Mixing of immiscible liquids

This is used to disperse one liquid into another (Benzene and

water). The required is to calculate the average droplet size (Ds)

6V d
Ds 
Ad
Where
Vd and Ad : are the volume and the area of the Dispersed phase.

Ds can be calculated using this formula

Ds
 0 . 058  (1  5 . 4V d )We  0 .6
De

Ex: Cyclohexane (8%) by volume is dispersed in water at 250C

in a baffled vessel 300mm in diameter with a depth of 350mm;
the agitator is a standard six blade turbine 100mm in diameter.
The stirrer is run at 360 r p m .Estimate the power consumption
and the mean droplet size (density of cyclohexane is 760 Kg/m3
and surface tension 0.046 N/m).

Solution
Mean density of mixture = (0.08)760 + (0.92)1000
= 980.8 Kg/m3

The viscosity will be taken as that of water = 1cP

Speed of revolution = 360 r p m = 6 r p s

 ND A2 980 .8  6  0 .12
(Re) m   3
 5 .88  10 5  10 4
 10 pa .s
So, equation can be used to predict the power with turbulent
flow  =6.3

PA  P .  . N 3 . D A5

1
PA  6.3  980.8  63  (0.1)5
= 12 W

The mean droplet size is calculated from equation

Ds
 0.058  (1  5.4Vd )We  0.6
De

N 2 D A3 1000  6 2  0.13
(We ) m    783
 0.046

Ds
 0.058  (1  5.4(0.08))  783 0.6
0. 1
Ds  1.52  10  4 m  0.152mm

Scale up procedure

1- Determine the scale up Ratio ( R ), assuming that the

original vessel is a standard cylinder with DT1 = H1, so the
volume V1is:

 2 
V1  D T 1  H 1  D T31
4 4

2
V2  4 D T3 2 D T3 2
 
V1  4 D T3 1 D T3 1

1
3
DT2 V 
 R    2 
DT1  V1 

Using this value of ( R ), calculate the new dimensions for all

geometric sizes, That is:

D A 2  R .D A1
W 2  R .W 1
L 2  R .L1
H 2  R .H 1

2- The selected scale-up rule is applied to determine the

agitator speed N2 from equation:
n n
 1   D 
N2  N 1    N 1  T 1 
 R   DT 2 
Where:
n=1 for equal liquid motion.
n=3/4 for equal suspension of solid
n=2/3 for equal rates of mass transfer

other possible ways of scaling up are constant tip speed ND A 

for scale-up from system 1 to system 2 involving geometrically
similar tanks and same liquid properties, the following equations
can be applied:

N 1 .D A1  N 2 .D A2

For constant tip speed

N 2 D A1

N1 D A2

3
Since

P  N 3 . D A5 and V  D A
3

For constant power per unit volume

P
 N 3 . D A2
V
N 13 . D A2 1  N 23 . D A2 2

Ex: scraper blades set rotate at 35 rpm are used for a pilot plant
addition of liquid ingredients into a body-wash product. What
should the speed of the blades be in a full-scale, if the pilot and
the full-scale plants are geometrically similar in design? Assume
scale-up is based on constant tip speed, diameter of the pilot
scraper blades is 0.6m, and diameter of the full-scale plant
scraper blades is 8 ft.

Solution

The diameter of the full scale plant scraper blades

= 8.0 ft * 0.3048
= 2.4384m (2.4m)

Assuming constant tip speed,

N 2 D A1

N 1 D A 2

Where:
N1: scraper speed of pilot plant
N2: scraper speed of full-scale plant
DA1: diameter of pilot plant scraper blades
DA2: diameter of full-scale plant scraper blades

4
 N  D A1
1
N 2 
D A2
35  0 . 6
N 2 
2 .4
= 8.75rpm