Impeller axial flow fluidfoil

Axial-Flow Fluidfoil Impellers For vessel volumes of 4 to 200 m (1000 to 50,000 gal), a turbine mixer mounted coaxiaUy within the vessel with four or more baffles should be the initial choice. Here also the vessel straight-side-height-to-diameter ratio should be 0.75 to 1.5. Four vertical baffles should be fastened perpendicularly to the vessel wall with a gap between baffle and wall equal to Df/24 and a radial baffle width equal to Df/12. 

Fluidfoil impellers Axial flow impellers in which the blade shape and profile is patterned after airfoil concepts. The blade normally has camber and has a twist in toward the shaft with a rounded leading edge to pro-... 

The fluidfoil impeller, shown in Fig. lc, is often designed to have about the same total pumping capacity as the axial flow turbine (Fig. la). However, the flow patterns are somewhat different. The fluidfoil impeller has an axial discharge, while the axial flow turbine discharge tends to deviate from axial flow by 20-45°. Nevertheless at the same total pumping capacity in the tank, the tank shear rates are approximately equal. However, the axial flow fluidfoil turbine requires between 50 and 75% of the power required by the axial flow turbine. This results in a... 

The fluidfoil impellers in large tanks require only two baffles, but three are usually used to provide better flow pattern asymmetiy. These fluidfoil impellers provide a true axial flow pattern, almost as though there was a draft tube around the impeller. Two or three or more impellers are used if tanks with high D/T ratios are involved. The fluidfoil impellers do not vortex vigorously even at relatively low coverage so that if gases or solids are to Be incorporated at the surface, the axial-flow turbine is often required and can be used in combination with the fluidfoil impellers also on the same shaft. 

Data are not currently available on the dispersion with the newer fluidfoil impellers, but they are often used in industrial mixer-settler systems to maintain dispersion when additional resonance time holdup is required, after an initial dispersion is made by a radial- or axial-flow turbine. 

FIGURE 1 Three typical impellers for low and medium viscosity (a) Axial flow, 45° blade (A200), (b) radial flow, disc turbine (R100), and (c) fluidfoil axial flow impeller (A300). 

The lower horsepower is an important factor in the efficient design of axial flow or fluidfoil impellers. Such lower horsepower must be considered in the efficient design involving fluid velocity and overall macroscale mixing phenomena. On the other hand, if the process involves a certain amount of microscale mixing, or certain amounts of shear rate, then the fluidfoil impeller may not be the best choice. 

One characteristic of these fluidfoil impellers is that they discharge a stream that is almost completely axial flow and they have a very uniform velocity across the discharge plane of the impeller. However, there is a tendency for these impellers to short-circuit the fluid to a relatively low distance above the impeller. Very careful consideration of the coverage over the impeller is important. If the impeller can be placed one to two impeller diameters offbottom, which means that mixing is not provided at low levels during draw off, these impellers offer an excellent flow pattern as well as considerable economies in shaft design. 

The fluidfoil impellers (shown in Fig. 18-2) usually give more flow for a given power level than the traditional axial- or radial-flow turbines. This is also thought to be an advantage since the heat-transfer surface itself generates the turbulence to provide the film coefficient and more flow should be helpful. This is true to a limited degree in jacketed tanks (Fig. 18-34), but in helical coils (Fig. 18-35), the... 

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