Print page

Home » Automation IT » How do we calculate unbalanced horizontal load, amplitude and mass movement?

Print page

How do we calculate unbalanced horizontal load, amplitude and mass movement?

Q: We have a mixing vessel (diameter 2,000 mm , height 2,200 mm, weight 4,000 kg). It is an anchor type mixer -- length 1,900 mm (tip blade 2no.,180D, diameter 11 in., 2nd step 800 mm - blade 2no.,180D, perpendicular to associate steps, diameter 9 in., 3rd step 1,600 mm - blade 2no.,180D, diameter 6 in.);140 rpm; 3no. baffle 120D spacing.

We mix sulphuric acid (sp. gr. 1.80) = 5,000 kg, LAB (sp. gr.0.85) = 2,500 kg, water =1,000 kg.

How do we calculate unbalanced horizontal load, amplitude of the vessel, and mass movement of inertia for proposed 4 lug support?

A:

I will provide my answer based on my best understanding of the questions and conditions:
 
Tank Diameter: 2,000 mm
Tank Straight-Side Height:  2,200 mm
Weight: (tank? or contents?) 4,000 kg (makes no difference on the answer)
 
Sulfuric Acid:
    100 cp (sufficient estimate)
    1.8 sp. gr. (specified - max. value for design)
 
Bottom Impeller:  Anchor Type (contoured to bottom of tank) Diameter: 1,900 mm, 2 blades, 11 inches wide (?)

Middle Impeller: Diameter: 800 mm, 2 blades, 9 inches wide (mounted at 90 degrees to bottom impeller - makes no difference in the answer)

Top Impeller: Diameter 1600 mm, 2 blades, 6 inches wide (mounted at 90 degrees to middle impeller - makes no difference in the answer)
 
Rotational Speed, not specified, but critically important:  Estimated speed 0.25 revolutions per second -- based on reasonable mixing intensity
 
Motor Power: Not specified but estimated at 7.5 KW.    Motor power should be the design basis for mixer load on impellers.
 
Worst case design scenario assumes that impellers will occasionally operate at the liquid level as tank is either filled or emptied, necessitating a high horizontal load on the upper impeller.  Same higher load expected on lower impellers, but only when liquid level is below upper impeller.
 
Shaft design, support forces, and moment of inertia all depend on impeller locations (distance from support), none of which were specified in question:
 
Estimated horizontal forces:
Upper Impeller: 924 Newtons
Middle Impeller: 39 Newtons
Bottom Impeller: 477 Newtons
 
For a more detailed explanation, I suggest reading Chapter 21, Mechanical Design of Mixing Equipment, in "Handbook of Industrial Mixing," (John Wiley, 2004).
 
Complete answer and explanation would require more complete information about impeller sizes, blade widths, location with respect to mounting, rotational speed, and motor power.  Probably would necessitate drawings or much more information and a design study on fee basis.

Here are more of the latest questions on: Mixing

How do I select the optimal location for an impeller inside a tank?
I am new to tank mixing and I have a question about selecting the optimal location (and orientation) for an impeller inside a tank. I am dealing with a tank that contains very light materials (0.7 and 0.8 SG). The contents have been sitting in the tank and are stratified. Please let me know if there is some sort of general process for selecting the proper impeller position.

The tank is 120 ft. in diameter, 45 ft. high. It is allowed to only have one mixer. The first layer of material has a specific gravity of 0.75 is 32 ft. high. The second layer of the tank has a specific gravity of 0.67 and is 10 ft. high; making the total contents of the tank 42 ft. high. The purpose of the mixer is to have complete mixing within 6 hours.

Is a UDIF impeller suitable?
We have been using a UDIF agitator for emulsion polymerization mixing for 1cp to 8,000 cp. Is this type of agitator suitable for mixing?

What kind of agitator is suitable for a range of viscosities?
Our process dissolves several types of polymers in appropriate solvents. During the solving process, the viscosity might reach to the value of 8,000 cp. Our vessel dimension is 30 cm in diameter and 70 cm in height. What kind of agitator is suitable for this purpose?

What is the best way to approach gas-gas mixing?
I want to mix two low viscous gas streams in laminar regime. I am planning to mix them by passing through a pipe filled with spherical pebbles or some structured packing. I want to calculate the length required for the mixing expected. My required process stream details are as follows:

Q = 1Nm3/hr
He= 0.99
H2= 0.01
P= 1.2 bar
Dia of pipe = 1/2 inch
Temp= 25 degrees C

I have gone through the text book "Handbook of Industrial Mixing." But that textbook has procedure for only commercially available static mixers. Please guide me through the design. Is dispersion model helpful in finding the length? If so, how?

We would like to have a general idea of pumping number for our reactors. Can you help us with blend-time calculations?
To characterize one of the reactors at plant scale, we use the discoloration method. The parameters for the mixing time are calculated based according to the following formula:

t_mix= K/(aN(D/T)^b (T/Z)^0.5 )
N = impeller speed
D = diameter stirrer
T = diameter tank
Z = liquid height
The divisor is known as Kmix

Because we don't really know the uniformity (U) reached with this method we don't replace K with

K = -ln (1-U)

But get the best fit for K, a and b by means of the least square method. It is known that the pumping number can be determined by

N_Q= (Vk_mix)/(ND^3 )

We would like to have a general idea of pumping number for our reactors. So if we would like to deviate the pumping number from the above method would it be correct that for T=Z (so at a fixed volume based on the reactor geometry) we use the following formula.

N_Q= (VaN(D/T)^b)/(ND^3 )

Working in a turbulent regime, this result in a constant pumping number related to the tank geometry. Would the above approach be correct to compare pumping and mixing time capabilities of different reactor set ups? I think that not working at a fixed uniformity results in a gap in the above approach.

Back to Ask the Experts

More content on this topic:

Featured Sponsor