaluated by observations of the underside of the impeller when operating the pump with porcine blood. Since light was unable to penetrate the blood layer, the erythrocytes were removed for this observation. Only one observation was made. The results showed the phase difference rapidly increased at the same moment when the pump thrombosis was observed. This implies the proposed method has the potential to detect the early stages of pump thrombosis. Finally, in vitro experiments to detect thrombosis when using whole porcine blood in the pump were conducted. The experiment was carried out five times. To intentionally form a thrombus inside the pump, the activated clotting time was controlled to be less than 200 s. In every case, the phase difference increased by more than one degree after tens of minutes. Then, the pump was disassembled and a small amount of pump thrombosis was observed. We conclude that real-time diagnosis of pump thrombosis may be realized by measuring the phase difference without the need for additional sensors.

Impeller geometry definition of the transventricular assist device.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, except Africa, where Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is the leading cause of death. In this scenario, the ventricular assist device (VAD) remains the unique alternative to extend patient life until heart transplantation. At Dante Pazzanese Institute of Cardiology, the research and development of an axial flow VAD to be fully implantable within the heart was started. This pump, denominated Transventricular Assist Device (TVAD), can be surgically implanted through a small left intercostal incision in a minimally invasive manner. The goal of this work is to analyze the impeller geometries of the TVAD, to avoid high shear stresses in the fluid and aim for the best conditions to support the circulatory system using computational fluid dynamics and in vitro tests. Different rotor geometries were selected according to the literature; based on the results, the best rotor was elected. This rotor contains a pair of spiral blades of constant and relatively high pitch, which pumps liquid at a flow rate of 3 L/min at 73 mm Hg. It is also expected that this rotor presents a moderate hemolysis since the shear rate is acceptable.

Verification of a thrombus induction method at the target point inside the blood pump using a fibrinogen coating for a thrombus detection study.

Although the magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump (mag-lev pump) is considered superior to other pumps in antithrombogenicity, thrombotic complications are still reported. Research into thrombus detection inside a mag-lev pump is very important for solving this problem. Our research group has already proposed a method to detect a thrombus inside a mag-lev pump in real time without an additional sensor, which is named the impeller vibration method. To efficiently advance our research with reproducibility, a preconditioning method to induce thrombus inside the pump was thought to be necessary. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a preconditioning method that induces thrombus formation. To verify this method, in vitro experiments for thrombus detection were performed. A mag-lev pump developed at Tokyo Institute of Technology was used. A fibrinogen solution was coated on the inner surfaces of the bottom housing to induce thrombus formation at the target point inside the pump. The thrombus is detected by utilizing the phenomenon that the phase difference between the impeller displacement and input current to the magnetic bearing increases when a thrombus is formed inside a pump. Five hundred mL of porcine blood anticoagulated with heparin sodium was circulated in the mock circuit, and protamine sulfate was administered. Flow rate (1 L/min), impeller vibrational frequency (70 Hz), and vibrational amplitude (30 µm) were set to constant. The experiment was terminated when the phase difference increased by over 2° from the minimum value. The experiments were performed in fibrinogen-coated (group F, n = 5) and non-coated pumps (group N, n = 5). In group F, thrombus formation was observed at the fibrinogen-coated point of the housing. In contrast, a relatively small thrombus was observed in varying locations such as the housing or the impeller in group N. Thrombus formation time (the time from when the phase difference takes the minimum value to when the experiment is terminated) was different between the two groups. The mean time was significantly shorter in group F (44 ± 29 minutes) than in group N (143 ± 38 minutes; p = 0.0019). Therefore, a preconditioning method that induced thrombus formation at the target point inside a blood pump was successfully developed.

[Numerical simulation and performance analysis of mixed flow blood pump].

The high rotational speed of the axial flow blood pump and flow separation of the centrifugal blood pump are the main causes for blood damage in blood pump. The mixed flow blood pump can effectively alleviate the high rotational speed and the flow separation. Based on this, the purpose of this study is to explore the performance of the mixed blood pump with a closed impeller. A mixed flow blood pump with closed impeller was studied by numerical simulation in this paper. The flow field characteristics and the pressure distribution of this type of blood pump were analyzed. The hydraulic performance of the blood pump and the possible damages to red blood cells were also discussed. At last, pump performance was compared with the mixed flow blood pump with semi-open impeller. The results show that the mixed flow blood pump with close impeller studied in this paper can operate safely and efficiently with a good performance. The pump can reach the pressure head of 100 mmHg at 5 L/min mass flow rate. Flow in the blood pump is uniform and no obvious separation or vortex occurs. Pressure distribution in and on the impeller is uniform and reasonable, which can effectively avoid the thrombosis of blood. The average mean value of hemolysis index is 4.99 × 10 -4. The pump has a good biocompatibility. Compared with the mixed flow blood pump with semi-open impeller, the mixed flow blood pump with closed impeller has higher head and efficiency, a smaller mean value of hemolysis index prediction, a better hydraulic performance and the ability to avoid blood damage. The results of this study may provide a basis for the performance evaluation of the closed impeller mixed flow blood pump.

Mechanical antithrombogenic properties by vibrational excitation of the impeller in a magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump.

Mechanical circulatory support devices have been used clinically for patients with heart failure for over 10 years. However, thrombus formation inside blood pumps remains a risk to patient life, causing pump failure and contributing to neurological damage through embolization. In this article, we propose a method for preventing thrombus formation by applying vibrational excitation to the impeller. We evaluate the ability of this method to enhance the antithrombogenic properties of a magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump and ensure that the impeller vibration does not cause undue hemolysis. First, 3 vibrational conditions were compared using an isolated pump without a mock circulation loop; the vibrational excitation frequencies and amplitudes for the impeller were set to (a) 0 Hz-0 µm, (b) 70 Hz-10 µm, and (c) 300 Hz-2.5 µm. The motor torque was measured to detect thrombus formation and obtain blood coagulation time by calculating the derivative of the torque. Upon thrombus detection, the pump was stopped and thrombi size were evaluated. The results showed an increase in the blood coagulation time and a decrease in the rate of thrombus formation in pumps with the impeller vibration. Second, an in vitro hemolysis test was performed for each vibrational condition to determine the effect of impeller vibration on hemolysis. The results revealed that there was no significant difference in hemolysis levels between each condition. Finally, the selected vibration based on the above test results and the non-vibration as control were compared to investigate antithrombogenic properties under the continuous flow condition. The blood coagulation time and thrombi size were investigated. As a result, vibrational excitation of the impeller at a frequency of 300 Hz and amplitude of 2.5 µm was found to significantly lengthen clotting time, decreasing the rate of pump thrombus compared to the non-vibration condition. We indicate the potential of impeller vibration as a novel mechanical antithrombogenic mechanism for rotary blood pumps.

Improved performance in γ-polyglutamic acid production by Bacillus subtilis LX on industrial scale by impeller retrofitting and its unstructured microbial growth kinetics model.

We conducted industrial scale γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) production by Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) LX and modeled its microbial growth kinetics based on a logistic regression. We found that the use of a three-layer impeller including a lower semicircular disc impeller and two-layers of six-wide-leaf impellers were able to both increase γ-PGA yields and decrease fermentation time as compared with two-layer Rushton impellers. Indeed, our results revealed that the optimal γ-PGA yield (20.67 ± 2.19 g/L) was obtained after 40 hr in the impeller retrofitted fermenter, and this yield was 29.7% higher than that in Rushton impellers fixed fermenter. The microbial growth kinetics of B. subtilis LX in this system were established, and the model was consistent with the experimental data (R2 = 0.924) suggesting that it was suitable for describing the microbial growth kinetics underlying γ-PGA production on an industrial scale. In addition, biomass yield (Yx/s-glucose), γ-PGA yield (Yp/s-glucose), γ-PGA yield (Yp/s-glutamate), and the correlation between γ-PGA production and B. subtilis LX (Yp/x) were found to be 0.043, 0.133, 0.743, and 3.090 g/g, respectively, in the impeller retrofitted fermenter, as compared with 0.036, 0.103, 0.629, and 2.819 g/g, respectively, in the two-layer Rushton impeller fermenter.

Evaluating the Transient Energy Dissipation in a Centrifugal Impeller under Rotor-Stator Interaction.

In fluid machineries, the flow energy dissipates by transforming into internal energy which performs as the temperature changes. The flow-induced noise is another form that flow energy turns into. These energy dissipations are related to the local flow regime but this is not quantitatively clear. In turbomachineries, the flow regime becomes pulsating and much more complex due to rotor-stator interaction. To quantitatively understand the energy dissipations during rotor-stator interaction, the centrifugal air pump with a vaned diffuser is studied based on total energy modeling, turbulence modeling and acoustic analogy method. The numerical method is verified based on experimental data and applied to further simulation and analysis. The diffuser blade leading-edge site is under the influence of impeller trailing-edge wake. The diffuser channel flow is found periodically fluctuating with separations from the blade convex side. Stall vortex is found on the diffuser blade trailing-edge near outlet. High energy loss coefficient sites are found in the undesirable flow regions above. Flow-induced noise is also high in these sites except in the stall vortex. Frequency analyses show that the impeller blade frequency dominates in the diffuser channel flow except in the outlet stall vortexes. These stall vortices keep their own stall frequency which is about 1/5 impeller frequency with high energy loss coefficient but low noise level. Results comparatively prove the energy dissipation mechanism in the centrifugal air pump under rotor-stator interaction. Results also provide the quantitative basis for turbomachinery's loss reduction design.

The Influence of Internal Intermittency, Large Scale Inhomogeneity, and Impeller Type on Drop Size Distribution in Turbulent Liquid-Liquid Dispersions.

The influence of the impeller type on drop size distribution (DSD) in turbulent liquid-liquid dispersion is considered in this paper. The effects of the application of two impellers, high power number, high shear impeller (six blade Rushton turbine, RT) and three blade low power number, and a high efficiency impeller (HE3) are compared. Large-scale and fine-scale inhomogeneity are taken into account. The flow field and the properties of the turbulence (energy dissipation rate and integral scale of turbulence) in the agitated vessel are determined using the k-ε model. The intermittency of turbulence is taken into account in droplet breakage and coalescence models by using multifractal formalism. The solution of the population balance equation for lean dispersions (when the only breakage takes place) with a dispersed phase of low viscosity (pure system or system containing surfactant), as well as high viscosity, show that at the same power input per unit mass HE3 impeller produces much smaller droplets. In the case of fast coalescence (low dispersed phase viscosity, no surfactant), the model predicts similar droplets generated by both impellers. In the case of a dispersed phase of high viscosity, when the mobility of the drop surface is reduced, HE3 produces slightly smaller droplets.

Development of a novel shrouded impeller pediatric blood pump.

The aim of this work was to analyze a shrouded impeller pediatric ventricular assist device (SIP-VAD). This device has distinctive design characteristics and parameter optimizations for minimization of recirculation flow and reduction in high-stress regions that cause blood damage. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to analyze the optimized design. The bench-top prototype of SIP-VAD was manufactured with biocompatible stainless steel. A study on the hydrodynamic and hemodynamic performance of the SIP-VAD was conducted with predictions from CFD and actual experimentation values, and these results were compared. The CFD analysis yielded a pressure range of 29-90 mmHg corresponding to flow rates of 0.5-3 L/min over 9000-11000 rpm. The predicted value of the normalized index of hemolysis (NIH) was 0.0048 g/100 L. The experimental results with the bench-top prototype showed a pressure rise of 30-105 mmHg for the flow speed of 8000-12000 rpm and flow rate of 0.5-3.5 L/min. The maximum difference between CFD and experimental results was 4 mmHg pressure. In addition, the blood test showed the average NIH level of 0.00674 g/100 L. The results show the feasibility of shrouded impeller design of axial-flow pump for manufacturing the prototype for further animal trials.

Kinetics and Optimization of Lipophilic Kojic Acid Derivative Synthesis in Polar Aprotic Solvent Using Lipozyme RMIM and Its Rheological Study.

The synthesis of kojic acid derivative (KAD) from kojic and palmitic acid (C16:0) in the presence of immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (commercially known as Lipozyme RMIM), was studied using a shake flask system. Kojic acid is a polyfunctional heterocycles that acts as a source of nucleophile in this reaction allowing the formation of a lipophilic KAD. In this study, the source of biocatalyst, Lipozyme RMIM, was derived from the lipase of Rhizomucor miehei immobilized on weak anion exchange macro-porous Duolite ES 562 by the adsorption technique. The effects of solvents, enzyme loading, reaction temperature, and substrate molar ratio on the reaction rate were investigated. In one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) experiments, a high reaction rate (30.6 × 10-3 M·min-1) of KAD synthesis was recorded using acetone, enzyme loading of 1.25% (w/v), reaction time of 12 h, temperature of 50 °C and substrate molar ratio of 5:1. Thereafter, a yield of KAD synthesis was optimized via the response surface methodology (RSM) whereby the optimized molar ratio (fatty acid: kojic acid), enzyme loading, reaction temperature and reaction time were 6.74, 1.97% (w/v), 45.9 °C, and 20 h respectively, giving a high yield of KAD (64.47%). This condition was reevaluated in a 0.5 L stirred tank reactor (STR) where the agitation effects of two impellers; Rushton turbine (RT) and pitch-blade turbine (PBT), were investigated. In the STR, a very high yield of KAD synthesis (84.12%) was achieved using RT at 250 rpm, which was higher than the shake flask, thus indicating better mixing quality in STR. In a rheological study, a pseudoplastic behavior of KAD mixture was proposed for potential application in lotion formulation.

An effect of the tubular baffles configuration in an agitated vessel with a high-speed impeller on the power consumption.

The results of the power consumption for an agitated vessel equipped with vertical tubular baffles and high-speed impeller are presented in the paper. Aqueous solutions of CMC were agitated within transitional range of the non-Newtonian liquid flow in the agitated vessel of inner diameter equal to 0.6 m. Eight different types of the impellers were tested: Rushton or Smith turbines, turbine with straight blades, pitched blade turbines and propeller. The J tubular baffles of outer diameter B were located in the position e from the vessel wall. Different configurations of baffles, arranged around the vessel circumference singularly or blocked in the modules, were considered in the study. In total, 180 different tubular baffles-impeller systems were tested. The measurements of the torque were conducted by means of the strain gauges method. Based on the power characteristics obtained for each impeller type, the effect of the geometrical parameters of the vertical tubular baffles on the power number was determined and discussed. The results show that geometry of the tubular baffles mostly affects the power number for the system with radial flow Rushton turbine. Moreover, power numbers decrease with the increase of the clearance between baffle and vessel wall for the systems, in which the radially axial circulation of the liquid is promoted. The dependences of the power number on the geometrical parameters of the vertical tubular baffles arranged singularly around the vessel circumference were described by means of the Eqs. (5)-(16). These equations can be useful in the project computations.

Comparative PIV and LDA studies of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows in an agitated tank.

The paper presents results of an experimental study of the fluid velocity field in a stirred tank equipped with a Prochem Maxflo T (PMT) type impeller which was rotating at a constant frequency of N = 4.1 or 8.2 s-1 inducing transitional (Re = 499 or 1307) or turbulent (Re = 2.43 × 104) flow of the fluid. The experiments were performed for a Newtonian fluid (water) and a non-Newtonian fluid (0.2 wt% aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC) exhibiting mild viscoelastic properties. Measurements were carried out using laser light scattering on tracer particles which follow the flow (2-D PIV). For both the water and the CMC solution one primary and two secondary circulation loops were observed within the fluid volume; however, the secondary loops were characterized by much lower intensity. The applied PMT-type impeller produced in the Newtonian fluid an axial primary flow, whilst in the non-Newtonian fluid the flow was more radial. The results obtained in the form of the local mean velocity components were in satisfactory agreement with the literature data from LDA. Distribution of the shear rate in the studied system was also analyzed. For the non-Newtonian fluid an area was computed where the elastic force dominates over the viscous one. The area was nearly matching the region occupied by the primary circulation loop.