Multi‐shaft stirred reactors mixing efficiency: Rapid characterization strategy based on chaotic attractors

Abstract

The complex fluid dynamics mechanism of multi‐shaft stirring systems has constrained their application in industrial production. In this work, we have extracted torque signals to correlate power consumption with rotational speeds across single, dual, and triple shaft stirred reactors. Remarkably, the reasons behind the unique linear power consumption‐rotational speed relationship exhibited in triple‐shaft reactor, through the application of Fractional Fourier Transform. Our comparative analysis, through mixing energy, reveals multi‐shaft systems' superiority in energy‐efficient mixing. More importantly, the interaction between impellers and fluid within a reactor is reflected in the evolving of torque chaotic attractors. We have established a novel characterization strategy by fractal dimension of attractors which reflect the reactors' mixing efficiency. By mathematically modeling these attractors, we have demonstrated their potential as a tool for establishing the internal dynamics equations of stirred reactors. This approach offers a new method for evaluating mixing effectiveness and automated control of stirring machinery.