Power Consumption Scale-Up in Agitating Non-Newtonian Fluids
Power Consumption Scale-Up in Agitating Non-Newtonian Fluids
Power Consumption Scale-Up in Agitating Non-Newtonian Fluids
and Regarding to the Eqs. (6), (7) and (8), it follows that
U* = u*(x*, t*, Re, Rhl, Rhz, . . . Rhi) (6) ReN =%=gN(&) (14)
=Nd’p=g P
All the quantities above depend on the dimension- Re
- t*, Rh,, Rht, . . Rhi
rl pN’d” )
less coordinate x*, the dimensionless time, t*,
(15)
Reynolds number Nd’plq and on additional
dimensionless criteria Rhi, containing the constants
The principle of the suggested method is an
of rheological constitutive equation and eventually
assumption that the form of the Reynolds number
the speed of impeller N. The specific form of
dependence on power number is independent of
dimensionless criteria Rhi depends on the form of
rheological behaviour of mixed fluid and is deter-
functional X in rheological Eq. (2). e.g. for a
mined by the type and geometry of agitator only.
power-law fluid i = 1 and Rh, = n (see ref. [5]), for
This assumption has the following physical in-
Ellis fluid i = 2, Rh, = Q, Rhz = Nt, as shown by
terpretation: to the same value of the power
Kelkar et al.[3].
number corresponds the same relative influence of
Agitator power consumption P can be deter-
inertial and surface forces represented by the form
mined as an integral of the scalar product of
of the dependence of the power number on the
velocity u and elementary force dF acting on the
Reynolds number. Expressing the above statement
differential area of agitator surface, dS
mathematically, we can rewrite the function g in
Eq. (15) using the known form of Newtonian
P= u.dF= u.a.dS (9) Reynolds-power number relation (14) and we
f xv f .YM
obtain
in which force dF is expressed as a product of the
total stress tensor o and elementary area dS. The ~=g’+&)g’(t*,Rh,.Rhl,...Rh,) (16)
total stress tensor m can be expressed in the form
Let us define the effective viscosity of non-
a=7--pPS (10) Newtonian fluid pef as a viscosity which would
have a Newtonian fluid of the same density at the
After inserting Eq. (10) in Eq. (9) and using
same power consumption and speed of agitator.
dimensionless variables (3) we get the following
According to this definition, the agitator power
expression for power number
consumption in a non-Newtonian fluid can be
expressed from Eq. (13) replacing I_Lby pCf
Agitating non-Newtonian fluids 2231
Dividing Eq. (16) by Eq. (18), we obtain the basic cLer= F&N, t) (23)
equation for scale-up
In most of the viscoelastic fluids however, the
/he, = qg’(t*, Rh,, Rhz, . . . Rhi) (19) natural fluid time is small and in many cases is
shorter than the agitator starting-up. So that the
From Eq. (19) it follows that the effective viscosity time dependence of effective viscosity is hot
IL6 for a given agitator depends on rheological measurable. For this reason, the scale-up in mixing
behaviour of mixed fluid, speed of impeller and on of the most viscoelastic macromolecular solutions
the time of mixing. For a given fluid and agitator can be based on equation for purely viscous fluids
geometry, pef is a function of the agitator speed N (22). On the other hand Bulena[8] reported that in
and the time of mixing t only and is independent of kneading dough-like materials the time dependence
the size of mixing equipment. Therefore the cannot be neglected.
relation pCLd(f, N) obtained experimentally on a
model device can be used for the calculation of (iii) Thixotropic fluids
power consumption of industrial agitators used for Scale-up for thixotropic fluids can be based on
mixing the same fluid. Power consumption of the same equation as for viscoelastic fluids (23). It
industrial agitator can then be calculated from the means that the effective viscosity for a given
Newtonian power curve on the basis of Eq. (17). thixotropic fluid depends on the impeller speed N
Furthermore, let us focus our attention to the and time of mixing t.
specific types of rheological behaviour of mixed
fluids. 3. EXPERIMENT
(b)
20
I I
I
Fig. 3. jar vs N for anchor agitators in PAA solution.
t (51
lb was used. The course of torque at constant
speed of agitator N = 60 l/min was recorded and is Fig. 5. Time dependence of torque of screw agitators in
shown in Fig. 5. Using values of torque from Fig. 5 plastic plaster mixing (constant speed N = 1 sect ‘J.
Agitating non-Newtonian fluids 2233
P
PN 3d (%
3=A 0 >-’ (28)
----P 1 P
&f = AN?& - AN Nd’ (29)
1 -
5 IO 102 IO'
cLef= AN f(N) = p&N)
t rs1
which is in agreement with relation (22). On the
Fig. 6. pd vs t for screw agitators at constant speed
N = 1 set-’ in plastic plaster. other hand, substituting pcL6from Eq. (23) to Eq.
(29), we obtain the relation
4. DISCUSSION