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Types of Agitators, Agitator's Design and Signi cance Types of Agitators, Agitator's Design and
Significance
Ajay Kumar Kalva year ago agitator, design

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Hello readers.....!!
Today i gonna give you a description that limits upto my knowledge, and most of you may find it useful, about the
Industrial Agitators, Types of Agitators, their Power Numbers, Design Equations and their significance in production.
Introducing or discovering the types of agitators in pharma field is certainly a revolution because different agitators will
have different purposes and different advantages, but most commonly used agitators are Anchor, Propeller, Turbine,
Paddle etc., and still these agitators are sub divided into types, for example Round Anchor and Anchor combined with
Gate are two types of Anchor.

So, for knowing the types of agitators and their significance you don't need any basic knowledge, but just an idea that

"what is an agitator ?, And what it can do ??"

"What is the difference between Agitation and Mixing ??"

We Care For Children, Do U .....!!!
Agitator : An agitator is something which is used to stir liquid or mixture of liquids. Rs. 500/- Can Make a Difference......!!!
Sharing is Caring , Trust Me.........!!!!

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What Does a TR exactly means?
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How to Calculate the Energy of Steam? June (5)
May (10)
Overall Heat Transfer Co-efficient Calulation
base...
What it can do ?? : It can be used in various operations, in a pharma industry it can be used in multiple operations like
Outlines for Designing a Chiller Plant
reactions, work up's, drying, filtration, etc., Pressure and its Altitude Dependence
Pumps in Series Vs Pumps in Parallel
Overall Heat Transfer Co-Efficient Calculation
Difference between Agitation and Mixing : Agitation Scale up
[How To] Select a Condenser
Tonne of Refrigeration, How to Calculate
required ...
Types of Agitators, Agitator's Design and
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[How To] Select a Motor Capacity for Agitator
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Agitation is the process of keeping a mixture that has been mixed in the proper mixed state required for the 'end' product.

Mixing refers to the actual stirring of different liquids and/or materials to blend them together into an end product or mixture.
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Once this mixture is 'mixed' it may require agitation to keep the mixture in the proper 'mixed' state. found
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There are two types of Agitators commonly used,

1. Mechanical Agitators, 2. Electronically Controlled Agitators, I'll demonstrate commonly used Mechanical Agitators.
Recommended For You:

How to Select Motor Capacity of an Agitator?

How to do Scale Up calculations?

How to Design an Industrial Column?

Paddle Agitators:This is one of the most primary types of agitators with blades that reach up to the tank walls. Paddle agitators are
used where an uniform laminar flow of liquids is desired.

Anchor Agitators : This simple agitator consists of a shaft and an anchor type propeller and can be mounted centrally or at an angle. It is mainly
used in reactors.
Radial Propeller Agitators : Radial agitators consist of propellers that are similar to marine propellers. They consist of two to four blades that
move in a screw like motion, propelling the material to be agitated parallel to the shaft.
Propeller Agitators : A propeller agitator is shaped with blades tapering towards the shaft to minimize centrifugal force and produce
maximum axial flow. Propeller agitators are popular for simple mixing jobs.

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Turbine Agitators : Yet another type of process agitator is the turbine agitator. Turbine agitators can create a turbulent movement of the

fluids due to the combination of centrifugal and rotational motion.

Helical Agitators : These agitators have blades with a twisted mechanism, just like the threads of a screw. The curves result in a vigorous motion
of the fluids to be agitated. Helical agitators are most useful for mixing viscous liquids.

A simplified brief description has been tabulated below.

Agitator
Applications Advantages Disadvantages
Type
 * Mixing of Solids, * Heavy duty,
* Power Consumption
is very high,
Paddle * Slurry Mixing, * Apt for Slow operation,

* Inefficient Mixing
* Used during Crystals * Can have 2 or 4 blades
forming phase during
Super saturated Cooling

Turbine

*Straight
* Liquids and Gas reactions, * Generates high
Blade
Radial Flow, * Not preferred for
*Pitched
* Highly used during solvents with high
Blade
Reaction and Extraction * Highly used for viscosity[NMT 20 cP]
*Curved
Operations. dispersion operations
Blade
*Disk
Blade

* Have to use in addition

* Uniform mixing
to other agitators. * Not preferred for im-miscible
Screw type of High viscous
solvents.
masses.
* Mostly used in Food processing.

Helical
Blade

* Most Probably used in * Can handle Visco * Low possibility for Radial
*Ribbon
Type Paint industry. -elastic liquids efficiently mixing
*Helical
Screw

* Increase possible heat

* Required high
transfer rate in reactors,
* Highly used in Pharma Industry for Efficiency Gear
Anchor from reactor heat transfer
Several Operations box,
surface
* Required high Power.
to Mass.

* Provides efficient * Not preferred

Mixing and agitation control, when both liquids and gases
Gate * Highly used for blending Operations
* Can handle Psuedo combine
-plastic liquids. involves
* Need to be operated
* Will increase the at high speed to
homogeneity, avoid solid settlings
* Suitable for GLR's,
in reactors.
Propeller ANFD's, can handle Corrosive materials
* Can be used in two different
with Glass lining.
patterns for * Need to be
drying and pressing. operated at low speeds in drying
operations.

Diameter of Agitator:Usually the diameter of agitator depends on the Diameter of the vessel,

It is generally 1/3rd the diameter of the tank forMarine Propeller,Axial flow turbine,Turbo Propeller,Disc Blade
turbine,Flat Blade turbine,Backward Blade turbine.
It is generally 4/5th of the diameter of the tank for Paddle, Anchor, Gate.

Type of Agitators and their functions:

Marine Propeller is generally an item produced by casting process in a foundry and it has 3 or 4 blades. Cast agitators
have two basic advantages, uniformity of material and hard surface. These have tapering blades, and angle of blade varies
from root to tip. This produces maximum axial flow. The diameter of Marine Propeller impeller is 15% to 30% of diameter
of tank. These have tip speeds between 300 to 500 meters per minute.

Axial Flow Turbine, Turbo Propeller and Flat Blade Turbine have blades ranging from 3 to 6. These have tip speeds
between 200 to 300 meters per minute. The diameter of impeller is 25% to 60% of tank diameter. For Axial Flow Turbine
and Turbo Propeller, the angle of blade varies from 30 degrees (for less viscous liquids) to 60 degrees (for more viscous
liquids). Standard angle is 45 degrees. Power requirement increases with higher pitch angle. For Flat Blade Turbine, the
length of blade is 25% of diameter, and disk diameter is 60% to 70% of the diameter of impeller.

Paddle, Anchor, or Gate have only 2 blades. These extend close to the tank wall and have tip speeds between 80 to 150
meters per minute. These push and rotate the liquid in a laminar flow. There is no axial or radial mixing. The width of
blade is 1/8th or 1/10th of the agitator diameter.

Number of Agitators:

There can be many number of agitators connected to a shaft, and it can be calculated as

Number of agitators = (Maximum liquid height x specific gravity) / Diameter of tank.

 Gap between two Agitators = Liquid height / (Number of impellers - 0.5).

Basic Design Equations for a Vertical Vessel and Agitator:

Vessel Volume = (pi x vessel dia x vessel dia x vessel length) / 4.0
Agitator Shaft length = vessel length + (vessel dia x 0.25)
For Rectangular Tanks,
Tank Volume = Vessel Length x Vessel Breadth x Vessel Height

Agitator Shaft length = Vessel Height

Based on geometry of vessel, many factors for impeller can be decided.

Agitator Speed Power Number Pumping Factor Impeller Diameter

* 0.3 for 3 bladed impeller, * 0.33 for 3 bladed, 1/3rd of tank

Marine Propeller 100 - 300 RPM
* 0.33 for 4 bladed impeller * 0.34 for 4 bladed. dia

* 1.35 for 3 bladed, * 0.6 for 3 bladed,

* 1.4 for 4 bladed, * 0.69 for 4 bladed, 1/3rd of tank
Axial Flow Turbine 100 - 300 RPM
* 1.45 for 5 bladed, * 0.78 for 5 bladed, dia
* 1.6 for 6 bladed. * 0.87 for 6 bladed.

* 1.35 for 3 bladed, * 0.6 for 3 bladed,

* 1.4 for 4 bladed, * 0.69 for 4 bladed, 1/3rd of tank
Turbo Propeller 100 - 300 RPM
* 1.45 for 5 bladed, * 0.78 for 5 bladed, dia
* 1.6 for 6 bladed. * 0.87 for 6 bladed.

1/3rd of tank
Disc Blade Turbine 100 - 300 RPM 5.0 0.7 - 0.8
dia

Flat Blade Turbine 100 - 300 RPM 5.0 0.7 - 0.85 1/3rd of tank
 dia

1/3rd of tank
Backward Blade Turbine 100 - 300 RPM 5.0 0.65 - 0.85
dia

80% of tank
Paddle 50 RPM 5.0 0.03
dia

80% of tank
Anchor 50 RPM 5.0 0.07
dia

80% of tank
Gate 50 RPM 5.0 1.0
dia

AGITATOR COMPARISON CHART:

Today, the major concerns of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are improving performance and reducing
production costs. Agitation, mixing and heat transfer are major factors in maximizing the efficiency of a process. The various
blade designs in our agitator product range have undergone significant research and testing, making it possible to use a
scientific approach to agitation and heat exchange techniques that will optimize your process. The chart below illustrates the
different types of blades available and the characteristics of each.
That's it.........!! Cheers..... if you understand,

Excel Sheet has been simulated for design of Agitator and you can download it here,

DOWNLOAD HERE

Any Queries feel free to ask,

Comments are most appreciated.!

Note: Some of the Data Interpreted here is not of my own, but from a generous Genius "Satish Lele"

Related Articles:
 How to calculate Reactor Heat Transfer Area ?

How to calculate Distillation Time cycle ?

How to select a Vaccum pump ?

How to Calculate Volume occupied by Torispherical Dish ?

About The Author

Hi! I am Ajay Kumar Kalva, Currently serving as the CEO of this site, a tech geek
by passion, and a chemical process engineer by profession, i'm interested in
writing articles regarding technology, hacking and pharma technology.
Follow Me on Twitter AjaySpectator & Computer Innovations

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CHILLING AGITATOR CALCULATIONS

Outlines for Designing a Types of Agitators, Agitator's

Chiller Plant Design and Signi cance [How To] Design a Condenser
May 29, 2016 May 05, 2016 Apr 21, 2016

15 comments:
1. UNKNOWN 1 JANUARY 2017 AT 17:37

which utility is suitable for condensing acetone vapours under vacuum and under atmposphere in condensor...chilled
water 8 deg. centigrade or brine -10 degree centigrade..

Reply

Replies

1. AJAY KUMAR 1 JANUARY 2017 AT 17:52

Hey Mr.Anonymous, if you are having two condensers, then go with chilled water for primary and
chilled brine for secondary,
and if you are able to maintain the vapour temperature above 15 deg C under vacuum, then go with
-10 degC Brine or 5 degC chilled water, if the temperature below 15 degC then use chilled brine at -20
degC, and in case of the vacuum distillation, remember to have a equalisation line from secondary
condenser to collection receiver,

if the distillation is an atmospheric one, directly go with RT water at below 30 degC,

2. ANSHU BHARGAVA 2 JANUARY 2017 AT 09:51

Can you explain theoretically and calculate and tell how to select utility as per the above
post.pls. give ur mail id so that i can share the sketch..

3. AJAY KUMAR 2 JANUARY 2017 AT 21:13

using a better utility for condenser will enhance the rate of distillation, for a chilled brine at
-10 deg C, the temperature difference can be considered as 7-8 deg C, and for a utility like
chilled water having a inlet temperature of 8 deg C, the temp difference will be around 3-4
degC, because the reaction mass temperature will be around 15-20 degC under vacuum,
so mostly the vapours will reach equillibrium with utility outlet, and in the process of
condensing the vapour will exchange only latent heat, whereas in case of -10 degC brine,
there will be exchange of sensible heat also, and if you want to calculate it theoretically
 then read the post in this link, then you will get a clear idea,

http://pharmacalc.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-calculate-rate-of-distillation.html

try to do a reverse calculation basing upon the fixed rate of distillation and find the LMTD
of both cases, which uses brine at -10degC and chilled water at 8degC, then you will come
to know the difference.

Reply

2. ANONYMOUS 6 JANUARY 2017 AT 22:26

Hello sir,
I am chemical engineering student I am doing my final year project on extraction of oil from slurry in oil refineries.can
you suggest us some ideas

Reply

3. AJAY KUMAR 7 JANUARY 2017 AT 06:59

so i think, it is something like Lube oils refining, right??

Thats a good one, and i too tried that during my project but finally got diverted, Give your best good luck,

and regarding extraction any possible help i'll do, mail me @ pharmacalc823@gmail.com

Reply

4. HIRENKUMAR KAYASTH 1 FEBRUARY 2017 AT 19:55

Please tell me how to do piping? How to design pipeline Header and Tappings from it?

Reply
 Replies

1. AJAY KUMAR 1 FEBRUARY 2017 AT 20:41

A x V = A1 x V1 + A2 x V2 + A3 x V3 +......................
But, V = V1 = V2 = V3 = .............. [this is as per thumb],

A = A1 + A2 + A3 +................

D^2 = D1 ^2 + D2 ^2 + D3 ^2 + ..............

that's it,

the number of tappings given should satisfy the above derived eqn.

Regards,
PHARMA ENGINEERING

Reply

5. ANONYMOUS 3 MAY 2017 AT 14:52

what is the major difference between impeller,propellerand agitator

Reply

Replies

1. AJAY KUMAR 4 MAY 2017 AT 20:38

Mostly there wont be anything like a Propeller, may be i've mentioned above that's just for
understanding purpose, because Propeller is what you see in a table fan, and the agitator that was
usually called as propeller in pharma industry is strictly called as Retreat curve agitator,
 Coming to your question, Impeller is nothing but an agitator, and for example if an retreat curve is
having two agitators then it is said to have 2 impellers.
That's it.

Reply

6. ANSHU BHARGAVA 5 MAY 2017 AT 13:01

How can we calculate power for propeller & anchor used in glass lined reactor....

Reply

Replies

1. AJAY KUMAR 6 MAY 2017 AT 10:04

Let it be a 10KL GLR, and the dia be 2.5m, and RPM is 110, by thumb dia of propeller will be 1/3rd of
reactor dia,
For Propeller,

D = 2.5/3 = 0.83m, N = 110 rpm, rho = 1000 Cu.m / Kg, Np = 1.5

P = 1.5 x 1000 x ( ( 110/60 ) ^ 3 ) x ( 0.83 ^ 5 ) = 3641 Watts = 3.64 KW,

For Anchor.

D = 2.5 x 0.8 = 2m, N = 48 rpm, Np = 5,

P = 5 x 1000 x ( (48/60) ^ 3 ) x ( 2 ^ 5 ) = 81920 Watts = 81.9 KW.

That's it..........!!!!
 Reply

7. ANUJ GANDHI 4 JULY 2017 AT 17:31

Hi,
Great site, and great work.
We are a 30 year old manufacturing firm specializing in chemical and pharmaceutical reactors. We are currently
looking for professionals who can independently design agitators for the process and mechanical aspect. If you know
any such individuals, please ask them to reach out to me at anuj@thermotechengg.com.

Cheers
Anuj

Reply

8. ANSHU BHARGAVA 7 JULY 2017 AT 17:08

how can we design spray ball ..how to select number of holes and flow from holes in spray ball?

Reply

Replies

1. AJAY KUMAR 12 JULY 2017 AT 14:07

Hello, as like previously mentioned, A*V = ( A1 * V1 ) + ( A2 * V2 ) + ( A3 * V3 )+................,

V = V1 = V2 = V3 = ............,
So, A = A1 + A2 + A3 + ........,
(D^2) = (D1 ^2) + (D2 ^2) + (D3 ^2) + ........,
D is line size, D1, D2, D3,....... are nozzle sizes, for how many nozzles the equation satisfied, those many
nozzles you need to consider for a spray ball.

Regards,
PHARMA ENGINEERING
 Reply

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