RESEARCH PAPER
Numerical Study of Vortex Dynamics and Power Consumption in RushtoStirred Tanks with Vertical, Square, and Triangular Baffle
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef, Algeria
2
Common Core Department in Technology, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef, Algeria
3
Department of Marine Engineering, University of Sciences and Technology Mohamed-Boudiaf, Algeria
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National School of Engineers of Sfax, Tunisia
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2025-12-14
Final revision date: 2026-02-16
Acceptance date: 2026-02-18
Publication date: 2026-06-25
Corresponding author
Youcef KAMLA
Common Core Department in Technology, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef, Hay Salem, route nationale N° 19 02000 Chlef, Algé, 20000, route nationale N° 19 02000 Chlef, Algérie, Algeria
Common Core Department in Technology, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef, Hay Salem, route nationale N° 19 02000 Chlef, Algé, 20000, route nationale N° 19 02000 Chlef, Algérie, Algeria
Acta Mechanica et Automatica 2026;20(2):473-481
HIGHLIGHTS
- CFD analysis of Rushton turbine with vertical, square, and triangular baffles
- Square baffles reduce power consumption by up to 30% compared to vertical baffles
- MRF-based turbulent simulations performed for Reynolds numbers up to 10⁵
- Vortex structures and power consumption strongly depend on baffle geometry
- Optimal baffle width ratio (E/D = 9/40) minimizes power consumption
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The present study numerically investigates the influence of different baffle types in a vessel stirred by a Rushton turbine. Three configurations were examined: a Rushton turbine combined with vertical baffles (VBR), square baffles (SBR), and triangular baffles (TBR). Turbulent flow simulations were performed for Reynolds numbers ranging from 4×10⁴ to 10⁵ using the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach implemented in the CFD software CFX 18.0. The vortex structure and power consumption were analyzed for each geometrical configuration. The results show that square baffles offer the best performance, with a reduction in power consumption of 2.85% compared to the triangular baffles (TBR) and 30% relative to the vertical baffles (VBR). Furthermore, for the SBR configuration, variations in baffle width (E/D) and baffle height (F/D) (tested at F/D = 9/40, 1/4, 4/15, and 3/10) indicate that tanks equipped with baffles having a ratio of E/D = 9/40 exhibit lower power consumption compared to the other configurations.
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| eISSN: | 2300-5319 |
| ISSN: | 1898-4088 |
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