Mixing characterization in batch reactors using the radiotracer technique

The infusion rate of a slug of tracer into an anchor agitated 100-liter batch mixer was characterized by a decay rate constant. This constant was then used to define a dimensionless mixing-rate number which was related to the stirrer Reynolds number. This correlationship allows the calculation of time or rotational speed needed to achieve any desired degree of uniformity of the mixture.^99mTc was used as radiotracer and the mixing process was followed by a scintillation Nal(Tl) counter situated on the reactor wall near the injection point.     

Transport phenomena in an agitated vessel with an eccentrically located impeller

The paper presents results of an experimental analysis of the transport phenomena at the vicinity of the wall of an unbaffled agitated vessel with an eccentrically located impeller. Distributions of the transport coefficients were experimentally studied using an electrochemical method within the turbulent regime of the Newtonian liquid flow. Measurements were carried out in an agitated vessel with the inner diameter T = 0.3 m. Liquid height in the vessel was equal to the inner diameter, H = T. The agitated vessel was equipped with a Rushton or a Smith turbine or an A 315 impeller. Eccentricity of the impeller shaft was varied from 0 to 0.53. Local values of the dimensionless shear rate, shear stress, dynamic velocity and friction coefficient were integrated numerically for the whole surface area of the cylindrical wall of the vessel. Averaged values of these quantities were correlated with the impeller eccentricity and modified Reynolds number. The proposed Eqs. (5)–(8), with the coefficients given in Table 2, have no equivalent in open literature concerning this subject. Distributions of the shear rate, γ/n, and friction coefficient, f, at the vicinity of the cylindrical wall of the unbaffled vessel equipped with eccentric Rushton or Smith turbine or A 315 impeller are very uneven and they depend significantly on the impeller eccentricity, e/R. Maximum local values of these variables are located on the wall section closest to the impeller blades. From among the tested impellers, the greatest effects of the impeller eccentricity, e/R, and the liquid turbulence (described by the modified Reynolds number Re _P,M) on the averaged dimensionless shear rate (γ/n)_m and friction coefficient, f _m, are found for the radial-flow Rushton turbine located eccentrically in an unbaffled agitated vessel.     

Agitation of a gas-solid-liquid system in a vessel with high-speed impeller and vertical tubular coil

Experimental results of gas hold-up, power consumption and residence time of gas bubbles in a gas-solid-liquid system produced in an agitated vessel equipped with a high-speed impeller and a vertical tubular coil are presented in this paper. Critical agitator speed, needed for the dispersion of gas bubbles and solid particles in liquid were also identified. The studies were carried out in an agitated vessel of the inner diameter D = 0.634 m and the working liquid volume of about 0.2 m³. A tubular coil of the diameter of 0.7D, consisting of 24 vertical tubes of the diameter of 0.016D, was located inside the flat-bottomed vessel. The agitated vessel was equipped with a Rushton turbine with six blades or an A 315 impeller with four blades. Both impellers had diameter, d, equal to 0.33D. The vessel was filled with liquid up to the height H = D. In this study, air and particles of sea sand with the mean diameter of 335 μm and the concentration of up to 3.0 mass % were dispersed in distilled water as the liquid phase. The measurements were carried out within the turbulent regime of the fluid flow in the agitated vessel. Results of the measurements were processed graphically and mathematically. Lower values of the critical agitator speed, n _JSG, needed for simultaneous dispersion of gas bubbles and particles with the solids concentration from 0.5 mass % to 2 mass %, were obtained for the vessel equipped with the A 315 impeller. Higher values of the specific power consumption were reached for the vessel with the Rushton turbine. Higher values of the gas hold-up and residence time of the gas bubbles in the fluid were obtained for the system equipped with the Rushton turbine. Results of the gas hold-up as a function of the specific power consumption, superficial gas velocity and solids concentration were approximated with good accuracy using Eq. (5).     

Power consumption and mixing times for liquid mixing in a ribbon mixer

Measurements were taken of power consumption and mixing times for helical ribbon agitators of different pitch and ribbon width under laminar flow conditions in newtonian liquid. Empirical correlations for prediction of the power consumption, the mixing time and the energy required to achieve a prescribed degree of homogeneity are proposed. The results are compared with those of other works.     

Effects of vessel baffling on the drawdown of floating solids

The effects of baffling of an agitated vessel on the production of floating particles suspension are presented in this paper. Critical agitator speed, needed for particles dispersion in a liquid agitated in a vessel of the inner diameter of 0.295 m, was determined. The just drawdown agitator speeds were defined analogously to the Zwietering criterion. Specific agitation energy was calculated from the power consumption experimental data obtained by means of the strain gauge method. The experiments were carried out for twelve configurations of the baffles differing in number, length and their arrangement in the vessels. The following high-speed impellers were used: up- and downpumping six blade pitched blade turbines, Rushton turbine, and propeller. The impeller was located in the vessel in the height equal to two-thirds or one-third of the vessel diameter from the bottom of the vessel. The results were described in the form of a dimensionless equation. Presented at the 35th International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 26–30 May 2008.     

Scale up of the mixer of a mixer-settler model used in a uranium solvent extraction process

Scale up relations were obtained for the mixer of a box type mixer-settler used in an uranium extraction process from chloridric leaches. Three box type mixers of different sizes and with the same geometry were used for batch and continuous-flow experiments. The correlations between the extraction rate and the specific power input,D/T ratio(=turbine diameter/mixer width) and residence time were experimentally determined. The results showed that the extraction rate increases with the power input at a constantD/T ratio equal to 1/3, remaining however, independent from the mixer size for a specific value of the power input. This behaviour was observed for power input values ranging from 100 to 750 W/m³.     

Simulation of processing the “Power” composition in a mixer with oval rotors

The main dependence for determining the energy-power parameters of processing the compositions, whose behavior under load is described by a power rheological law in the operation gap of mixers with oval rotors. In the proposed method of calculating the power of the mixer drive motor an attempt was made to account for movement of a treated material not only in circular but also in the axial direction of the mixing chamber. These dependences for determining the pressure and power supplied to the rotors for rotation thereof may be recommended for engineering calculations of mixing equipment for plastics and rubber mixtures.     

Reactive EB Processing of Polymer Compounds

Polymer modification with high energy electrons is well-established in polymer industry and used for degradation, cross-linking, grafting, curing, and polymerization. These applications use local and temporal precise input of energy in order to generate excited atoms or molecules as well as ions for subsequent molecule changes via radical induced chemical reactions. Reactive electron beam (EB) processing combines melt mixing process and chemical reaction simultaneously. For this purpose, a 1.5 MeV electron accelerator was directly coupled to an internal mixer in order to induce chemical reactions by energy input via high energy electrons under dynamic conditions of melt mixing of different polymer compounds. In the present study, reactive EB processing was used for the development of a flame retardant polyethylene composite as well as Thermoplastic Vulcanizate. The influence of absorbed dose as well as electron energy and electron treatment time was studied. Increased values of both tensile strength and elongation at break of polymer compounds indicated in-situ compatibilization upon reactive EB processing.     

Experimental analysis of the hydrodynamics of a three-phase system in a vessel with two impellers

Results of experimental analysis concerning gas hold-up and average residence time of gas bubbles in a three-phase gas-solid-liquid system produced in a baffled, double-impeller vessel are presented. Measurements were carried out in a vessel with the internal diameter of 0.288 m. Two different double-impeller configurations were used for agitation: Rushton turbine (lower) — A 315 (upper) and Rushton turbine (lower) — HE 3 (upper). Upper impellers differed in the fluid pumping mode. Coalescing and non-coalescing systems were tested. Liquid phases were distilled water (coalescing system) and aqueous solutions of NaCl (non-coalescing systems). The ability of gas bubbles to coalesce in the liquid was described using parameter Y. Dispersed phases were air and particles of sea sand. The experiments were conducted at seven different gas flow rates and two particle loadings. Effects of the ability of gas bubbles to coalesce (liquid phase properties), operating parameters (superficial gas velocity, impeller speed, solids loadings), and of the type of the impeller configuration on the investigated parameters were determined. The results were approximated mathematically. For both impeller configurations tested, significantly higher gas hold-up values were obtained in the non-coalescing gas-solid-liquid systems compared to the coalescing one. Out of the tested impeller systems, the RT-A 315 configuration proved to have better performance ensuring good gas dispersion in the liquid in the three-phase systems.     

Thermoplastic processing of protein-based bioplastics: chemical engineering aspects of mixing,extrusion and hot molding

Proteins, as heteropolymers, offer a large range of possible interactions and chemical reactions. The thermoplastic behavior of proteins has been studied in order to produce bioplastics by thermal or thermomechanical processes such as mixing, extrusion or hot molding. The extrusion trials were performed by using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder, recording torque, temperature and die pressure. Batch mixing was done in a two blade counter-rotating mixer, with continuous recording of torque and product temperature. Proteins were alternatively extruded, mixed or hot molded under a large range of processing conditions. Protein aggregation during each process was estimated from the accumulation of SDS-insoluble protein fraction. Protein aggregation evidences a cross-linking reaction the activation energy of which was dependent on the thermoplastic process used. The increase in network density appears to be induced by the severity of the treatment: temperature and shear strongly affect the structural characteristics of the protein-based bioplastics.     

A novel microfluidic mixer utilizing electrokinetic driving forces under low switching frequency

This paper presents a novel technique in which low-frequency periodic electrokinetic driving forces are utilized to mix electrolytic fluid samples rapidly and efficiently in a double-T-form microfluidic mixer. Without using any additional equipment to induce flow perturbations, only a single high-voltage power source is required for simultaneously driving and mixing the sample fluids which results in a simple and low-cost system for the mixing purpose. The effectiveness of the mixer as a function of the applied electric field and the periodic switching frequency is characterized by the intensity distribution calculated downstream from the mixing zone. The present numerical and experimental results confirm that the proposed double-T-form micromixer has excellent mixing capabilities. The mixing efficiency can be as high as 95% within a mixing length of 1000 microm downstream from the secondary T-junction when a 100 V/cm driving electric field strength and a 2 Hz periodic switching frequency are applied. The results reveal that the optimal switching frequency depends upon the magnitude of the main applied electrical field. The rapid double-T-form microfluidic mixer using the periodic driving voltage switching model proposed in this study has considerable potential for use in lab-on-a-chip systems.     

Retrofit of CD-6 (smith) impeller in fermentation vessels

We extended prior studies on the influence of impeller type on fermentation performance to include a novel low-power-number, high-efficiency radial flow impeller, the CD-6, possessing six curved blades on a disk turbine. Dual impeller combinations of CD-6/CD-6, CD-6/Maxflo T, and CD-6/HE-3 were compared with Rushton/Rushton and Maxflo T/Maxflo T base cases. Qualitative comparisons of unaerated and aerated power draw in both water and glycerol were conducted. These suggested minimal power drops with aeration for dual CD-6 impellers and hybrids containing the CD-6 impeller design. We also examined fermentation performance for Streptomyces and Glarea secondary metabolite fermentations. A qualitative comparison of the data suggested that dual CD-6 impellers and hybrids containing the CD-6 impeller design resulted in reasonable power draws, improved mass transfer rates with airflow increases, and acceptable peak titers. These arrangements may warrant further study under a wider range of production conditions.     

Time evolution of the drop size distribution for liquid–liquid dispersion in an agitated tank

Agitating two immiscible liquids or a solid–liquid suspension is an operation frequently performed in the chemical and metallurgical industries, for example, in suspension/emulsion polymerization, heterogeneous/phase-transfer catalytic chemical reactions, and hydrometallurgical solvent extraction. For emulsification, suspension polymerization, solid particle dispersion, and crystallization, it is essential to be able to predict the mean drop/particle size and the drop/particle size distribution. A simple model was proposed for predicting the time evolution of drop size distribution during drop breaking, and was successfully tested on data published by Ruiz and Padilla (Hydrometallurgy 72:245–258, 2004) and by Sathyagal et al. (Chem Eng Sci 51: 1377–1391, 1996) and on our own data. The time evolution of DSD was investigated in a baffled tank agitated by a Rushton turbine for a liquid–liquid dispersion. The tests were carried out on a silicone oil–water dispersion (oil in water) with a dispersed-phase fraction of 0.00047. The drop sizes were determined by image analysis.     

Electrochemical detection on electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidic chip

In this work, the use of three-electrode electrochemical sensing system with an electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) digital microfluidic device is reported for quantitative analysis of iodide. T-junction EWOD mixer device was designed using arrays of 50-μm spaced square electrodes for mixing buffer reagent and analyte droplets. For fabrication of EWOD chips, 5-μm thick silver EWOD electrodes were formed on a glass substrate by means of sputtering and lift-off process. PDMS and Teflon thin films were then coated on the electrodes by spin coating to yield hydrophobic surface. An external three-electrode system consisting of Au working, Ag reference and Pt auxiliary wires were installed over EWOD electrodes at the end of T-junction mixer. In experiment, a few-microliter droplets of Tris buffer and iodide solutions were moved toward the mixing junction and transported toward electrochemical electrodes by EWOD process. A short processing time within seconds was achieved at EWOD applied voltage of 300 V. The analyte droplets mixed with different concentrations were successfully analyzed by cyclic voltametry. Therefore, the combination of EWOD digital microfluidic and electrochemical sensing system has successfully been demonstrated for rapid chemical analysis with minimal reagent consumption.     

A fast mixing flow system: The kinetics of carbonic acid dehydration in aqueous acid solutions between 20 and 40°c

A simple and inexpensive optical stopped-flow apparatus which includes a springpowered driving system and a very efficient two-stage mixer is described. The total dead-time is less than 2.5 ms. The apparatus has been tested by studying the kinetics of carbon dioxide formation from hydrogencarbonate on mixing with hydrochloric acid, at pH 3–5 and 20–40°C. The average rate constants found for this process are 15.4, 25.1, 42.7, 70.3 and 110.7 s^-1 at 20°, 25°, 30°, 35° and 40°C, respectively. The calculated activation energy is 17950 cal mol^-1. The values are compared with earlier data.     

Denaturation of human serum albumin under the action of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide according to fluorescence polarization data of protein

Denaturation of human serum albumin (HSA) under the action of cationic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is studied at different pH values by estimating the rotational diffusion of protein via fluorescence polarization. The degree of polarization of HSA tryptophan fluorescence, the rotational relaxation time, the rotational diffusion coefficient and the effective Einstein radius of the HSA molecules in solutions with different CTAB concentrations at different pH values are determined. The obtained rotational diffusion parameters of the HSA molecules show that under the action of CTAB, HSA denaturation has a one-stage character and proceeds more intensely and effectively at pH values higher than the pI value of protein (4.7).     

Numerical analysis of a rapid magnetic microfluidic mixer

This paper presents a detailed numerical investigation of the novel active microfluidic mixer proposed by Wen et al. (Electrophoresis 2009, 30, 4179-4186). This mixer uses an electromagnet driven by DC or AC power to induce transient interactive flows between a water-based ferrofluid and DI water. Experimental results clearly demonstrate the mixing mechanism. In the presence of the electromagnet's magnetic field, the magnetic nanoparticles create a body force vector that acts on the mixed fluid. Numerical simulations show that this magnetic body force causes the ferrofluid to expand significantly and uniformly toward miscible water. The magnetic force also produces many extremely fine finger structures along the direction of local magnetic field lines at the interface in both upstream and downstream regions of the microchannel when the external steady magnetic strength (DC power actuation) exceeds 30 Oe (critical magnetic Peclet number Pe(m),cr = 2870). This study is the first to analyze these pronounced finger patterns numerically, and the results are in good agreement with the experimental visualization of Wen et al. (Electrophoresis 2009, 30, 4179-4186). The large interfacial area that accompanies these fine finger structures and the dominant diffusion effects occurring around the circumferential regions of fingers significantly enhance the mixing performance. The mixing ratio can be as high as 95% within 2.0 s. at a distance of 3.0 mm from the mixing channel inlet when the applied peak magnetic field supplied by the DC power source exceeds 60 Oe. This study also presents a sample implementation of AC power actuation in a numerical simulation, an experimental benchmark, and a simulation of DC power actuation with the same peak magnetic strength. The simulated flow structures of the AC power actuation agree well with the experimental visualization, and are similar to those produced by DC power. The AC and DC power actuated flow fields exhibited no significant differences. This numerical study suggests approaches to maximize the performance of the proposed rapid magnetic microfluidic mixer, and confirms its exciting potential for use in lab-on-a-chip systems.     

LES and URANS modelling of turbulent liquid-liquid flow in a static mixer: Turbulent kinetic energy and turbulence dissipation rate

The present study deals with numerical simulations of turbulent flow of a liquid-liquid system in a Kenics static mixer with ten inserts. CFD approach was used in two modes: large eddy simulation (LES) and unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS). Large eddy simulation in the static mixer was carried out using the dynamic kinetic energy subgrid-scale model with standard wall functions whereas in URANS approach the standard k-ɛ turbulent model and standard wall functions were applied. Two-phase flow was modelled employing the “mixture model” of the Eulerian type. The simulations were performed mainly for the Reynolds number of 10000 with the volumetric ratio of 99 % of water to 1 % of oil. The investigations revealed that due to distinct distributions of the turbulence measures, the drop breakup process occurs with varying intensity in different locations within the mixer inserts. Significantly higher local values of the dissipation rate, ɛ, were predicted in URANS than in LES. However, both modelling methods indicated high values of ɛ at the beginning and the end of the mixer inserts, which implies the maximum shearing action exerted on the drops. Consequently, the inflow and outflow zone of each insert are the regions of the highest breakup intensity.     

Effects of type and number of impellers and liquid viscosity on the power characteristics of mechanically agitated gas—liquid systems

Effect of the type and number of high-speed impellers installed on a common shaft on the power characteristics was investigated in water and glucose solutions of different concentration. Different configurations of the Rushton or Smith turbines, pitched blade turbines, propeller, and A 315 impeller were tested. Measurements of power consumption were carried out within the transitional and turbulent regime of the fluid flow using the strain gauge method. Baffled agitated vessels with inner diameter of 0.288 m and 0.634 m were used for the experiments. Liquid height in the vessels was equal to the vessel diameter or it was twice higher. The relative power consumption was compared for different configurations of the impellers. Presented at the 33rd International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 22–26 May 2006.     

Preparation of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene octene copolymer (EOC) thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) by high energy electron reactive processing

Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) based on 50/50 composition of PP/EOC blend were prepared by electron induced reactive processing. To facilitate dynamic crosslinking in the PP/EOC blend, a 1.5 MeV electron accelerator was directly coupled to an internal mixer to induce chemical reactions via high energy electrons under dynamic conditions of melt mixing process. This kind of setup has been conceptualized for the first time in our laboratory and termed as electron induced reactive processing (EIReP) technique. Mechanical, morphological, and rheological properties of PP/EOC TPVs were studied with special reference to the exposure time (16–64 s) keeping absorbed dose (100 kGy) and electron energy (1.5 MeV) invariable. Chain scission dominates over chain crosslinking in both EOC as well as PP phases with the increase in exposure time. The primary factor is found to be the predominance of oxidative degradation during electron induced reactive processing in air atmosphere. The above observation was supported by Fourier Transform Infrared analyses and gel content values. Furthermore, it was found that mechanical properties depend not only on the extent of degradation in the blend system but also on the state and the mode of dispersion of the blend components.