Baffle Calculations

How do I calculate the required thickness and supports for anti-swirl tank baffles? The maximum hydraulic force, in pounds, acting on each baffle can be calculated from the transmitted torque, divided by one half the distance between the baffles edges and by the number of baffles.


How do I calculate the required thickness and supports for anti-swirl tank baffles?
The maximum hydraulic force, in pounds, acting on each baffle can be calculated from the transmitted torque, divided by one half the distance between the baffles edges and by the number of baffles.

Force, lbs =  [(63000) (HP)(Dynamic Factor)]/[ (# of Baffles) (Dist. between outer edges/2) (Impeller RPM)]

We leave the responsibility for determining baffle thickness and the location of baffle supports to the tank manufacturer.

As a rule of thumb, for open tanks, baffles should be of the same thickness as the tank shell, but not less than 0.125” for 1000 gallon tanks and smaller; or 0.25” on larger tank sizes.

Baffle Support Methods that a customer might consider include:

Baffle skip welded to tank wall with gussets welded behind it.
Strip hangers welded to tank wall with baffle bolted to hangers, with off set.
Angles welded to tank wall with baffle bolted to angles, with off set.