Axial-Flow Impellers

Axial-Flow Impellers Axial-flow impellers include all impellers in which the blade makes an angle of less than 90° with the plane of rotation. Propellers and pitched-blade turbines, as illustrated in Figs. 18-8 and 18-3, are representative axial-flow impellers. 

Turbulent impellers are classified as axial or radial flow impellers. Axial flow impellers cause the tank fluid to flow parallel to the impeller s rotation axis. Radial flow impellers cause the tank fluid to... 

Centrifugal pumps can also be classified by the design of the impeller. Centrifugal pumps may have radial-flow impellers, axial-flow impellers, and mixed-flow impellers (both radial-flow and axial-flow). 

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-... 

Frame-mounted ANSIB73.1 Wet-pit volute Axial flow impeller (propeller) volute type (horizontal or vertical)... 

FIG. 6-39 Typical stirred tank configurations, showing time-averaged flow patterns for axial flow and radial flow impellers. From Oldshue, Fluid Mixing Technology, McGraw-Hill, New Yo7 k, 1983.)... 

Axial-Flow Transverse-Momentum Mass Flowmeter This type is also referred to as an augiilar-momeutum mass flowmeter. One embodiment of its principle involves the use of axial flow through a driven impeller aud a turbine in series. The impeller imparts augiilar momentum to the fluid, which in turn causes a torque to be imparted... 

Figure 10-35 shows the schematic of specific-speed variation for different types of pumps. The figure clearly indicates that, as the specific speed increases, the ratio of the impeller outer diameter Di to inlet or eye diameter Do decreases, tending to become unity for pumps of axial-flow type. 

There are three types of mixing flow patterns that are markedly different. The so-called axial-flow turbines (Fig. 18-3) actually give a flow coming off the impeller of approximately 45°, and therefore have a recirculation pattern coming back into the impeller at the hub region of the blades. This flow pattern exists to an approximate Reynolds number of 200 to 600 and then becomes radial as the Reynolds number decreases. Both the RlOO and A200 impellers normally require four baffles for an effective flow pattern. These baffles typically are V12 of the tank diameter and width. 

FIG. 18-5 The solidity ratio for four different impellers of the axial-flow fluid-foil type. 

With axial-flow impellers, an angular off-center position may be used. The impeller is mounted approximately 15° from the vertical, as shown in Fig. 18-14. 

For Reynolds numbers greater than 2000 baffles are commonly used with turbine impelTers and with on-centerhne axial-flow impellers. The flow patterns illustrated in Figs. 18-15 and 18-16 are quite different, but in both cases the use of Baffles results in a large top-to-bottom circulation without vortexing or severely unbalanced fluid forces on the impeller shaft. 

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. 

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. 

There is the possibihty of misinterpretation of the difference between circulation time and blend time. Circulation time is primarily a function of the pumping capacity of the impeller. For axial-flow impellers, a convenient parameter, but not particularly physically accurate, is to divide the pumping capacity of the impeller by the cross-sectional area of the tank to give a superficial hquid velocity. This is sometimes used by using the total volume of flow from the impeller including entrainment of the tank to obtain a superficial hquid velociW. 

High-Viscosity Systems A axial-flow impellers become radial flow as Reynolds numbers approach the viscous region. Blending in... 

Axial-flow turbines are often used in blendiug pseudoplastic materials, and they are often used at relatively large D/T ratios, from 0.5 to 0.7, to adequately provide shear rate in the majority of the batch particularly in pseudoplastic material. These impellers develop a flow pattern which may or may not encompass an entire tank, and these areas of motion are sometimes referred to as caverns. Several papers describe the size of these caverns relative to various types of mixing phenomena. An effec tive procedure for the blending of pseudoplastic fluids is given in Oldshue (op. cit.). 

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. 

J. Y. Oldshiie, T. A. Post, R. J. Weetman, Comparison of Mass Transfer Characteristics of Radial and Axial Flow Impellers, BHRA Proc. 6th European Conf. on Mixing, 5/88. 

Use an impeller inducer. An impeller inducer looks like a corkscrew device that fits onto the center hub of the primary impeller and extends down the suction throat of the pump. It is actually a small axial flow impeller that accelerates the fluid toward the primarv impeller from further down the suctittn throat of the pump. Some inducers bolt onto the impeller and others are cast into the main impeller. The inducer has a low NPSHr for the system feeding it, and it increases the Ha to the primary impeller. 

The pump impeller receives the pumped liquid and imparts velocity to it with help from the electric motor, or driver. The impeller itself looks like a modified boat or airplane propeller. Actually, boat propellers are axial flow impellers. Airplane propellers are axial flow impellers also, except that they are adapted to handle air. 

The two types of turbines—axial-flow and radial-inflow turbines—can be divided further into impulse or reaction type units. Impulse turbines take their entire enthalpy drop through the nozzles, while the reaction turbine takes a partial drop through both the nozzles and the impeller blades. 

---