CHAPTER 6-AGITATED LIQUIDS

Introduction and Definition

Purpose of Agitation & Mixing
Agitated Equipment
Types of Impeller
Flow Pattern in Agitated Vessel
Standard turbine design

AGITATION & MIXING OF LIQUID

DEFINITIONS
Agitation:

It refers to the induced motion of a homogenous material in a

specified way. (eg: in a circulatory pattern in some container)
Mixing:
It is the random distribution, into and through one another, of
two or more initially separate phases
PURPOSES OF AGITATION / MIXING
Suspending solid particles
Blending miscible liquids
Dispersing a gas through the liquid
Dispersing a second liquid to form an emulsion or suspension
Promoting heat transfer

AGITATION AND MIXING

AGITATION AND MIXING

AGITATION AND MIXING

AGITATION AND MIXING

INTRODUCTION TO MIXING

Mixing is one of the most common operations carried

out in the chemical, processing and allied industries.
The term "mixing" is applied to the processes used to
reduce the degree of non-uniformity, or gradient of a
property in a system such as concentration, viscosity,
temperature and so on.
Mixing is achieved by moving material from one region to
another. It may be of interest simply as a means of
achieving a desired degree of homogeneity but it may also
be used to promote heat and mass transfer, often
where a system is undergoing a chemical reaction.

TYPE OF MIXING
Single-phase liquid mixing
Mixing of immiscible liquids
Gas-liquid mixing
Liquid-solids mixing
Gas-liquid-solids mixing
Solids-solids mixing

INTRODUCTION TO MIXING

1. Single-phase liquid mixing:

Two or more miscible liquids must be mixed to give a

product of a desired specification.
This is the simplest type of mixing as it involves neither
heat nor mass transfer, nor indeed a chemical reaction.

Example:
1. The use of mechanical agitation to enhance the rates of heat
and mass transfer between the wall of a vessel, or a coil, and
the liquid (brine solution= HCl+H2O).

2. In the blending of petroleum products of different viscosities.

MIXING

2. Mixing of immiscible liquids:

When two immiscible liquids are stirred together, one phase
becomes dispersed as tiny droplets in the second liquid which
forms a continuous phase.
Example: Liquid-liquid extraction, a process using successive
mixing and settling stages.

The liquids are brought into contact with a solvent that will
selectively dissolve one of the components present in the mixture.
Vigorous agitation causes one phase to disperse in the other and,
if the droplet size is small, a high interfacial area is created for
interphase mass transfer.
When the agitation is stopped, phase separation takes place, but
care must be taken to ensure that the droplets are not so small
that a diffuse layer appears in the region of the interface; this can
remain in a semi-stable state over a long period of time and
prevent effective separation from occurring.

MIXING

3. Gas-liquid mixing:
Numerous processing operations involving chemical reactions,
such as aerobic fermentation, wastewater treatment,
oxidation of hydrocarbons, and so on, require good contacting
between a gas and a liquid.
The purpose of mixing here is to produce a high interfacial
area by dispersing the gas phase in the form of bubbles into
the liquid.
Generally, gas-liquid mixtures or dispersions are unstable and
separate rapidly if agitation is stopped.

MIXING

4. Liquid-solids mixing:
Mechanical agitation may be used to suspend particles in a liquid
in order to promote mass transfer or a chemical reaction.
The liquids involved in such applications are usually of low
viscosity, and the particles will settle out when agitation ceases.
5. Gas-liquid-solids mixing:
In some applications such as catalytic hydrogenation of
vegetable oils, slurry reactors, froth flotation, evaporative
crystallization, and so on, the success and efficiency of the
process is directly influenced by the extent of mixing between
the three phases.

MIXING

6. Solids-solids mixing:
Mixing together of particulate solids, sometimes referred to as
blending, is a very complex process in that it is very dependent,
not only on the character of the particles density, size, size
distribution, shape and surface properties.
Mixing of sand, cement and aggregate to form concrete
and of the ingredients in gunpowder preparation are examples of
the mixing of solids.
Other industrial sectors employing solids mixing include food,
drugs, and the glass industries.

MIXING

Miscellaneous mixing applications:

Mixing equipment may be designed not only to achieve a

predetermined level of homogeneity, but also to improve heat
transfer.
For example, the rotational speed of an impeller in a mixing
vessel is selected so as to achieve a required rate of heat
transfer, and the agitation may then be more than sufficient
for the mixing duty.
Excessive or overmixing should be avoided as it is not only
wasteful of energy but may be detrimental to product quality.
It is therefore important to appreciate that overmixing may
often be undesirable because it may result in both excessive
energy consumption and impaired product quality.

MIXING

In mixing, there are two types of problems to be considered

how to design and select mixing equipment for a given
duty, and how to assess whether a mixer is suitable for a
particular application. In both cases, the following aspects of
the mixing process should be understood:
(i) Mechanisms of mixing.
(ii) Scale-up or similarity criteria,
(iii)
Power consumption,
(iv)
Flow patterns.
(v) Rate of mixing and mixing time.
(vi)
The range of mixing equipment available and its
selection.

A BASIC STIRRED TANK DESIGN

Amount of energy required for achieving a needed amount of

agitation or quality of mixing are based on;
Size of vesel
Dimensions and arrangement of impellers, baffles and other
internals factors.
The internal arrangements depend on the objectives of the
operation: whether it is to maintain homogeneity of a reacting
mixture or to keep a solid suspended or a gas dispersed or to
enhance heat or mass transfer.
A basic range of design factors, however, can be defined to cover
the majority of cases, for example as in Figure 7.5.

A BASIC STIRRED TANK DESIGN

A BASIC STIRRED TANK DESIGN

THE VESSEL:

A dished bottom requires less power than a flat one. When a

single impeller is to be used, a liquid level equal to the diameter is
optimum (DT=H), with the impeller located at the center for an
all-liquid system.

BAFFLES:
Baffles are needed to prevent vortexing and rotation of the
liquid mass as a whole. A baffle width one-ten the tank
diameter, WB = DT/10; a length extending from one half the
impeller diameter, D/2, from the tangent line at the bottom to the
liquid level.
IMPELLER TYPES:
Typically, impeller is placed from the bottom vessel with Z = D. A
A
basic classification is into those that circulate the liquid axially
and those that achieve primarily radial circulation.

TYPES OF IMPELLERS
A rotating impeller in a fluid imparts flow and shear to it, the
shear resulting from the flow of one portion of the fluid past
another.

The flows are in the axial or radial directions so that impellers

are classified conveniently according to which of these flows is
dominant.
Those generate currents parallel with the axis of the impeller
shaft are called axial-flow impeller and those that generate
currents in a radial or tangential direction are called radial
flow impeller.
The three main types of impeller (low to moderate viscosity) are :
1. Propellers,
2. Turbines,
3. High efficiency impeller.

For high viscosity= Helical impellers and anchor agitators

1. Propeller:

A propeller is an axial-flow, high speed impeller for liquids of low

viscosity.
The direction of rotation is usually chosen to force the liquid
downward, and the flow currents leaving the impeller continue
until deflected the floor of the vessel.
Because of the persistence of the flow currents, propeller agitators
are effective in very large vessels.
For deep tank- two or more maybe mounted on the same shaft.
T Type: Standard 3-blade marine
propeller with square pitch (common
in used).
-four blade, toothed/other designed.

AGITATION AND MIXING

2. Turbines.

3 types;
Type 1: The turbine with flat vertical blades extending to the
shaft is suited to the vast majority of mixing duties up to 100,000
CP or so at high pumping capacity. The currents it generates
travel outward to the vessel wall and then flow either upward or
downward. Such impellers are sometimes called paddles.

Type 2/3: Create zones of high shear rate.

Good in dispersing gas in a liquid (gas is
forced at high shear rate to flow
radially to the blade tips)

AGITATION AND MIXING

AGITATION AND MIXING

High- efficiency impeller.

. Variations of the pitched-blade turbine have been developed to
provide more uniform axial flow in addition to radial flow for
better mixing, as well as to reduce the power required for a given
flow rate.
3.

. These

impeller are widely used to mix low or moderate viscosity

liquids, but they are not recommended for very viscous liquids or
for dispersing gases.

Eg: A310 fluid foil impeller

Highly viscous liquids impeller.

.
.

Use for liquid with viscosities more than 20 Pa.s

-diameter helix approximately to inner diameter of tank
Provide good agitation near the floor of the tank;
No vertical motion
Promotes good heat transfer to/from the vessel.

a) Double-flight helical-ribbon impeller

b) Anchor impeller

AGITATION AND MIXING

MIXING EQUIPMENT

The wide range of mixing equipment available

commercially reflects the enormous variety of mixing duties
encountered in the processing industries.
It is reasonable to expect therefore that no single item of
mixing equipment will be able to carry out such a range of
duties effectively.
This has led to the development of a number of distinct
types of mixer over the years.
The choice of a mixer type and its design is therefore
primarily governed by experience. In the following
sections, the main mechanical features of commonly used
types of equipment together with their range of applications
are described qualitatively.

MECHANICAL AGITATION

This is perhaps the most commonly used method of mixing

liquids, and essentially there are three elements in such devices.

Vessels
These are often vertically mounted cylindrical tanks, up to 10 m
in diameter, which typically are filled to a depth equal to
about one diameter, although in some gas-liquid contacting
systems tall vessels are used and the liquid depth is up to about
three tank diameters; multiple impellers fitted on a single
shaft are then frequently used.
The base of the tanks may be flat, dished, or conical, or
specially contoured, depending upon factors such as ease of
emptying, or the need to suspend solids, etc., and so on.
For the batch mixing of viscous pastes and doughs using
ribbon impellers and Z-blade mixers, the tanks may be
mounted horizontally.

Baffles
To prevent gross vortexing, which is detrimental to mixing,
particularly in low viscosity systems, baffles are often fitted to the
walls of the vessel.

These take the form of thin strips about one-ten of the tank
diameter in width, and typically four equi-spaced baffles may
be used.
In some cases, the baffles are mounted flush with the wall,
although occasionally a small clearance is left between the wall
and the baffle to facilitate fluid motion in the wall region.
Baffles are, however, generally not required for high viscosity
liquids because the viscous shear is then sufficiently great to
damp out the rotary motion. Sometimes, the problem of vortexing
is circumvented by mounting impellers off-centre.

Impellers
Figure 7.20 shows some of the impellers which are frequently used.
Propellers, turbines, paddles, anchors, helical ribbons and
screws are usually mounted on a central vertical shaft in a
cylindrical tank, and they are selected for a particular duty
largely on the basis of liquid viscosity.
By and large, it is necessary to move from a propeller to a turbine
and then, in order, to a paddle, to an anchor and then to a helical
ribbon and finally to a screw as the viscosity of the fluids to be
mixed increases. In so doing the speed of agitation or
rotation decreases.
Propellers, turbines and paddles are generally used with
relatively low viscosity systems and operate at high
rotational speeds.
A typical velocity for the tip of the blades of a turbine is of the
order of 3 m/s, with a propeller being a little faster and the
paddle a little slower.

These are classed as remote-clearance impellers, having

diameters in the range (0.13-0.67) x (tank diameter).
Typical design take as D=0.5DT. Furthermore, minor
variations within each type are possible. For instance,
Figure 7.20b shows a six-flat bladed Rushton turbine,
whereas possible variations are shown in Figure 7.21.

a six-flat bladed Rushton turbine

Hence it is possible to have retreating-blade turbines,

angled-blade turbines, four- to twenty-bladed turbines, and
so on. For dispersion of gases in liquid, turbines are usually
employed.

Propellers are frequently of the three-bladed marine type

and are used for in-tank blending operations with low
viscosity liquids, and may be arranged as angled side-entry
units, as shown in Figure 7.22.

For large vessels, and when the liquid depth is large

compared with the tank diameter, it is a common practice
to mount more than one impeller on the same shaft. With
this arrangement the unsupported length of the propeller
shaft should not exceed about 2 m.

In the case of large vessels, there is some advantage to be

gained by using side- or bottom-entry impellers to avoid the
large length of unsupported shaft, though a good gland or
mechanical seal is needed for such installations or
alternatively, a foot bearing is employed.
Despite a considerable amount of practical experience, foot
bearings can be troublesome owing to the difficulties of
lubrication, especially when handling corrosive liquids.

In comparing propellers and turbines, the following features

may be noted:

Propellers:
(a) are self-cleaning in operation,
(b) can be used at a wide range of speeds,
(c) give an excellent shearing effect at high speeds,
(d) do not damage dispersed particles at low speeds,
(e) are reasonably economical in power, provided the pitch is
adjusted according to the speed,
(f) by offset mounting, vortex formation is avoided,
(g) if horizontally mounted, a stuffing box is required in the
liquid, and they are not effective in viscous liquids.

Shrouded turbine
(a) are excellent for providing circulation,
(b) are normally mounted on a vertical shaft with the stuffing box
above the liquid,
(c) are effective in fluids of high viscosity,
(d) are easily fouled or plugged by solid particles,
(e) are expensive to fabricate,
(f) are restricted to a narrow range of speeds, and
(g) do not damage dispersed particles at economical speeds,
Open impellers
(a) are less easily plugged than the shrouded type,
(b) are less expensive, and
(c) give a less well-controlled flow pattern.

FLOW PATTERN
The way a liquid moves in an agitated vessel depends on;
a)
the type of impeller;
b)
c)

the characteristics of the liquid, especially its viscosity;

the size and proportions of the tank, baffles and impeller.
liquid velocity at any point in the tank has three
components, and the overall flow pattern in the tank depends on
the variations in these three velocity components from point to
point.

. The

. The

first velocity component - radial and acts in a direction

perpendicular to the shaft of the impeller.
. The second component- longitudinal and acts in a direction
parallel with the shaft.
. The third component- tangential, or rotational, and acts in a
direction tangent to a circular path around the shaft.

FLOW PATTERN

ASSIGNMENT 2 (4 MEMBERS/GROUP)

MIXING OPERATIONS AVAILABLE IN INDUSTRY

Choose 1 type of mixing operation available in industry and
your discussion shall includes;
1. AGITATION AND MIXING PROCESSES BACKGROUND
2. DESIGN OF MIXING TANK
- Production Rate

- Tank Dimension (D and H), Agitated System, No of baffles,

3. THE FLOW PATTERNS
4. CALCULATION OF POWER CONSUMPTION
Date of Report Submission: wk 13 (13 Dec 2013)
Date of Presentation: 18 Dec 2013

MIXING MECHANISMS

If mixing is to be carried out in order to produce a uniform

mixture, it is necessary to understand how liquids move
and approach this condition.
In liquid mixing devices,
requirements are fulfilled.

it

is

necessary

that

two

1. There must be bulk or convective flow so that there are no

dead (stagnant) zones.
2. There must be a zone of intensive or high-shear mixing in
which the inhomogeneities are broken down.

MIXING MECHANISMS

Both these processes are energy-consuming and ultimately

the mechanical energy is dissipated as heat; the proportion of
energy attributable to each varies from one application to
another.
Depending upon the fluid properties, primarily viscosity, the
flow in mixing vessels may be laminar or turbulent, with a
substantial transition zone in between the two, and
frequently both flow types will occur simultaneously in
different parts of the vessel.

Laminar mixing.

Laminar flow is usually associated with high viscosity liquids

(in excess of 10 N s/m2) which may be either Newtonian or
non-Newtonian.
In laminar flow, mixing process occurs when the liquid is
sheared between two rotating cylinders. During each
revolution, the thickness of the fluid element is reduced, and
molecular diffusion takes over when the elements are
sufficiently thin.
This type of mixing is shown schematically in Figure 7.3 in
which the tracer is pictured as being introduced
perpendicular to the direction of motion.
Finally, mixing can be induced by physically slicing the fluid
into smaller units and re-distributing them. In-line mixers
rely primarily on this mechanism, which is shown in Figure
7.4.
Thus, mixing in liquids is achieved by several mechanisms
which gradually reduce the size or scale of the fluid elements
and then redistribute them in the bulk.

LAMINAR FLOW

TURBULENT FLOW

Turbulent mixing.

For low viscosity liquids (less than 10 mN s/m2), the bulk flow
pattern in mixing vessels with rotating impellers is turbulent.
The inertia imparted to the liquid by the rotating impeller is
sufficient to cause the liquid to circulate throughout the vessel
and return to the impeller.
Mixing is most rapid in the region of the impeller because of
the high shear rates due to the presence of trailing vortices,
generated by the impeller.