Application of frame motion and mesh motion techniques for determining the torque of a Rushton turbine

Michał Duda, Wojciech Sobieski — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The article presents experimental and numerical studies of the torque of a Rushton turbine impeller operating in a cylindrical tank without partitions. The analyses were carried out on a laboratory scale for one system geometry and five impeller rotational speeds. Numerical calculations were performed using the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) and Sliding Mesh (SM) methods in combination with the Volume of Fluid (VoF) model, with an analysis of the influence of mesh density performed prior to the main calculations. The simulations were performed in the ANSYS Fluent environment, while the experimental measurements were performed using the IKA EUROSTAR 60 control drive. The results obtained showed good qualitative agreement of the torque characteristics as a function of rotational speed, with simultaneous quantitative discrepancies consisting in obtaining higher torque values in numerical simulations compared to the experiment. These discrepancies may result from the limitations of the RANS approach in mapping global vortex motion and free surface deformation of the liquid, as well as from measurement uncertainties, which indicates further directions for research.

Technical Sciences

Application of frame motion and mesh motion techniques for determining the torque of a Rushton turbine