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6.0 Introduction
Achieving good mixing of particulate solids of different size and density is important
in many of the process industries, and yet it is not a trivial exercise. For free-flowing
powders, the preferred state for particles of different size and density is to remain
segregated. This is why in a packet of muesli the large particles come to the top as
a result of the vibration caused by handling of the packet. An extreme example of
this segregation is that a large steel ball can be made to rise to the top of a beaker
of sand by simply shaking the beaker up and down this has to be seen to be
believed! Since the preferred state for free flowing powders is to segregate by size
and density, it is not surprising that many processing steps give rise to segregation.
Processing steps which promote segregation should not follow steps in which
mixing is promoted. In this chapter we will examine mechanisms of segregation and
mixing in particulate solids and briefly look at how mixing is carried out in practice.
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component have a greater probability of being foundin one part of the mixture and
so a random mixture cannot be achieved.
InFigure 6.1 examples are given of what is meant by perfect, random andsegregating
mixtures of two components. The random mixture was obtainedby tossing a coin
heads gives a black particle at a given location and tails gives awhite particle. For
the segregating mixture the coin is replaced by a die. In thiscase the black particles
differ in some property which causes them to have agreater probability of appearing
in the lower half of the box. In this case, in thelower half of the mixture there is a
chance of two in three that a particle will beblack (i.e. a throw of 1, 2, 3 or 4)
whereas in the upper half the probability is onein three (a throw of 5 or 6). It is
possible to produce mixtures with better thanrandom quality by taking advantage of
the natural attractive forces betweenparticles; such mixtures are achieved through
ordered or interactive mixing.
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6.2 SEGREGATION
1. Trajectory segregation.
A particle of diameter 2x would travel four times as far than a particle of diameter x
before coming to rest. This mechanism can cause segregation where particles are
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caused to move through the air. This also happens when powders fall from the end
of a conveyor belt.
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If a mixture of particles of different size is vibrated the larger particles move
upwards. This can be demonstrated by placing a single large ball at the bottom of a
bed of sand (for example, a 20 mm steel ball or similarly sized pebble in a beaker of
sand from the beach). On shaking the beaker up and down, the steel ball rises to the
surface.
4. Elutriation segregation.
When a powder containing an appreciable proportion of particles less than 50 m is
charged into a storage vessel or hopper, air is displaced upwards. The upward
velocity of this air may exceed the terminal freefall velocity of some of the finer
particles, which may then remain in suspension after the larger particles have
settled to the surface of the hopper contents. For particles in this size range in air
the terminal freefall velocity will be typically of the order of a few centimetres per
second and will increase as the square of particle diameter (e.g. for 30 m sand
particles the terminal velocity is 7 cm/s). Thus a pocket of fine particles is
generated in the hopper each time solids are charged.
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Figure 6.2 Mechanisms of segregation
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These powders are referred to as cohesive powders (Geldarts classification of
powders for fluidization is relevant here). The lack of mobility of individual particles
in cohesive powders is one reason why they give better quality of mixing. The other
reason is that if a random mixture is approached, the standard deviation of the
composition of samples taken from the mixture will decrease in inverse proportion
to the number of particles in the sample. Therefore, for a given mass of sample the
standard deviation decreases and mixture quality increases with decreasing particle
size. The mobility of particles in free-flowing powders can be reduced by the
addition of small quantities of liquid. The reduction in mobility reduces segregation
and permits better mixing. It is possible to take advantage of this natural tendency
for particles to adhere to produce mixtures of quality better that random mixtures.
Such mixtures are known as ordered or interactive mixtures; they are made up of
small particles (e.g. < 5 m) adhered to the surface of a carrier particle in a
controlled manner. By careful selection of particle size and engineering of
interparticle forces, high quality mixtures with very small variance can be achieved.
This technique is used in the pharmaceutical industry where quality control
standards are exacting. If it is not possible to alter the size of the components of the
mixture or to add liquid, then in order to avoid serious segregation, care should be
taken to avoid situations which are likely to promote segregation. In particular
pouring operations and the formation of a moving sloping powder surface should be
avoided.
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In shear mixing, shear stresses give rise to slip zones and mixing takes place by
interchange of particles between layers within the zone. Diffusive mixing occurs
when particles roll down a sloping surface. Convective mixing is by deliberate bulk
movement of packets of powder around the powder mass. In free-flowing powders
both diffusive mixing and shear mixing give rise to size segregation and so for such
powders convective mixing is the major mechanism promoting mixing.
Convective mixers.
In convective mixers circulation patterns are set up within a static shell by rotating
blades or paddles. The main mechanism is convective mixing as the name suggests,
although this is accompanied by some diffusive and shear mixing. One of the most
common convective mixers is the ribbon blender in which helical blades or ribbons
rotate on a horizontal axis in a static cylinder or trough. Rotational speeds are
typically less than one revolution per second. A somewhat different type of
convective mixer is the Nautamix in which an Archimedean screw lifts material from
the base of a conical hopper and progresses around the hopper wall.
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High shear mixers.
Local high shear stresses are created by devices similar to those used in
comminution; for example, high velocity rotating blades, low velocityhigh
compression rollers. In the high shear mixers the emphasis is on breaking down
agglomerates of cohesive powders rather than breaking individual particles. The
dominant mechanism is shear mixing.
Figure 6.3 Tumbling mixers: V-mixer; double cone mixer; and rotating cube
mixer
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