Types of Agitators

1. Four-blade Paddle
- Often used at low speeds: 20 and 200 rpm
- Total length of the paddle impeller: 60 – 80% of
the tank diameter
- Width of the blade: 1/6 to 1/10 of its length
Ineffectiveness
- For suspending solids since good radial1 flow is present but little or vertical or axial2
flow

2. Gate or Anchor Paddle

- It sweeps or scrapes the tank walls and sometimes the tank
bottom.
- Used when viscous fluids where deposits on walls can occur.
- Used to improve the heat transfer to the walls.
- Often used to process starch, pastes, paints, adhesives, and
cosmetics
Ineffectiveness
- Poor mixer.

3. Six-blade Open Turbine

- Used at high speeds for liquids with a very wide range of
viscosities
- Turbine diameter: between 30 and 50% of tank diameter
- Turbine with flat blades (1) give radial flow, (2) are useful
for good gas dispersion where the gas is introduced just
below the impeller at its axis and is drawn up to the
blades and is chopped into fine bubbles.

4. Pitched-blade (45o) Turbine

- Some axial flow is imparted so that a
combination of axial and radial flow is
present.
- This type is useful in suspending solids
since the currents flow downward and
then sweep up the solids.

1 the displaced fluid either moves upward or sideward and then back to the center towards the impellers only to be
pushed outwards again to repeat the cycle
2
the displaced fluid moves downwards and later upwards before being pushed down again to repeat the cycle.