Quantitative characterization of mixing of dry powders in V-blenders

• Published in: AIChE journal 1998-02, Vol.44 (2), p.271-278
• Main Authors: Brone, Dean, Alexander, Albert, Muzzio, F. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Solid-solid mixing; Solid-solid systems
• ISSN: 0001-1541; 1547-5905
• DOI: 10.1002/aic.690440206

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of rotation rate, fill level, and total number of revolutions on the mixing performance of a V‐blender. The experiments were performed using 66‐μm red and green glass beads. Mixture uniformity was quantified after each experiment by infiltrating the mixtures with a binder, and using image analysis to examine slices of the solidfied mixture. The mixing rate (as a function of total revolutions) was not affected by changing the rotation rate between 8 and 24 rpm. The mixing rate increased significantly as the fill percentage was decreased from 60% to 40% of the total vessel volume. In a symmetric blender such as a V‐blender, the rate of mixing is limited by the rate of mass transfer across the vessel plane of symmetry orthogonal to the axis of rotation. A one‐parameter model based on the amount of material that crossed the plane of symmetry per revolution displayed good agreement with the experimental data.