Chemical Engineering Science, Vol.207, 504-515, 2019
Linking power and flow in rotor-stator mixers
The relationship between power and flow characteristics of batch rotor-stator mixers has been studied using CFD simulations with experimental power validation. The mixer studied was the Silverson L5M batch mixer with the standard emulsor head. The size of the holes in the screen and the constriction of the base hole were changed in small increments. The MRF technique was used to model rotor rotation. A model is developed in this study which links the power and flow numbers of the mixer. Since power is easy to measure experimentally, one can use this model to predict the flow number by measuring torque. A second model is also developed which allows one to predict the flow number using solely the geometry of the mixing head. This study greatly enhances our understanding of the relationship between power, flow and mixer geometry in rotor-stator mixers. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.