060- Batch mixing of fluids and particles

Power and Flow

Characteristics

Dr Gül Özcan-Taşkın
Professor Chris D Rielly
Dimensionless Groups
• The performance of a mixing operation depends on the
relative magnitude of stresses.

• Dimensionless groups, based on these ratios, are used to

define the key process characteristics and trends.

• Dimensionless groups are also useful for obtaining

dimensionally consistent correlations.
 Power Input: dimensional analysis
Ungassed power input
P  f1 N , D,  L , L , g , T , H , C, B, ..., impeller type& geometry 
constant for geometrically
similar systems

P  LND2 N 2D D H C B 
 f2  , , , , , ,... 
LN 3D 5   L g T T T T 

N 2D
Fr  Froude number
g
 L ND 2
P Re  Reynolds number
Po  ungassed power number L
 L N 3D5

3
Reynolds number
• Ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces
N: impeller speed (s-1)
ND 2
Re  D: impeller diameter (m)
: density (kg/m3)
  :viscosity (Pa s)

• D is used as the characteristic length scale

• If inertial forces dominate, the flow is turbulent

• If viscous forces dominate, the flow is laminar
Power number
– Analogous to friction factor or drag coefficient

P
Po 
 N 3 D5

– Proportional to the drag force per unit area of the impeller and the inertial stress
– Depends on impeller type, dimension and position, liquid properties (operating
regime)
– Strong dependence of power input on N and D
Froude number
– Ratio of inertial to gravitational forces

N2 D
Fr 
g

– Shape of liquid surface and surface flow patterns affected by gravitational fields

– Fr is relevant to surface aeration and vortex formation

Weber number
– Ratio of inertial forces to interfacial tension

 N 2 D3
We 


– Important for liquid-liquid dispersion applications

Flow number
– Characterises the impeller discharge flow rate
Q
Fl 
N D3

– Used to compare pumping capacities of different impellers

– Gas-liquid mixing applications: FlG compares the gas flow rate to the
volumetric discharge from the impeller
QG
FlG 
N D3
POWER CHARACTERISTICS
Characteristic power curves
Power draw

9
Flow Regimes
– Different parts of a vessel can experience different flow conditions

– The characteristic “power curve” Po vs Re can be used to evaluate the flow

regime for the whole process

• Turbulent regime: Re> 104 Po=constant

• Laminar regime: Re<~10 PoRe-1
• Transitional regime: 10<Re<104 Gradual change from turbulent to
laminar conditions
Power number analysis
• For geometrically similar systems, D/T = const etc.
• For unbaffled tanks, the free surface shape depends on g
P  LND2 
• For baffled tanks, the free surface is ~ flat, so Po   f   only
LN 3D 5   L 

P 1
• At low Re, we expect the drag coefficient  Re–1, so Po  
 L N 3 D 5 Re

P
• At high Re, the power draw becomes independent of : Po   constant  
LN 3D5

11
Characteristic
power curves

Power Number Po=

(Bates, Fondy and

Corpstein, 1963) Reynolds Number Re=

13
Power number correlations
At low Re Po  Re 1

- 0 .28 - 0 .53 0 .33

150  C   p  h  W 
Helical ribbon Po         nb0 .54
Re  D  D  D  D 
Edwards & Ayazi-
Shamlou (1983)
- 0 .31 0 .48
85  C  h
Anchor Po     
Re  T  D

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Power number correlations
At high Re Po    constant

Impeller D nb D C nB B 
W T T T
Flat Blade 0.125 6 0.33 0.33 4 0.083 2.6
Flat Blade 0.20 6 0.33 0.33 4 0.083 4.0
Rushton Disk Turbine (L/D=0.25) 0.20 6 0.33 0.33 4 0.10 5.0
Rushton Disk Turbine (L/D=0.5) 0.125 6 0.33 0.33 4 0.083 3.0
Curved Blade 0.125 6 0.33 0.33 4 0.083 2.6
45° Pitched Blade 0.125 6 0.33 0.33 4 0.083 1.3

(Bates et al, 1963)

15
More recent commercial designs
100
Saw-tooth
Intermig (baffled)
Intermig (unbaffled)
Retreat curve
Lightnin A310
Power number, Po
10
Chemineer HE3

0.1
1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Reynolds number, Re

16
 Power Draw - Economics
❖ Power draw (P) must be known for sizing the motor and drive. Large power draw
means large drive.

❖ Gearbox is rated to run over a range of N and torque (Λ ).

❖ Torque determines the gearbox, hence the capital cost (gearboxes are more
expensive than motors)

❖ P and Λ determine the capital and running costs.

Power Draw
❖ Power dissipated by the impeller is important for predicting process
performance:
• Mixing time, mass transfer coefficient and droplet sizes have been
correlated to power

❖ Power consumption can be calculated from torque measurements:

P=2 π N Λ
Torque measurement
• Torque is measured in different ways at different scales

• Small scale measurements

– Mount vessel or motor on frictionless bearings and measure torque
using a load cell or dynamometer
– Use a commercial torque meter
– Use a modified rheometer
Small scale .
torque Motor Dynamometer

Air bearing
measurement . .
Gearbox
Torque measurement
❖ At larger scales, strain gauges can be used. The twisting moment on the
shaft deforms the strain gauges mounted on the shaft, and the change in
resistance can be measured
❖ Slip rings or RF transmitters are used to transfer the signals from the
rotating shaft to the stationary measurement equipment
❖ At industrial scales, estimates based on electrical current are used.
• Subject to many errors. Estimate of losses in the gearbox and bearings
required.
Power draw calculation in solid-liquid mixing
• For slurries, the average density of fluid “seen” by the impeller must
be used in the calculations:
P = Po ρav N3 D5

• The average slurry density is given by:

MS  ML
 av 
V
• At low impeller speeds, this approach cannot be used, as a proportion
of the solids will not be suspended
Warning: Torque requirements at start-up

If the impeller must start from rest in a bed of solids, the

power and torque requirements for start-up can be
extremely large, and depend on the characteristics of the
solid
Power draw in gas-liquid systems
• When aerated, gas filled cavities formed behind the blades
reduce power consumption. This drop in power depends on
operating conditions such as the impeller speed and gas flow
rate as well as the impeller blade design.
• This will be covered in more detail during the gas-liquid
session.
• Choice of motor is based on ungassed power.
 Local energy dissipation rates
 / W/kg
❖ Power input is dissipated by 350.0
turbulence to heat 130.0
 extremely non-uniform 50.0
 highest dissipation rates are 20.0
close to the impeller 6.8
 bulk has relatively low dissipation 2.5
rates
0.9
 local  is very difficult to measure
0.4
or predict!!!
0.0
CFD Rielly & Marquis (2001) 0.02 0.04

25
FLOW CHARACTERISTICS IN
SINGLE PHASE SYSTEMS
Flow patterns
Pumping capacity

26
Flow Patterns
• Primary flows  tangential direction
(viscous flow regime)

• Secondary flows  axial, radial, mixed, … depending on

impeller geometry and pumping mode, liquid properties

• Tertiary flows  associated with the flows from behind

the blades
Why use wall baffles?
Unbaffled vessels:
❖ Predominantly swirling (tangential) flow
❖ Forced vortex: solid body rotation
 Poor top-to-bottom mixing
❖ Free vortex: no radial or axial mixing
❖ Poor solids suspension
❖ Entertainment of gas from headspace
❖ Generally avoided, except
 for low Re cases
 sterility / cleaning issues

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Vortex and air entrainment
Unbaffled or with reduced baffles Fully baffled
Whole body of fluid rotates Localised rotations on the surface
Standard impeller types (low )

Rushton disc turbine Marine propeller Pitched-blade turbine

L=D/4; W=D/5; Disc dia.=3D/4 Pitch ratio =1.5 W=D/5, angle=45°

W
L W D
D

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 Baffled vessels: low viscosities
RANS CFD
0.1

0.08

0.06
Radial flow Axial flow
z / m

0.04

0.02

0
0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 low velocity regions
r / m

31
Pitched blade turbine

low velocity region

❖ Mixed radial / axial flow
❖ discharge angle varies
 with Re
 with bottom clearance
❖ High discharge flowrate
❖ Relatively low ungassed power input

32
Effect of viscosity on flow patterns
Pitched blade turbine (PBT)

❖ High Re (low ):

• mixed radial / axial flow

❖ Low Re (high ):

• predominantly radial flow

CFD contours of velocity magnitude

33
Increasing impeller speed
❖ Low Re (low N):
 flow confined to the impeller region
 low agitation intensity
 low specific power input

❖ High Re (high N):

 flow extends to all parts of the tank
 high agitation intensity
 high specific power input
Pitched blade turbine (PBT) at lower clearance
CFD contours of velocity magnitude

34
Ekato impellers: low viscosity
InterMIG
• Inner blades pump up; outer blades pump down
• Always used at least as a pair at 90º

Isojet
❖ Low power input
❖ Blending and solids suspension

www.ekato.de

35
Gas-liquid impellers
Ekato PhaseJet

❖ Highly efficient impeller for gas dispersing

❖ Negligible power reduction under gassed conditions
❖ Extended flooding point: capable of handling large gas flowrates

36
 Sawtooth impeller
EkatoMIZER

• Highly tangential flow with radial and axial components depending on teeth design
• High local shear forces due to the special tooth shape
• Highly concentrated energy dissipation
• Suitable for non-Newtonian media in combination with an axial pumping impeller

37
High viscosity applications
Anchor impeller
Predominantly tangential flow: poor top-to-bottom mixing

Helical ribbon with a screw

Tangential and axial flow

38
 Ribbon impellers: high viscosities
• Single helical ribbon ❖ CFD simulation
– small clearances
– large swept volume
– low Re applications
• Dye tracer test

39
Flow Patterns
• Primary flows  tangential direction
(viscous flow regime)

• Secondary flows  axial, radial, mixed, … depending on

impeller geometry and pumping mode, liquid properties

• Tertiary flows  associated with the flows from

behind the blades
Tertiary Flows

Pressure difference on each side of

the blade results in the formation of
trailing vortices.
 Local flows near the impeller
van’t Riet & Smith (1975):

• periodic components close to the blade Trailing vortices

• appearance of “pseudo-turbulence” in LDA measurements
• phase-angle resolved measurements needed
• shaft encoders used

42
 Impeller pumping capacity
Often impellers are characterised in terms of their pumping capacity
z w
Discharge flowrate
RDT blade D w
Q  ur z  dz
ur z  2 w
w
z0 Fl 
Q
ND3

Fl  constant at high Re
D/2
z  w

43
Impeller pumping capacity
z w
PBT blade • Mixed flow device, so must consider
ur z  axial and radial components
w
z0

D/2 Discharge flowrate

z  w
D w
Q  ru z  dz  0 uz r  2r dr
D/2

uz r  2 w

44
Pumping capacities
• At high Re, the discharge coefficient is a constant
Q
Fl   constant at high Re
ND3

Impeller type Discharge coefficient

Propeller with a pitch of 1

Fl  0.654D / T  for T/D  3.3
0.16

C/D=1
Fl  1.29D / T  for 2  T/D  3.3
0.20
45° 6-bladed PBT

6-bladed RDT Fl  0.75

45
INTRODUCTION TO
RHEOLOGY

Newtonian and non-Newtonian Flow

48
Introduction to Rheology

 xx  xy  xz 
 
 ij   yx  yy  yz 
 zx  zy  zz 
 

Stress components around a rotating cylinder

Flow curves
Non-Newtonian liquids
Pseudoplastic liquids are the most common non-Newtonian liquids encountered in industry

0
100 Shear-thinning region

lower Newtonian
Viscosity, a / Pa s

upper Newtonian
10-1
power-law

region

region
10-2


10-3
10-2 10-1 100 101 102 103 104 105
.
Shear rate, g/ s
-1

51
Rheology
Time-dependent fluid properties
– Thixotropic fluids:   when  applied and
gradual recovery when  removed
– Anti-thixotropic fluids (sometimes called rheopectic fluids: the opposite
behaviour

Viscoelastic fluids N1=A 𝛾ሶ b

Forces normal to the plane of shear  flow reversal and Weissenberg effect

52
 Importance of rheology
• Both flow and power characteristics are affected by the liquid rheology:
– Flows may be reversed (viscoelastic liquids) or constricted to a small region
around the impeller (highly shear thinning or yield stress liquids)
– Power consumption under given operating conditions may consequently
increase or decrease
• During most industrial processes, rheology changes.
– It is used to monitor some processes.
– Changes in rheology can well result in a change of flow regime during the
course of processing.
– This also needs to be considered for scale up

53
Importance of rheology
• Rheology may also change during storage.
• Therefore, it is important to quantify the rheological
properties (of the liquids, mixtures of liquids, dispersions)
– at the start,
– during the course (as much as possible),
– at the end of processing and
– during storage.

54
 Shear thinning liquids- Power characteristics

• How do we calculate Re?

(Metzner & Otto, 1957)


– apparent viscosity μa   Kg n-1
g

– assume average shear rate g  ks N

– apparent viscosity 
μa   K (ks N )n-1
g
– Reynolds number LND2 LD 2
Re  
a n 1
Kk s N n 2

55
 ks in Metzner-and-Otto approach
❖ Strictly speaking this approach is valid in the laminar regime but has widely
been used across a wide range of Reynolds numbers.
❖ Requires the knowledge of the ks value which can be obtained from
published literature.
❖ It can also be determined experimentally for new impellers using the
approach described by Metzner and Otto (1957):
• obtain the power curve for a Newtonian liquid and a shear thinning liquid
• for the shear thinning liquid, adjust the ks value until the two power curves
coincide.

56
Metzner & Otto approach- ks values
Impeller Shear rate constant, ks

6-Bladed Disc Turbine 11.5 ± 1.5

6-Bladed 45° PBT 13 ± 2

Marine Propeller 10 ± 0.9

InterMIGs 14

C C 
Helical Ribbon 34  114 for 0.026     0.164
D D

Anchor C C 
33  172 for 0.02     0.13
D D

57
Flow patterns in shear thinning liquids

❖ In a stirred tank a spectrum of shear rates exist,

the highest being close to the impeller.
❖ In Newtonian liquids, viscosity does not depend
on the shear rate. In shear thinning liquids it
varies significantly at different positions in the
bulk.

❖ This results in high velocities close to the impeller with practically stagnant
zones away from the impeller.

58
 Flow patterns in yield stress liquids
Yield stress liquids (plastic or viscoplastic liquids):
Well mixed zones, caverns, around the impeller with no liquid motion away from the
impeller.

Dc

D/T
0.6
(Nienow & Elson, 1988) 0.5

0.25
0.33

(b) N = 8 rps

59
Blending non-Newtonian liquids
Viscoelastic liquids:
– Complex interaction of elastically driven flows with inertially driven flows.
– Other properties, such as shear-thinning behaviour also affect the flow
fields. Detailed knowledge of the rheological properties required to choose
the optimum impeller geometry for a given scale.
Flow patterns in viscoelastic fluids
Flow patterns depend on liquid properties, impeller type and scale of operation

(a) low elasticity: (b) Medium elasticity: ( c) highly elastic

flow patterns similar to constricted flows reversed flows
Newtonian liquid

61
How to consider viscoelasticity
𝐴𝑁1𝑏 𝐴γሶ 𝑏−1
• Weissenberg number: 𝑊𝑖 = =
τ 𝐾

𝑊𝑖 𝐴(𝑘𝑠 𝑁)𝑏−1
• Elasticity number: 𝐸𝑙 = =
𝑅𝑒 𝑁𝐷2 ρ

62
POWER CHARACTERISTICS
OF BATCH ROTOR-STATORS

63
Batch Rotor-Stator Mixers
• Batch rotor-stator mixers come in a wide variety of geometries
• Data for rotor-stator mixers is scarce and geometry-dependent

Ross ME-100LC

Silverson L4RT
Power Draw in Batch Rotor-Stator Mixers
Average Po in the
turbulent regime
Po
Slotted Head 3.0
Disintegrating Head 2.6

Ross
Fine Screen Head 2.5
Slotted Head Wide Gap 2.7
Slotted Head 80 Mesh 2.4
Slotted Head 2.1
Disintegrating Head 1.7

Silverson
Fine Emulsor Head 2.3
Standard Emulsor Head 2.2
Square Hole Head 2.3

➢ Power number- similar to that for impellers in an STR

Padron (2001) “Measurement and Comparison of Power Draw in Batch Rotor-Stator Mixers” M.S. Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park.
Power Input of Batch Rotor-Stator Mixers
10000
Tank Volume
Mixing Head Volume The advantage of R-S is that they
1000
max= 2.64x10-8N2.8 can achieve high energy
2
R = 0.99 dissipation rate than conventional
100 impellers due to their high
, m2/s3

operating rotor speeds

10
 = 4.33x10-10N2.8
2
R = 0.99
1 hM

DM
0.1
1000 Rotor Speed, rpm 10000