![Sample our Physical Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110819/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Physical-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
The Effects of non-ideal and nonhomogeneous mixing on barium sulfate precipitation in an MSMPR reactor were observed experimentally and analyzed theoretically. To generate nonhomogeneous mixing the unmixed feed streams were fed to the reactor at the same location (joint feeding mode) or a plug flow reactor was connected to the MSMPR reactor. These nonhomogeneous mixing conditions resulted in significant reductions in particle size and increases in particle numbers. These non ideal mixing effects were dependent on the impeller speed, feed stream velocity and residence time in the connected plug flow reactor and are believed to result from elevated supersaturation levels in a premixing zone which are controlled by turbulent micromixing
To model the effect of nonhomogeneous mixing (premixing) in the MSM PR reactor a plug flow-stirred lank reactor series model was developed. The plug flow reactor represents the premixing region of the MSMPR reactor in which turbulent micromixing is important, and the stirred tank reactor describes the homogeneous mixing region of the MSMPR reactor where particle growth is important. The model predicts that the premixing effect is strongly dependent on micromixing of the feeds in the premixing region, and thus, as the turbulent mixing intensity in this region is increased, the particle size in the product suspension is reduced and the particle population is increased. These predictions of the model arc in good agreement with the experimental data. An interesting prediction of the model is that as the impeller speed increases, the precipitation of barium sulfate in an MSMPR reactor deviates increasingly from the precipitation in a perfectly mixed (ideal) reactor.