Lecture-8

Mixing - It is an unit operation in which two or more components in a separate or

roughly mixed conditions are treated so that each particles lies as nearly as possible
in contact with a particle of the other ingredients
Mixing is defined as a process that tends to result in a randomization of dissimilar
particles within a system.
The term MIX means to put together in one mass,
Depending on their flow properties solids are divided into two classes as
cohesive
non cohesive.
Non cohesive solids
Non sticky, loose, sandy material which does not bond together very well.
For these materials mixing could be carried out by agitation, tumbling,
centrifugal action and impact forces.

Mixers
Mixers Mixers for non cohesive solids
Mixers for cohesive solids

Following are the mixers employed for these materials:

Ribbon Mixer
Tumbling Mixers
Impact wheels

Mixers for Noncohesive solids

Mixers for dry powders- Mixing is by slow speed agitation of the
mass with an impeller, by tumbling, or by centrifugal smearing and
impact. These mixers are of fairly light construction, and their power
consumption per unit mass of material mixed is moderate.
Ribbon blenders- Mixing of dry powders or granular solids is
important in a large number of industrial operations such as in the
manufacture of insecticides, fertilizers, packaged foods etc. Powder
mixers commonly employ mechanical shuffling or tumbling action
to affect random distribution of particles among each other. The
ribbon mixer utilizes two counteracting helical ribbons mounted on
the same central shaft inside a horizontal trough. Since the ribbons
are counteracting, one moves the solids slowly in one direction
whereas the other moves them quickly in the other direction and
mixing results from the turbulence induced by these counteracting
agitators. The operation may be batch wise or continuous. Ribbon
blenders are effective mixers for powders that do not flow readily.
The power they require is moderate.
A broad ribbon lifts and conveys the materials while a narrow one will cut through the
materials while conveying.

Suitable for light and finely divided materials.

Disadvantages:
2.Consumption of powder is more than that in tumbling.
3. Grinding of materials may occur.
4. It is not used for fragile particles

Tumbling mixers- The tumbling mixers are exactly similar to

tumbling mills except that they do not use any grinding media. For
example the tumbling barrels resemble ball mills without balls and
they effectively mix free-flowing dry powders. Tumbling mixers
may also contain internal sprays for introducing small amounts of
liquid into the mix or mechanically driven devices for breaking up
agglomerates of solids. They draw a little less power, ordinarily, than
ribbon mixers.
Tumbling mixers include mixers in which the vessel rotates, mixing the
feed to optimum levels.
The closed vessel rotating about its axis can handle heavy solids and
dense slurries through diffusion mixing. The shapes could include Vmixer, double cone, rotating cube etc.
Different shapes of tumbler mixer
The tumbler mixers are made of stainless steel and has of different designs such as 3
Cubical shape
V shape
Y shape
Cylindrical shape
Double cone shape

Y shaped tumbler mixer

Cubical shape tumbler mixer

Double cone shape tumbler mixer

BASIC PARTS, CONSTRUCTION, PRINCIPLE AND WORKING OF TUMBLER MIXER
Basic parts

It consists of metallic vessels in which the powders are mixed.

It consists of a electric motor for the rotation of the vessel.

It consists of baffles which are helpful in the mixing of the powders.

Working
The feed is moved into the vessel by the hopper present at the top of the vessel.
To achieve the fast blending the ingredients are loaded top to bottom instead of side to side.
The metallic vessel which rotates either manually or with the help of the electric motor.
In the rotation of the vessel the ingredients come over one another and the function of
mixing takes place.
For the mixing of the large bulk powders, the mixing of the powders is done in the vessel of
a suitable design along with the baffles which gives a thorough mixing.
The rotation of the vessel should be slow so that the powder does not remains stationary
against the side of the vessel held by the centrifugal force but lifted by baffles and falls over
continuously.
Tumblers typically operate at speeds of 5-25 rpm and have capacities of 0.5 - 200 ft3. They
can be filled to about 75% of their maximum capacity.
Types
The tumbler mixer is divided into two types based on the rotation or working of the vessel.
These are as follows: 3
1. Manual tumbler mixer
2. Automatic tumbler mixer
ADVANTAGES

Large volumes can be handled.

Shows greater production flexibility.

Easy of cleaning.

Wear on equipment is little.

Delicate particles can be mixed gently.

Very good or High quality control is possible.

Sticking of the powder particles can be avoided to the walls of the tumbler vessel.

DISADVANTAGES

Agglomerates cannot be break up by this tumbler mixer.

Cohesive mixtures cannot be handled

Continuous blending process cannot be adapted2

Impact wheels- resemble attrition mills and are widely used for
blending fine light powder such as insecticides. The feed mixture is
introduced continuously near the centre of the disk, either vertical or
horizontal, spinning at a very high speed. As a result, the solids are
thrown outwards into a stationary casing. The solids experience very
large shearing forces as they travel along the disk surface and
therefore they get blended thoroughly. To improve efficiency, the
product may be repeated recycled back to the mixer or a number of
units in series may be used.

Mixers for cohesive solids

Mixing of pastes and plastic masses- When the viscosity of the mix is very
large, then conventional impellers such as turbines, paddles etc become
unsuitable for doing the job. Highly sturdy and rugged mixing devices are
required for such viscous materials. The operation demands high power
consumption and due to the high viscosity of the mix there could be large
viscous dissipation of heat on the impeller.

Kneaders, dispersers and masticators

Kneading- is a method of mixing used with deformable or plastic
solids. It involves squashing the material flat, folding it back on
itself and then compressing it until the desired uniforming is
attained. Most kneading machines also tear the mass apart and shear
it between a moving blade and a stationary surface. Considerable
energy is required. Power requirement become very large.

Kneader Mixers

In internal mixers, the chamber is sealed during the working

time; making dispersions of feed in liquid usually water.
Example of such a type is Banbury mixer.
Disperser-is heavier in construction and draws more power than
kneader; it works additives and colouring agents into stiff material.
Masticators- is still heavier and draws even more power. It can
disintegrate scrap rubber and tough plastic masses. Masticators are
often called intensive mixers.

Pug mill- A pug mill consists of one or two shafts fitted with short,
heavy paddles mounted in a cylinder or trough which holds the
material being processed. The feed is introduced at one end and the
paddles push the material forward as they cut through it, thus
carrying the charge towards the discharge end as it is mixed. The
powder is discharged either through open ports or through extrusion
nozzles. Pug mills are often built with jackets for heating or cooling
and they find wide application in the ceramic industry for blending
and homogenizing clay products.

Pug Mill
A pug mill is a machine in which materials are simultaneously ground
and mixed with a liquid.
Industrial applications are found in pottery, bricks, cement and some
parts of the concrete mixing processes.
A pugmill consists of a lined mixing chamber with two horizontal shafts on
which several paddle shanks, each with two paddle tips, are mounted. The
paddle tips are adjustable and fairly easily replaced. The paddle areas are
adjusted to ensure there are no dead areas in the pugmill. A dead area is
a location where aggregates can accumulate out of reach of the paddles and
not be thoroughly mixed.

Some run their clay through the pugmill to make it easier to throw.
Their clay may be a little hard and they soften it some in the
process. But even without adding water, wheel throwers in
particular say the clay becomes easier to work with after running it
through the pugmill. When clay sits in a bag, it tends to dry out unevenly, and re-pugging evens
out the moisture levels. It also realigns the clay particles which makes throwing easier.
Of course this can also be accomplished by wedging the clay yourself. You have probably seen
that experienced potters usually wedge their clay when they take it out of the bag. Basically,
running the clay through the pugmill takes the place of the wedging process. And it is much easier
on the wrists. This is particularly important for those who throw a lot of clay or are older.
Another very common reason people purchase pugmills is to recycle scraps.
De-airing pugmills use a vacuum to suck air out of the clay.
Vacuums do tend to dry the clay out a little. And some potters don't like them because the vacuum is one more
thing to break. But if you have a de-airing pugmill, the vacuum can be turned on and off as desired.

Mixer-extruder- employs a continuous screw or screws that rotate in

a closely fitting barrel. The pitch of the screw changes along its
length. This helps in deaerating and compacting the material and
generating enough pressure to force the material through the
extrusion die. The material is subjected to shearing, rubbing and
kneading inside the barrel. As the mixing zone is of small cross
section and the movement of the material is essentially onedirectional, there is little volume blending. Mixer extruders are used
for extrusion of a large variety of materials starting from soft food
and chemical mixers to large tonnages of hard plastics and resins.

Mixing rolls- The double roll mixer is analogous to the

double roll crusher, except that the rolls are rotated at
different speeds. By repeated passes between such
mixing rolls, solid additives can be thoroughly dispersed
into pasty or stiff plastic materials. The chief application
of mixing rolls is for preparing colour pastes for the ink,
paint and surface coating industries.

Roll Mixing Mills are widely used for mixing and kneading raw rubber,
synthetic rubber, thermoplastics
The degree of mixing in mixing rolls is controlled by:

Muller mixer A muller gives a distinctly different

mixing action from that of the other machines. Mulling is
smearing or rubbing action similar to that in a mortar and
pestle. In industrial mixers, heavy muller wheels or
mixing plows roll over a layer of material contained in a
stationary pan. The rubbing or mulling action results
from the slip between the wheels and the solids.
Alternatively, the wheels may be held stationary and the
pan rotated or both the pan and the wheels may be driven
relative to each other.

Muller Mixers
The outward and inward relative slippage of a rotating muller wheel and the side slippage of the muller wheel
eccentrically mounted on the spindle are combined to efficiently demonstrate the "three principles for mulling
(kneading)" and produce quality mixtures.

Three principles for mulling

Kneading: The compressive action created by a muller wheel on the powder under pressure.

Spatulation: The powder rolling action created by the side slippage of a muller wheel

Smearing: The powder shearing action created by the slippage of a rotating muller wheel

Excellent kneading effect

A solid or liquid additive even in a small quantity can be uniformly dispersed to produce kneaded sand with lower
mass.
Other than for kneading,

the Mix Muller can be used for

increasing the bulk density of a material,

improving the fluidity, and

modifying the particle surface quality.