Multiphase flow in a stirred tank was addressed both experimentally and with numerical
simulation. The flow field and the distribution of the dispersed phase were regarded in most sections.
The Eulerian multi-fluid approach and k-ε turbulence model were employed in numerical simulations.
The good agreement found between experimental and predicted results underlines the importance of
computational fluid dynamics in future research of multiphase phenomena in stirred tanks. Besides,
some novel surface aeration configurations have been provided, which make such operations more
reliable and economical. Furthermore, numerical simulation was applied in research of macro- and
micro-mixing in stirred tanks. To account for the anisotropy of turbulence in the flow field, the
algebraic stress model and large eddy simulation were adopted in the numerical study of
hydrodynamics in multiphase stirred tanks as a result of their capacity on retrieving turbulent properties
more accurately.
Keywords: Stirred tank, numerical simulation, multiphase flow, mixing.