Powder T echnol ogy.

15 (1976) 193 - 197 193

zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
0 Elsevier Sequoia
S-A., Lausanne - Printed in the Netherlands

Powder Mixing in a Rorizontal Batch Mixer*

JIi%i THkN
Institute for Resear ch. Pr oduct i on and Appl i cat i ons of Radi oi sot opes. Pr ague (Czechosl ovak i a)

KAREL DUFFEK
Resear ch Institute of Food and Refr i ger at i on Engi neer i ng. Pr ague (Czechosl ovak i a)
(Received October 3. 19’75; in revised form November 20, 1975)

SUMMARY and width values_ By a combination of screw

form surfaces with opposed pitch angle, a
The mixing process in a horizontal batch counter-flow motion of mixed substances in
mixer with a twin spiral rotor has been the vessel is obtained and its efficient mixing
investigated. is thus assured.
A mixture of crushed wheat and sodium The mechanism of the relative motion of
chloride was mixed in a mode1 mixer. The particles can be described by a differential
concentration of sodium chIoride in mixture equation which is analogous to the equation
samples was checked as a function of the of unidimensional non-stationary diffusion in
mixing time and sampling pIace for various a two-component system [3,4,6] :
degrees of mixer filling. The sample composi-
aC(x, f) a actx, t)
tion was determined by conductometric
determination of sodium chloride in water
extracts of the sample_ From the values
at ax ( ax ).
=- zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIH
D

obtained, the mixing degree was calculated as where D = diffusivity factor, x = dimension-
defmed by the variation coefficient along the less distance in the direction of diffusion, f =
whole mixer, as a function of the mixing time. mixing time, and C(x, t) = concentration of
In analysing the data and empirical the checked component in position x and
correlation between the concentration of time t_
component under s.udy and the place and When the mixing process is watched by
time of mixing, C/C = f(x, t) was obtained and means of an indicator added into the mixer at
compared with industrial experiments using the start of the mixing operation in a defined
radionuclides as tracers. place, the equation may be corrected to the
form Cl] zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPON

ac a
(D>Z1
1. INTRODUCTION
-=- +M6(t)6(x)
at ax
Among the most widely used types of
r&--g devices used in the technical, food and where M = quantity of added indicator, and
fodder industries are horizontal batch mixers 6 (t), 6 (x) determines that M is added in time
with rotating mixing members. The mixers t=Oandinplacex=O.
consist of a rotor comprising a drive assembly As boundary conditions do not affect the
and a horizontal stationary cylindrical or process at tile start, the mixer can be
channel-form vessel. The rotor consists of considered as being infinitely long. Then the
helical strips or of vanes in the form of screw- following relation is obtained by the solution
shaped surfaces with different pitch, diameter of eqn- (2) for ideal mixtures, where the
coe?flcient of dlffusivity D f f(c) [l] :
*Paper presented at the 5th CHZSA Congress,
Symposium on M-king. Segregation and Sampling
M e-s=MDt
of C(x, t) = zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONM
Particulate Solids, Prague, August 24 - 29,1975. (amp”
 Real mixtures, however, consist of compo-
nents from different materiaIs differing by
their physical properties, their size and shape
of individual particles. In such a case it
cannot be supposed that the diffusivity factor
D remains independent of the concentration
of mixture or of place and time.
In this case an analytical solution of the
differential equation (2) becomes impossible.
As the function D = f(C) cannot be assessed,
the relation zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
C = f(x. t) must be determined
experimentally_

Fig. 1_ Scheme of laboratory mixer and location of

‘)_ PROCESSING OF E_XPERIhIElriTALDATA samp!ing points.

For practical purposes it is desirable to

define the mixture quality only by one para- f(x. t)_ As, however, the relation C = f(x, t)
meter as a function of time. A number of for real mixtures cannot be determined by a
various criteria of mixing degree are described solution of eqn. (Z), experimental data retain
in the literature, based on the sample variance their primordial importance for studies of the
or standard deviation of concentration of the mixing process.
checked component from the mean value in
samples taken in various Iocations in the
mixture [2] I 3. EXPERIMENTS

2 =-& $ (Ci_&’ (4)

The mixing process was studied with a
laboratory horizontal batch mixer consisting
t=1
of a casing with a rotor, a drive and a device
where C = concentration of the checked for rotating frequency and rotor shaft torque
component in the sample of mixture, C = measurements (Fig. 1). The casing of a
overall concentration of the checked compo- cylindrical cross-section has a Iid on the whole
nent in the mixture, and n = number of samples. length of mixer, permitting samples to be
A suitable criterion of the mixing degree of taken in any place of the mixture. The rotor
a mixture for practical use is the variation consists of two helical members with opposed
factor: pitch angle and different diameters_
+b2 The case with the rotor is a model of an
-- industrial fodder mixing machine MKV-130
C manufactured by the TLMS Pardubice National
If the value of variance as related to the Corporation, built to a scale lt5. The main
over-al! mixer length L is considered, then da*a of the unit are given in Table 1.
r.
The model substance was represented by
1 crushed grain (99% by weight); as tracing
LoI
,2 = (c-E)* dx
substance sodium chloride (1% by weight)
was used. Crushed wheat grain weII
When x is dimensionless, then the following represents a non-homogeneous polydispersion
equation holds: mate&I comprising particles of vtious form
and properties.
The sodium chloride was metered locally
on the crushed wheat layer at the face of the
mixer casing. The analysis of the mixture was
From the relation (7), the value of the performed by conductometric determination
variation factor after mixing time t can be of sodium chloride concentration in water
obtained by substituting the relation C = extract of samples.
 195

TABLE I.
Parameters of laboratory mixer
- P = as
Diameter of vessel 260 mm
Length of vessel SO5 mm
Length of rotor iSO mm
Diameter of external heiical strip 254 mm
Width of external helical strip 12 mm
Diameter of internal helical strip 210 mm
Width of internal helical strip 12 mm
Pitch of helical strips 171 mm
Rotating fi-equency 20 r.p.m.

i
”
0 t 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ub
t [mznl
3
Fig. 1. Function C/c = f(t) for 0 = 0.5.

. x = 005
x = Q2S
\
0

1 * x = 050

\ \ A x = a75

D x = 095

\\ .

0 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
ODS 0.25 a50 075 a95
x Cl 1
Fig_ 2. Function C/c = f(x) for 3 = 0.3.

”
4

“hr
Fig. 5. Function C/c = f(t) for 0 = 0.7
3

For each filling degree 0, six measurements

I were taken for mixing times of 1, 2, 3,4, 5
and 10 minutes. From each mixed batch ten
samples were taken in pairs at dimensionless
distances x = 0.05, 0.25, 0.50,0_75 and 0.95
1
from the mixer face. The mixing degree was
expressed by the variation factor according to
eqn. (5).
C The concentration of sodium chloride in
the mixture was also determined as zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfe
a function

Fig. 3. Function C/c = f(_t) for Q = 0.3. of location -IIand mixing time L From eqn.
(7) it may be derived that it is preferable to
investigate this function in the form zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgf
For checking the effect of mixer space
C
filling, a dimensionIess parameter of fiiing c = f(X, t)
degree Q was selected, defined as a ratio of c
mixed material volume to mixer chamber Experimental results for filling degee o =
volume- The measurements were made for 0.3 are listed in Fig. 2 as function C/C = f(x)
0 = 0.3,0_5 and O-7. for f = I,3 and 10 minutes. The values
196

TABLE 2
Parameters zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Kl . K2. Kg. K4 as function of filling
degree of mixer 0
>

0 100
h’ , KZ K, K..z

Model O-3 O-65 O-59 1.65 5.15

0.5 0.75 0.88 3.50 7.10
O-7 0.58 1.34 4.20 10.65
as.0
Opel-ation 03 O-85 0.35 0.40 1.00
scale O-5 0.76 0.i5 1.05 2.80 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFE

obtained by measurements are summarized in Fig. 6. Function V = f(C) zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUT

the form of function C/c = f(t) for x = 0.05,
0.25, 0.50, O-75,0-95 in Fig_ 3 for o = 0.3, in
Fig. 4 for 0 = 0.5, and in Fig. 5 for 0 = O-7.
In analysing the values obtained, the
empiricaI relation

c = ~~~eK,xzyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
c
,o;,-K,dIC (9)
c
was derived.
Ql

4_ DISCUSSION

From the formal similarity of relations (9) 0.01 ’ zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIH

and (3), the Iatter being derived for diffusion a01
mixing of an ideaI system, it can be concluded
Fig_ ‘7. Comparison of calculated and experimental
that for a real mixture the process has the values of variation factor V_
character of diffusion mixing- This is also
confvmed by the results of operation scaIe The pattern of functions V = f(t) calculated
measurements of a fodder mixing machine from relation (10) for the values of parameters
MKV-130 153, by evaluation of which the K1, K2, K3. K4 from Table 2, together with
validity of relation (9) was proved- experimental values of variation factors, is
The values of parameters K1, Kz. K3 and shown in Fig. 6. From this diagram the inter-
K4 for corresponding degrees of fiiing O-are dependence of the variation factor V and of
listed in Table 2_ Values calculated from the the degree of mixer filling Q is apparent. It is
resuhs of the operational scale measurement clearly visible that along with increasing
mentioned above are also given in this table. degree of mixer filling $J, the mixing time t
When C/C in eqn (7) is expressed by means necessary for obtaining the required vaiue of
of eqn. (9), then we obtain for the variation variation factor V is also growing.
coefficient V after integration within the With increasing 9, the value of parameter
limitsfromx=Otox=lr K1 drops and values of parameters Ks, Ks
and K4 increase_ The same conclusicns can be
V= arrived at from results of laboratory and
-l)-
t production scale measurements (Table 2)
The difference in absolute values of the para-
112
- q&*J~ - 1)
meters for corresponding degree of fiIling 9
(10) from production scale and laboratory
measurements consequently arise from dif-
The integral (7) was solved in this way- ferent me-lhods of determination of the
 197

mixture samples concentration_ In production diffusivity factor

scale measurements [5], the homogeneity of parameters of function C/C = f(s t)
the mixture was checked using radioactive mixer length
quantity of added tracer
tracers,_thus absolute values of concentration variation factor
Ci and C could not be determined. variation factor from eqn. (10)
It is apparent that values of parameters experimental variation factor
K1, I& K3 and I& depend, besides the degree number of mixture samples
of filling 9, on a number of effects arising mixing time
dimensionless distance in the direction of
both from the given design pattern of the
diffusion coordinates of sampling point
mixer and from the operating conditions. This variance
field of the problem will be studied further. degree of mixer filling
Coincidence of calculated variation factors
Vealwith experimental values Vex,,is
apparent from Fig. 7. From the diagram it
may be seen that the experimental results can REFERENCES
thus be correlated with both laboratory and
production scale mixers of the type given.
J_ Crank, The Mathematics of Diffusion, Oxford
In conclusion it may be stated that the
Univ. Press, Locdon, 1964.
relations (9) and (10) can be used for the L. T. Fan, S. J. Chen and C. A. Watson. Solids
description of the mixing mechanism in a mixing, Ind. Eng. Chem., 62 (7) (1970) 53.
horizontal batch mixer. R. Hogg. D. S. Cahn, T. W. Healy and D_ W_
Fuerstenau, Diffusional mixing in an ideal system,
Chem. Eng. Sci., 21 (1966) 1025. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedc
W. M iille r, Untersuchungen zur Pulvermischung,
LIST OF SYMBOLS
Chem. Ing. Tech., 39 (1967) 85.
J. Thjk, M. Kubin and 2. &arc, Mixing efficiency
C(K t) zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
concentration of component checked of powder by using radiotracer: techniques, Potravin.
ci concentration of checked component in Chladici Tech., 5 (1974) 180 (Czech).
sample of mixture S. S. Weidenbaum, Fundamental study of the
c overall concentration of checked compo- mixing of particulate solids, Ph. D. Thesis,
nent in mixture Columbia Univ.. 1953.