2009 Volume 42 Issue 11 Pages 797-803
The mixing performance of the Superblend coaxial mixer consisting of a Maxblend® impeller and a helical ribbon mounted on two independently actuated coaxial shafts are experimentally investigated. The work focuses on the effect of the rotating modes (co- and counter-rotating) in the laminar, transition and turbulent flow regimes, and the performance is compared with previously studied dual shaft coaxial mixers. Power consumption and mixing time experiments using a discoloration technique have been conducted using Newtonian aqueous solutions of corn syrup. Based on mixing efficiency criteria, this study confirms that the co-rotating mode consistently yields the best results in the laminar and early transition regimes. Recent power correlations introduced by our group for coaxial mixers have been tested for their applicability and they are proven to be readily applicable for the Superblend. This work demonstrates the remarkable efficiency of the Superblend and its superiority when compared to standard coaxial mixers based on different mixing efficiency criteria.
