Using Experimental Fluid Dynamics and Computational Fluid Dynamics for Evaluating Periodic Mixing

Periodic mixing using pulse jet mixers is being developed and applied for processing unique slurries of radioactive waste that depending upon the slurry properties may possess either Newtonian or non-Newtonian characteristics. To investigate the performance of these mixing systems, scaled experimental fluid dynamics (EFD) experiments have been conducted and in addition, for certain investigations, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been applied. The purpose of this paper is to describe the periodic mixing processes, elaborate regarding the types of scaled experiments that were conducted, and present examples of computational investigations conducted to further define the mixing system performance. The experimental investigations showed the ability to track visual metrics such as cloud height and cavern size. The computational investigations demonstrated the ability to model full-scale experiments with Newtonian slurries.