CHAPTER 9.

AGITATION AND MIXING

ABRAHAM ROGELIO MARTIN GARCIA

PRESENTATION OUTLINE
-Definitions
-Purposes of agitation
-Devices to produce agitation
-Power consumption of agitators
-Blending and Mixing
-Suspension of solid particles
-Dispersion Operations
-Agitator selection and Scale up

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

DEFINITIONS
Agitation: It refers to the induced motion of a
homogenous material in a specified way
Mixing: It is the random distribution, into and through one
another, of two or more initially separate phases

PURPOSES OF AGITATION
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

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

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 DEVICES TO PRODUCE AGITATION

IMPELLERS
Propellers (high-speed, low Three-blade Straight-blade Disk turbine
marine turbine
viscosity) propeller
Turbines (Moderate viscosity)
High-efficiency impellers
Pitched-blade turbine
Concave-blade CD-6 impeller

Source: McCabe et al. 2001

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

DESIGN OF TURBINES

Da 1
S1
Dt 3
E 1
S2
Dt 3
H
1 S3
Dt
W 1
S4
Da 5
J 1
S5
Dt 12
L 1
S6
Da 4

Source: McCabe et al. 2001

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

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 POWER CONSUMPTION OF AGITATORS

It is a function of the volumetric flow rate and the kinetic energy

Values of NQ

NQ
q K >SDa n1  k  tan E SDaW @ Impeller

q v nDa3 Marine propellers (square pitch) 0.5

q Four-blade 45q turbine (W/Da)=1/6 0.87
NQ (Flow number)
nDa3 Disk turbine 1.3
HE-3 high-efficiency impeller 0.47

U Vt 2 U
Ek DSnDa 2
2 2
P q Ek
D 2S 2
P Un 3 Da5 N Q
2
P D 2S 2 P
NQ Np (Power number)
Un 3 Da5 2 Un 3 Da5

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

Np \ Re, Fr, S1 , S 2 ,..., S n 

Source: McCabe et al. 2001

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

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 P N p n 3 Da5 U
For Re  10
P K L n 2 Da3 P
For Re ! 10000
P K T n 3 Da5 U

Source: McCabe et al. 2001

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

BLENDING AND MIXING

Source: McCabe et al. 2001

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

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Source: McCabe et al. 2001
Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

SUSPENSION OF SOLID PARTICLES

0.45
'U
nc Da0.85 SQ 0.1 D p0.2 g B 0.13
U

Shape factor S
Dt/D Dt/ S
Impeller type a
E
Six-blade turbine 2 4 4.1
Da/W=5 3 4 7.5
Np=6.2 4 4 11.5
Two-blade paddle 2 4 4.8
Da/W=4 3 4 8
Np=2.5 4 4 12.5
Three-blade 3 4 6.5
propeller 4 4 8.5
Np=0.5 4 2.5 9.5

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

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 DISPERSION OPERATIONS
 0.6
DS U C n 2 Da3
0.0581  5.4\ 
Da V

Source: McCabe et al. 2001

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin

AGITATOR SELECTION AND SCALE UP

AGITATOR SELECTION
Depends on the viscosity of the liquid
For specific time of mixing, the best mixer is the one
that mixes in the required time with the smallest
amount of power

SCALE UP
Maintaining constant power per unit volume and
geometric similarity
2
n2 Da1 3

n1 Da 2

Copyright 2003 A. R. Martin