EXPERIMENT # 12

Date: 16-12-2013
OBJECT
Perform the operation of mixing and show an analysis of effects of
different sizes of turbine on mixing.
THEORY
Mixing is one of the 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, a property in a system
such as concentration, viscosity, temperature and so on. Mixing is achieved by
moving materials 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.
APPARATUS
Mixing tank, variable speed motor, different size turbines, baffles, pH
meter and small beakers.
PROCEDURE
Add water so that the height becomes equal to the diameter of the tank.
Take four baffles all should be of same size.
Start the motor and add concentrated base.
After every 15 seconds, take out a sample of about 30ml.
After each sample, add 30ml water so that the level of water remains
constant.
While keeping the speed at optimum. Repeat the experiment for different
size turbines.
Draw graph for the change in pH for each turbine size. Determine the
optimum turbine size.
Scale up the results 8 times.
OBSERVATIONS
200 Rpm and 2.2
cm baffle with
5cm turbine size

200 Rpm and 2.2 cm

baffle with 6cm
turbine size

200 Rpm and 2.2 cm

baffle size with 7cm
turbine size

Time
(sec)
0
15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
135
150
165
180
195

Time(s
ec)
0
15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
135
150
165
180
195
210
225

pH
8.62
10.48
10.92
10.94
10.96
10.96
10.97
10.98
10.98
10.98
10.98
10.98
10.98
10.98

Time(s
ec)
0
15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
135
150
165
180
195
210
225

pH
8.51
10.89
10.92
10.94
10.92
10.95
10.94
10.94
10.95
10.94
10.95
10.95
10.95
10.95
10.95
10.95

pH
8.58
10.7
10.79
10.93
10.93
10.93
10.95
10.95
10.95
10.95
10.96
10.96
10.96
10.96
10.96
10.96

200 Rpm and 2.2 cm baffle with 5cm turbine size

11.5
11
10.5
10

pH

9.5
9
8.5
8
0

50

100

150

Time (sec)

200 Rpm and 2.2 cm baffle with 6cm turbine size

200

250

11.5
11
10.5
10

pH

9.5
9
8.5
8
0

50

100

150

200

250

Time (sec)

200 Rpm and 2.2 cm baffle size with 7cm turbine size
11.5
11
10.5
10

pH

9.5
9
8.5
8
0

50

100

150

Time (sec)

Time
(sec)
105
150
150

O. turbine
(cm)
5
6
7

200

250

8
7
O. Turbine (cm)

6
5
4
75

95

115

135

155

175

Time (sec)

RESULT
The optimum turbine size is found to 5 cm.
DISCUSSION
Agitation is means whereby mixing phases can be accomplished and by
which mass and heat
transfer can be enhanced between phases or external surfaces. The operation of
agitation, which includes mixing as a special case, is now well established as an
important and in a wide variety of chemical processes.
Specifically, agitators are applied to three general classes of problems:
To produce static or dynamic uniformity in multi component multiphase
systems.
To facilitate mass or energy transfer between the parts of a system not in
equilibrium.
To promote phase changes in multi component system with or without a
change in compositions.
Mixing in tanks is an important area when one considers the number of
processes, which are accomplished in tanks. Essentially, any physical or
transport process can occur during mixing in tanks. Qualitative and quantitative
observations, experimental data, and flow regime identifications are needed and
should be emphasized in any experimental pilot studies in mixing. A vortex is
produced owing to centrifugal force acting on the rotating liquid. If vortex
reaches the impeller severe air entrainment occurs. The depth and the shape of
the vortex depend on impeller and vessel dimensions as well as on rotational
speed.
Mixing efficiency in a stirred tank is affected by various numbers of
parameters such as baffles, impeller speed, impeller type, clearance, tank
geometry, solubility of substance, eccentricity of the impeller. Effects of speed of
turbine and size of turbine and baffles on efficiency are discussed below:
BAFFLE SIZE
In the un-baffled vessel with the impeller rotating in the center, centrifugal
force acting on the fluid raises the fluid level at the wall and lowers the level at

the shaft. In baffled tanks, a better concentration distribution throughout the

tank and therefore improvement in the mixing efficiency is achieved. Baffles are
flat vertical strips set radially along the tank wall. Baffles avoid vortex formation.
The larger the width of the baffles, the better is the mixing to some extent.
So in above experiment as we increase the baffle sizes the efficiency of
mixing increases.
SIZE OF IMPELLER/TURBINE
Flow patterns can be changed according to the type of impellers, and fall
into three categories: Axial, Radial and Tangential. In general, a mixer with a
small diameter impeller type turning at a high speed, will result in the fluid
seeing the applied power as mostly shear. Conversely, a low-speed mixer with a
larger Hydrofoil diameter impeller will discharge a higher volume of Propeller
fluid, resulting in high flow.
In our experiment we observed that at constant speed increasing the size
of impeller increases the discharge flow through turbine but decreases shear,
and therefore mixing time increases.
SPEED OF TURBINE
In unsteady speed turbines the unsteady motion varied the location of the
centers of the vortices in the vessel, non-mixing regions like doughnut rings
disappeared and the mixing time drastically decreased. Unsteady speed mixing
was found to be much more effective than steady speed mixing when a
conventional impeller is used under laminar flow. Tip speed of turbines is usually
in a range of 400 to 1500 FPM. Turbine should be operating below critical speed
which is speed at which both frequencies of turbine (vibration and rotational)
reinforce one another.
In our experiment it is observed that for same baffle size, the efficiency of
mixing increases as the speed of turbine increases due to increase in shear.