MIXING

Festijo, John Eivhon F.

ChE-5201
 MULTIPLE
IMPELLERS
Multiple Rushton Turbines without
Gassing
RushtonTurbines standard impeller in
the bioprocessing industry
They produce a radial discharge stream
and generate independent large-scale
circulation loops in low-viscosity fluids
Thepower required by multiple impellers
can be estimated using the following
equation:
(eq 1)
Pn power required by n impellers
P1 power required by a single impeller
Other Impeller Combinations
without Gassing
Upper impeller generates strong downward flow that enters the
lower impeller axially from the top
Lower Rushton turbine generates an outward radial jet, which
divides into two streams near the wall
Foroperation without gassing and with individual impellers spaced
at least one impeller diameter apart, Eq. 1 provides a reasonable
basis for estimating the power required by combinations of radial-
and axial-flow impellers or multiple axial-flow turbines.
Multiple-Phase Operation
When gassing is required in vessels with impellers, Rushton or
curved-blade disc turbines are often used in the lowest position
closest to the sparger because of their superior ability to handle
gas compared with axial-flow turbines.
Combining hydrofoil or pitched-blade impellers above a Rushton
turbine is very effective in aerated systems
Theuse of multiple impellers may improve the uniformity of
particle concentration throughout the tank
RETROFITTING
 Importantrequirement for retrofitting is that neither the agitator
drive nor the drive assembly be modified.
Retrofitting
is carried out so that the power draw and torque in the
new stirrer system are the same as for the old stirrer.
For operation in turbulent regime,
=
Effect of Rheological Properties on
Mixing
For effective mixing, flow must be turbulent
Nonturbulent flow and poor mixing occurs during agitation of
highly viscous fluids
Mostnon-Neotonian fluids in bioprocessing are pseudo plastic.
Their rheological behavior varies with the shear conditions in the
fermenter.
Pseudoplastic
fluids are shear-thinning, their apparent viscosity
decreases with increasing shear.
Role of Shear in Stirred
Fermenters
In
turbulent flow, unsteady velocity components associated with
eddies give rise to additional fluctuating velocity gradients that are
superimposed on the mean flow
Turbulent Shear stress also varies considerably with time and
position in the fluid.
Studies with Animal Cell Cultures
Cell injury and loss are significant problems in large-scale culture.
Anchorage dependent the cells must be attached to a solid
surface for survival
Mechanisms postulated to cause cell damage in bioreactors:
Interaction between cells and turbulent eddies
Collisions between cells or between microcarrier beads, collision of
cells with the impeller, and collision of cells with stationary surfaces in
the vessel
Interaction between cells and shear forces in the boundary layers and
wakes near solid objects in the reactor, especially the impeller
Interaction between cells and the mechanical forces associated with
formation of bubbles at the sparger and bubble rise through the liquid
Interaction between cells and bursting bubbles at the liquid surface