CFD Simulation of Stirring Tank Reactor for Production of LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O₂ by Co-Prcipitation Method

LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O₂ (NCM) ternary material has become one of the most widely used cathode materials attributed to its advantages of stability, high capacity and low cost. NCM materials are usually prepared by co-precipitation reaction, in which particle sedimentation and circulation “dead zone” problems may occur in the liquid phase reaction and results in poor uniformity and batch stability of the products. The effects of blade type, stirring speed and blade height on the velocity vector distribution in the flow field, turbulent kinetic energy distribution and power consumption were studied based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation in this paper. The results show that when the anchor frame stirring paddle (AF propeller) is placed at a height of 0.10H (structure height) from the bottom and used at a speed of 900 r/min, the reactor has the most uniform velocity vector and turbulent kinetic energy distribution with suitable power loss, which are suitable for production of NCM precursors with more evenly distributed and better electrochemical performance.