For suspensions

A very suitable apparatus for semi-micro steam-distillation, particularly for suspensions that are likely to bump badly, is showm in Fig. 44. This consists of a 50 ml. Kjeldahl flask, clamped at an angle of 45°, and fitted with a long glass tube for the inlet of steam. The Outlet-tube is bent twice, first at 135° and then at 45° as shown, and fitted into a small water-condenser. 

A fourth mechanism is called sweep flocculation. It is used primarily in very low soflds systems such as raw water clarification. Addition of an inorganic salt produces a metal hydroxide precipitate which entrains fine particles of other suspended soflds as it settles. A variation of this mechanism is sometimes employed for suspensions that do not respond to polymeric flocculants. A soHd material such as clay is deUberately added to the suspension and then flocculated with a high molecular weight polymer. The original suspended matter is entrained in the clay floes formed by the bridging mechanism and is removed with the clay. 

After firing, the powder is washed in water typically with a small amount of complexing agent such as ethylenediarninetetraacetic acid (EDTA), sodium EDTA, or a weak acid such as citric acid to remove the excess chloride, volatile antimony oxychlorides which have recondensed on the phosphor during cooling, and manganese compounds which are not incorporated in the halophosphate lattice. The powder is then ready for suspension. 

The criterion of maintaining equal power per unit volume has been commonly used for dupHcating dispersion qualities on the two scales of mixing. However, this criterion would be conservative if only dispersion homogeneity is desired. The scale-up criterion based on laminar shear mechanism (9) consists of constant > typical for suspension polymerization. The turbulence model gives constant tip speed %ND for scale-up. 

The original wartime process was mn batchwise in reactors similar to those used for suspension polymerization. Since then, in many plants, the reactors have been hooked together as a series of continuous stirred tanks. 

Solution Polymerization. In solution polymerization, a solvent for the monomer is often used to obtain very uniform copolymers. Polymerization rates ate normally slower than those for suspension or emulsion PVC. Eor example, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, and sometimes maleic acid are polymerized in a solvent where the resulting polymer is insoluble in the solvent. This makes a uniform copolymer, free of suspending agents, that is used in solution coatings (99). 

Raw material for dry process plants is ground in closed-circuit ball mills with air separators, which may be set for any desired fineness. Drying is usually carried out in separate units, but waste heat can be utilized directiy in the mill by coupling the raw mill to the kiln. Autogenous mills, which operate without grinding media are not widely used. For suspension preheater-type kilns, a roUer mill utilizes the exit gas from the preheater to dry the material in suspension in the mill. 

For suspension of free-settling particles, circulation of pseudoplastic slurries, and heat transfer or mixing of miscible liqiiids to obtain uniformity, a speed of 3.50 or 420 r/min should be stipulated. For dispersion of dry particles in hquids or for rapid initial mixing of hquid reactants in a vessel, an 11.50- or 1750- r/min propeller should be used at a distance Df/4 above the vessel bottom. A second propeller can be added to the shaft at a depth below the hquid surface if the submergence of floating hquids or particiilate solids is other wise inadequate. Such propeller mixers are readily available up to 2.2 kW (3 hp) for off-center sloped-shaft mounting. 

For suspension of rapidly setthng particles, the impeller turbine diameter should be Df/3 to Dfl2. A clearance of less than one-seventh of the fluid depth in the vessel should be used between the lower edge of the turbine blade tips and the vessel bottom. As the viscosity of a suspension increases, the impeller diameter should be increased. This diameter may be increased to 0.6 Df and a second impeller added to avoid stagnant regions in pseudoplastic slurries. Moving the baffles halfway between the impeller periphery and the vessel wall will also help avoid stagnant fluid near the baffles. 

Figure 12.7. Typical polymerisation vessel suitable for suspension or emulsion polymerisation of...

Hydroxy propyl cellulose, like methyl cellulose, is soluble in cold water but not in hot, precipitating above 38°C. It was introduced by Hercules in 1968 (Klucel) for such uses as adhesive thickeners, binders, cosmetics and as protective colloids for suspension polymerisation. The Dow company market the related hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (Methocel) and also produce in small quantities a hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose. 

Propeller mixers are used for mixing liquids with viscosities up to 2,000 cp. They are suitable for the formation of low-viscosity emulsions, for dissolving applications and for liquid-phase chemical reactions. For suspensions, the upper limit of particle size is 0.1 to 0.5 mm, with a maximum dry residue of 10%. 

Figure 5-5T. Standard six-blade vertical curved blade turbine impeller. Gives good efficiency per unit of horsepower for suspensions, mixing fibrous materials. Gives high pumping capacity. Courtesy of Philadelphia Gear Corp.

Operations such as blending, solids-suspension, dissolving, heat transfer and liquid-liquid extraction are typical of systems requiring high flow relative to turbulence, while gas-liquid reactions and some liquid-liquid contacting require high turbulence relative to flow. The case of (1) 100% of suspension—requires head to keep particles suspended and (2) 100% uniformity of distribution of particles—requires head for suspension plus flow for dis-tiibution. 

This is obvious for the simplest case of nondeformable anisotropic particles. Even if such particles do not change the form, i.e. they are rigid, a new in principle effect in comparison to spherical particles, is their turn upon the flow of dispersion. For suspensions of anisodiametrical particles we can introduce a new characteristic time parameter Dr-1, equal to an inverse value of the coefficient of rotational diffusion and, correspondingly, a dimensionless parameter C = yDr 1. The value of Dr is expressed via the ratio of semiaxes of ellipsoid to the viscosity of a dispersion medium. 

In experiments with bubble-columns containing suspended sand particles with average diameter 0.12 mm, an increase in heat-transfer coefficient was observed with increasing sand concentration, maximum values of 6000 kcal/m2-hr-°C being measured for suspensions containing 50% sand (based on the liquid volume). 

For suspensions of kieselguhr in water and oil, the following correlations were developed, in which the Nusselt and Reynolds numbers are based on the length of the heating element ... 

For suspensions of coarse particles The value calculated for the carrier fluid flowing alone at the mixture velocity is used. 

Because of the difficulties of presses with HIPS cited earlier, it is usual to transfer the syrup to a suspension reactor containing water and a suspending agent for the completion of polymerization. Design problems for suspension reactors will be discussed in the next section. Design problems for HIPS prepoly batch-mass reactors are analogous to HIPS continuous reactors as discussed in Section 2.3. 

The practical aspects of stabilizing agents for suspensions are of great importance to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The following... 

For suspensions primarily stabilized by a polymeric material, it is important to carefully consider the optimal pH value of the product since certain polymer properties, especially the rheological behavior, can strongly depend on the pH of the system. For example, the viscosity of hydrophilic colloids, such as xanthan gums and colloidal microcrystalline cellulose, is known to be somewhat pH- dependent. Most disperse systems are stable over a pH range of 4-10 but may flocculate under extreme pH conditions. Therefore, each dispersion should be examined for pH stability over an adequate storage period. Any... 

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