Agitation purposes

SpiralTlevator Materials are moved upward by the centrally located spiral-type conveyor in a cylindrical or cone-shaped Nautamix vessel (Fig. 37c and d). Blending occurs by the downward movement at the outer walls of the vessel. The vessel serves the dual purposes of blending and storage. In these mixers the screw impeller actively agitates only a small portion of the mixture and natural circulation is used to ensure all the mixture passes through the impeller zone. In the case of Nautamix, an Archimedian screw lifts powder from the base of a conical hopper while progressing around the hopper wall. 

P perApplications. In beater additions, the latex is mixed with the beaten paper pulp either by addition at the beater or to the stock chest at the wet end of the paper machine. In either case, the pH of the pulp is reduced to 4.0—4.5, usually by the addition of a solution of alum to the pulp—latex mixture which has been thoroughly agitated. The latex, which for this appHcation must be based on an anionic emulsifier, coagulates as the pH drops. The latex soHds separate ia intimate associatioa with the pulp fibers. The pulp is thea screeaed and the paper web formed ia the coaveatioaal way. A latex for this purpose must possess the proper balance between mechanical and chemical stabiHty. 

Sodium Dispersions. Sodium is easily dispersed in inert hydrocarbons (qv), eg, white oil or kerosene, by agitation, or using a homogenizing device. Addition of oleic acid and other long-chain fatty acids, higher alcohols and esters, and some finely divided soHds, eg, carbon or bentonite, accelerate dispersion and produce finer (1—20 -lm) particles. Above 98°C the sodium is present as Hquid spheres. On cooling to lower temperatures, soHd spheres of sodium remain dispersed in the hydrocarbon and present an extended surface for reaction. Dispersions may contain as much as 50 wt % sodium. Sodium in this form is easily handled and reacts rapidly. For some purposes the presence of the inert hydrocarbon is a disadvantage. 

Item of Equipment An item of equipment is a hardware item that performs a specific purpose. Examples are pumps, heat exchangers, agitators, and the like. A process unit could consist of a single item of equipment, but most process units consist of several items of equipment that must be operated in harmony in order to achieve the function expec ted of the process unit. 

For estimating purposes without tests, a reasonable coefficient for ordinary drying, and without taking the product to absolute diyness, may be assumed at 17 = 50 J/(m s K) for rotaiy agitator diyers and 35 J/(m s K) for rotating units. 

Mixing in Agitated Vessels Agitated vessels may frequently be used for either batch or continuous service and for the latter may be sized to provide any holding time desired. They are useful for liquids of any viscosity up to 750 Pa s (750,000 cP), although in contacting two liquids for reaction or extraction purposes viscosities in excess of 0.1 Pa s (100 cP) are only rarely encountered. 

In the wet process, the clay is masticated in a pug mill to break up lumps and then dispersed with a dispersing aid and water to make a 40 percent solids slip of low viscosity. A hi -speed agitator such as a Cowles dissolver is used for this purpose. Sands are settled out, and then the clay is classified into two size fractious in either a Hydrosettler or a continuous Sharpies or Bird centrifuge. The fine fraction, with sizes of less than 1 [Lm, is used as a pigment and for paper coating, while the coarser fraction is used as a paper filler. 

An important purpose of agitation or mixing is to bring a number of materials together in a physically homogeneous mixture. Two or more fluids are either blended or dispersed as emulsions fluids and finely divided solids are dispersed as suspensions, gases dispersed as fluids, or soluble substances dissolved. Mixing of process fluids is reviewed in Chapter 7. 

Mixing of fluids is necessary in many chemical processes. It may include mixing of liquid vith liquid, gas with liquid, or solids with liquid. Agitation of these fluid masses does not necessarily imply any significant amount of actual intimate and homogeneous distribution of the fluids or particles, and for this reason mixing requires a definition of degree and/or purpose to properly define the desired state of the system. 

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