Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: FELIPE DE ALCÂNTARA MOURA VILELA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : FELIPE DE ALCÂNTARA MOURA VILELA
DATE: 28/03/2024
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Sala de aula do PPGEQ
TITLE:

FLUIDYNAMIC STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF GEOMETRIC VARIABLES OF THE PITCHED BLADE IMPELLER ON THE SOLIDS SUSPENSION QUALITY

KEY WORDS:

Agitation and mixing, Impeller, Solid suspension, Digital image processing and analysis, CFD, Geometric optimization.

PAGES: 186
BIG AREA: Engenharias
AREA: Engenharia Química
SUBÁREA: Operações Industriais e Equipamentos para Engenharia Química
SPECIALTY: Operações de Separação e Mistura
SUMMARY:

The agitation and mixing operations are among the most common in chemical and process industries. The success of these operations is related to the impeller design, a component that determines the flow pattern and homogeneity of the desired mixture. A fluid dynamic study was conducted to investigate the influence of geometric variables of pitched blade impellers on the solid suspension process in mechanically stirred tanks, aiming to optimize its geometry. A central composite design (CCD) and statistical analysis were employed to correlate the geometric factors with the responses. The factors studied included the blade inclination (θ), impeller diameter ratio (D/T), blade width ratio (W/T), and number of blades (NB). The impellers were manufactured using 3D printing according to the CCD. The analyzed responses were divided into three groups: impeller characteristics, agitation conditions, and solid distribution. Impeller characteristics and agitation conditions were determined through direct measurement with a wattmeter and visual observations. Responses related to solid distribution were determined using digital image processing and analysis (DIPA). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using openFOAM were also conducted. Monophasic simulations were performed for impeller characterization and velocity field study, liquid-gas multiphase simulations using volume of fluid (VOF) method for minimum speed of air entrainment analysis, and solid-liquid multiphase simulations using the Eulerian-granular approach for solid distribution study. The RNG k-ε turbulence model was employed. Regarding impeller characterization, the D/T ratio was the most significant variable, while for responses related to agitation conditions, D/T and θ were the most significant, and for solid distribution responses, θ was the main variable. Statistical models were developed to predict the suggested responses based on the studied factors. The simulations were used to relate flow characteristic variations to the geometry of each impeller and how this affects solid suspension.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 3182573 - RODOLFO JUNQUEIRA BRANDAO
Interno(a) - 1121112 - JOAO INACIO SOLETTI
Interno(a) - 1797785 - LUCAS MEILI
Externo(a) à Instituição - CLAUDIO ROBERTO DUARTE - UFU
Externo(a) à Instituição - MARCOS ANTONIO DE SOUZA BARROZO - UFU