BOTSWANA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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UNIT OPERATIONS 1, CHEE 220

TUTORIAL 3

QUESTION 1 ( Go through class example for solution, only values have changed)

A flat blade turbine agitator with disk having six blades is installed in a tank. The tank diameter D t is
1.95 m, the turbine diameter Da is 0.59 m, Dt = H, and the width W is 0.118 m. The tank contains four
baffles, each having a width J of 0.1625 m. The turbine is operated at 110 rpm and the liquid in the tank
has a viscosity of 10 cp and a density of 929 kg/m3.

a) Calculate the power required kWh of the mixer.

b) Using the existing conditions for the turbine with a disk as in Example 1 part (a), do as
follows:
i) Calculate the mixing time
ii) Calculate the mixing time for a smaller vessel with a similar geometric ratio,
where Dt is 0.50 m instead of 1.95 m. Do this for the same power per unit volume
as used in part (a).
iii) Using the same mixing time calculated for the smaller vessel in part (b), calculate
the new power per unit volume for the larger vessel in part (a)

QUESTION 2 (Slide 29)

A paddle agitator is used in a tank of 1.95m diameter with heating coils to heat a liquid which is at
300K. The agitator is 0.59 m in diameter rotating at 100rpm. Hot water is used in the heating coil. The
wall surface temperature is a constant at 357.2K. The fluid has the following bulk fluid properties:

ρ = 961kg/m3 cp = 250 J/Kg.K k= 0.173 W/m.K

µ= 1.00 Pa.s at 300 K and 0.082 Pa.s at 357.2K

Calculate the heat transfer coefficient given the following expression with the following dimensionless
numbers:

ℎ𝐷𝑡
= 0.87NRe0.65 NPr 1/3 (µ/ µw)0.4
𝑘
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QUESTION 3

A local pharmaceutical manufacturing facility is experimenting on a new version of body lotion. To

facilitate this, the facility mechanical engineers installed an impeller with 6 flat blades in a tank with a
diameter of 3 metres with no baffles. The diameter of the disk turbine made from the impellers is 0.5
metres and is positioned 1.0 metres above the bottom of the tank. The turbine blades are 100 mm wide.
The tank is filled to a depth of 3 metres with a body lotion preparation base at 30°C. Desired properties
were attained at impeller speeds of 120 rpm. The quality assurance laboratory has provided the
following properties for this base at 30°C:

Density = 1600kg/m3
Viscosity = 3.2 Pa.s
a) Calculate the power required to turn the impeller.

As the plant’s Process Engineer, you are given a task of scaling up this process to acquire the same
properties in a similar larger vessel with a diameter of 5 metres if available. Advise the plant
management on the following:

b) The required turbine diameter for the larger vessel

c) What will be the required impeller speed in the larger vessel for equal rates of mass transfer?

Solution:

The Power curves may also be used for the same impellers in unbaffled tanks when NRe is 300 or less.

i. Power Requirement
′
𝐷𝑎2 𝑁𝜌 (0.5)2 (120⁄60)(1600)
𝑁𝑅𝑒 = =
𝜇 3.2

𝑁𝑅𝑒 = 250

𝐷𝑎 0.5
𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑒 = = 5; 𝑁𝑝 = 4
𝑊 0.1

𝑃 = 𝑁𝑝 𝜌𝑁 3 𝐷𝑎 5
𝑃 = 4(1600)(2)3 (0.5)5
𝑃 = 1600𝑊 ≈ 1.6𝑘𝑊
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ii. Turbine diameter

𝐷𝑡2 5
𝑅=( )=( )
𝐷𝑡1 3
𝑅 = 1.667

𝐷𝑎2 = 𝑅𝐷𝑎1 = 1.667 × 0.5𝑚

𝐷𝑎2 = 0.8334𝑚

iii. Required impeller speed

𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛 = 2⁄3

1 𝑛 𝐷𝑇1 𝑛
𝑁2 = 𝑁1 ( ) = 𝑁1 ( )
𝑅 𝐷𝑇2

2 2
1 3 3 3
𝑁2 = (2) ( ) = (2) ( )
1.667 5

𝑁2 = 1.423 𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠

QUESTION 4

An agitation unit consists of a 9inch diameter, 6 blade open turbine (pitched blade at 450) in a tank
30inches in diameter, with 4 baffles. The baffles are such that Dt/J=12. The unit is filled to a height of
30inches with a fluid of viscosity 10cp and specific gravity 1.1. If the agitator turns at 300rpm, calculate
the power in SI units. (1 inch= 0.0254m). Use curve 3.

1000𝑘𝑔
𝜌𝑙 = 𝑆. 𝑔 × 𝜌𝑤 = 1.1 × = 1100𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
𝑚3

300𝑟𝑝𝑚
𝑣= = 5𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠
60

𝐷𝑎2 𝑁𝜌
𝑁𝑅𝑒 =
𝜇
(9 ∗ 0.0254)2 × 5 × 1100
=
0.01
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= 2.87 × 104

Using curve 3, Np is 1.4

𝑃 = 𝑁𝑝 𝜌𝑁 3 𝐷𝑎5
= 1.4 × 1100 × 53 (9 ∗ 0.0254)5
= 120𝐽/𝑠(0.12𝑘𝑊)