Numerial simulation and experimental study of non-newtonian mixing flow with a free surface

The object of this work was to evaluate the capability of numerical simulation to predict different features of non-Newtonian fluid mixing process. A relatively simple impeller (six bladed vane rotor) was used for the mixing of carboxymethyl cellulose. A LDA method was used to measure the tangential velocity at two points inside the mixing vessel. Using visualization, a significant vortex above the impeller was observed. The shape of the free surface was determined by a geometrical reconstruction of the images of the illuminated section. Torque on the impeller shaft was measured to determine t...