Prediction of the three‐dimensional turbulent flow in stirred tanks

Abstract Efforts to model the turbulent flow in stirred tanks require accurate boundary conditions at the tip of the impeller, not just of velocities, but of the turbulence quantities k and ε. Kolar's (1982) phenomenological, swirling radial jet model of the impeller region is extended by using a two‐equation k – ε turbulence model to obtain direct estimates of k and ε on the impeller periphery. The model is extended and clarified, so that the number of parameters required for its application is reduced to two: the rotational speed and the diameter of the impeller. Three‐dimensional simulations allow a realistic treatment of the baffles. Agreement of the modeling results with recently published experimental data is excellent. This is particularly true in the important impeller discharge zone, where details of the predicted behavior of the turbulence kinetic energy and dissipation rate are in quantitative agreement with the available data. Based on these results, average values of ε are calculated, along with the zones over which the apply. For the impeller discharge zone, the dimensionless, volume‐averaged ε is 0.19.