DIPLOMA ENGINEERING

N. G. PATEL POLYTECHNIC 637

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 05
MECHANICAL OPERATION (CEO-I) 320013

COMPILED BY:
Mr. M. B. DHANGAR
LECTURER IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT
N. G. PATEL POLYTECHNIC, ISROLI

Chapter IX: Mixing

Purpose of mixing solids and pastes:
The purpose of mixing is to produce a well mixed
product that has necessary properties like, visual
uniformity, high strength, uniform burning rate, or
other desired characteristics. A good mixer is one
that produces a well mixed product at lowest
overall cost.

Mixing Equipments

For rubbers, pastes and heavy plastic masses the agitator

must visit all the parts of the mixer, or the material must all
be brought to the agitator.

The action in a mixer can be described as a combination of

low-speed shear, smearing, wiping, folding, stretching, and
compressing.

These mixers are used for viscosity above 2000P.

Kneaders and mixer-extruders are used for thick pastes and

plastic masses.

Impact wheels are used for dry powders.

Other

mixers can be used for blending pastes, liquids,

 Factors considered in selection of

equipment:

Rate of mixing

For all the rate processes, the rate is directly proportional to the
driving force.
The mixing index, IS is a measure of how far mixing has proceeded
dI S
toward
equilibrium.
k (1 I S )
dt short time mixing, the rate of change of IS is directly proportional
For
Where,
to (1k -isISa),constant.
The equilibrium value of IS is 1.0 and driving force for mixing at any time can be
considered to be (1 - IS).
t

1
dt

0
k
t

IS

dI S
1 IS
IS ,0

1 I S ,0
1
ln

k
1 IS

Where,

I S ,0

1
n

With sample containing number of particles

=n

 Ribbon blender:

Ribbon mixer (blender)

It consists of a horizontal trough containing a

central shaft and a helical ribbon agitator.

Two counteracting ribbons are mounted on the

same shaft, one moving the solid slowly in one
direction, and the other moving it quickly in the
other.

The ribbon can be batch or continuous.

The mixing results from turbulence induced by

counteracting agitators, not from motion of
solids through the trough.

Ribbon blenders are effective for thin pastes and

for powders that do not flow readily.

The power required is moderate.

 Kneaders:

Kneaders

Kneaders

Double
armed
The universal mixing and kneading machine consists of two
counter rotating blades in a rectangular trough curved at the
bottom to form two longitudinal half cylinders and a saddle
section.

The blades are driven by gearing at either or both ends.

The mixing action is a combination of bulk movement, smearing,

stretching, folding, dividing, and recombining as the material is
pulled and squeezed against blades, saddle, and sidewalls. The
blades are pitched to achieve end-to-end circulation.

The blades may be tangential or overlapping. Tangential blades

are run at different speeds, with the advantages of faster mixing
from constant change of relative position, greater wiped heattransfer area per unit volume, and less riding of material above
the blades. Overlapping blades can be designed to avoid buildup

 Pug mill:

Pug mills

Mixing is done by blades or knives set in a helical pattern on a

horizontal shaft turning in an open trough or closed cylinder.

Solids continuously enter at one end of mixing chamber and

discharge from the other.

In the chamber, the material is cut, mixed, and moved forward to

be acted upon by each succeeding blades.

A double shaft open trough mill is used for rapid or more thorough
mixing.

The chamber of enclosed mills can be cylindrical or polygonal.

Pug mills are used to blend homogenize clays, break up

agglomerates in plastic solids, and mix liquids with solids to form
thick, heavy slurries.

They are built with jackets for heating or cooling.

 Banbury mixer:

Banbury mixers

Banbury mixers

It is used mainly in the plastics and rubber industries.

The top of the charge is confined by an air-operated ram cover

mounted so that it can be forced down on the charge.

The clearance between the rotors and the walls is extremely small,
and it is here that the mixing action takes place.

The shaft turns at 30 to 40 rpm.

The operation of the rotors of a Banbury at different speeds

enables one rotor to drag the stock against the rear of the other
and thus help clean ingredients from this area.

The friction produced in the mixer is more and hence cooling may
be required for heat sensitive materials

 Muller mixer:

Muller mixer

Mulling is smearing or rubbing action similar to

that in a mortar and pestle.

One design is, the pan is stationary and a central

vertical shaft is driven, causing the muller wheels
to roll in a circular path over a layer of solids on
the pan floor.

Second design is, the pan is rotated and wheels

are held stationary.

Third design is, the wheels are offset from center,

and both pan and wheels are rotated.

The action results from the slip of the wheels on

the solids.

Plows guide the solids under the muller wheels, or

to the discharge at the end of operation.

They are effective in uniform coating of solids,

 Calculation of mixing index:

Effectiveness of mixing and mixing index

Let the overall weight fraction of tracer in the

mix =
The number of samples taken = N
Mass fraction of tracer in each sample = xi
Average value of tracer concentration =
If mixing is not complete, xi will differ from
The standard deviation S, is
S

N
i 1

( xi x ) 2

N 1

x x iN1 xi

2
N
i 1 i

N 1

S diminishes to zero s mixing proceeds, so a low value means good mixing.

The ratio that increases with mixing is o (standard deviation at zero mixing)
to S (standard deviation after mixing) called mixing index, IP.
o (1 )
IP

( N 1) (1 )
iN1 xi2 x iN1 xi

REFERENCES:
Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering
Fifth Ed by Warren L. McCabe, Julian C.
Smith, Peter Harriott
page no 235-278
Unit Operations I
Tenth Ed by K. A. Gavhane
page no 111-127
All images are taken from Google image.