Influence of different structural combinations of the guide tube mixing tank on its mixing characteristics

The different structural parameters of the stirring tank have a significant impact on its own flow velocity. In this study, a 10 m³ mixing tank used in a rare earth plant in Gannan, Jiangxi, was selected as the reference system. Using Solidworks, a 3D modeling software tool, a detailed 3D model of the equipment was reconstructed, and the relevant data were further processed with the aid of Fluent software. Four core structural variables, namely, the height of the guide tube (h), the blade angle (θ), the distance between the blade and the bottom (c), and the blade diameter (d), were chosen for investigation. Mixing simulations were then performed in Fluent to evaluate the system’s hydrodynamic behavior. Moreover, four functional indicators, namely power, torque, time-averaged distribution speed, and speed, were used as the evaluation criteria to analyze the stirring characteristics of the equipment under different structural configurations, thereby determining the optimal values of four different structural parameters (d=1 100 mm, θ=50^o, h=940 mm, c=550 mm) for the equipment. The simulation results were validated through comparison with field experiment observations, and the different structural parameters of the mixing tank were optimized.