Mixing of pseudoplastic liquid in a vessel equipped with a variety of helical ribbon impellers

Abstract

A huge number of data prove that the dimensionless mixing time of pseudoplastic liquids with a helical ribbon impeller increases with an increase in the apparent Reynolds number in the laminar flow region, but starts to decrease with the Reynolds number above a certain critical Reynolds number. The mixing time is strongly affected by the liquid shear-thinning property, increasing as the liquid shear-thinning property increases. The mixing time in the laminar-flow region is correlated with liquid properties, impeller geometry and operational conditions. The optimum impeller geometry for the mixing of pseudoplastic liquids is predicted. © 1988, The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan. All rights reserved.