Numerical simulation of mixing performance in planetary mixer

The mixing process of solid-liquid two-phase flow for high viscosity fluid in the planetary mixer was simulated by using Fluent package. The influence of rotation speed and impeller clearance on the mixing performance was studied. Based on Eulerian model, dynamic mesh technique and the user-defined functions (UDFs), the solid-liquid two-phase flow of high viscosity fluid, the mixing time and the moment of the impellers in the planetary mixer were calculated. The stirring power and the mixing energy per unit volume were used to evaluate the mixing efficiency of the mixer. The results show that, as the rotation speed is increased from 20r/min to 60r/min, the mixing time gets shorter, the stirring power and the mixing energy per unit volume increase and the mixing efficiency decreases. While, when the impeller clearance is raised from 20mm to 60mm, the mixing time shortens, the stirring power does not change much, the mixing energy per unit volume decreases and the mixing efficiency increases.