Today I am presenting the gist of my technical paper on "Motor rating calculations

for slurry mixing agitators in Alumina refinery" which has been published recently
in aluminium issue of the magazine "Minerals & Metals Review" (page 30
and 31 in MMR, August 2011 issue).
In various technical forums, process experts as well as equipment manufacturers
have opined that the design of agitators for mixing bauxite, residue and hydrate
in Alumina refinery is complicated and tricky issue. In this paper, we will discuss
the subject with brief description of involved terminology, associated design
parameters and methodology with sample motor rating calculations for the slurry
mixing agitator of a Pre-desilication tank of Alumina refinery.
Method to arrive at motor rating:
Impeller power for slurry mixing agitator is calculated using following
mathematical relationsImpeller Power, P = N * *N3 * D5/(16*104) h.p.
Where D = Diameter of impeller in meters,
N = Revolution per minute for impeller,
N = Power number for impeller and
= Specific gravity of slurry.
Sample calculations:
Simplified calculations to arrive at the motor rating for the agitator of Predesilication tank of around 3000 m3gross capacity with realistic assumptions
have been presented belowFluid Height in Tank , H = 16 m and Diameter of tank, D = 14 m
Slurry volume in tank = *D2*H/4 = * (14)2*16 /4 = 2463 m3
Solid consistency in Slurry = 50 % (w/w), Specific gravity of slurry, = 1.602,
Viscosity of slurry, = 550 cp
Agitator Impeller Diameter, D= 33 % of tank diameter = 14 * 33% m = 4.62 m
Tip speed of Impeller = 290 m/minute,

Drive motor RPM = 1500 rpm.

Gear Box Reduction Ratio = 75

∴ Agitator RPM, N = Drive Motor RPM/Gear Box Reduction Ratio = 1500/75
= 20 rpm
Flow Number N = 0.56 and Power Number,

N = 0.51 (assumed figures)

∴ Pumping Capacity = N * N * D3 m3/minute

= 0.56 * 20 * (4.62)3 = 1104.44 m3/min. = 18.41 m3/sec.
Area of Tank

= * D2 = *(14)2 / 4 = 153.94 m2

Bulk fluid Velocity

= pumping capacity/area of tank

= 1104.44 / 153.94= 7.18 m/min.= 23.55 ft./min.

Degree of Agitation = bulk fluid velocity / 6
(For 6 ft/min., degree of agitation =1 and Degree of agitation varies from 0 to 10)
= 23.55 / 6 = 3.93 ~ 4
Annular Area = * (D2- D2 ) /4
Where D = Diameter of tank

and

D= Diameter of impeller in meters.

= 3.14 * (142 (4.622) / 4 = 137.18 m2

Rising velocity of particles = pumping capacity / annular area
= 1104.44 / 137.18 = 8.051 m/min. = 0.1342 m/sec.
Tank Turnover rate = Pumping capacity / tank capacity
= 1104.44 / 2463 = 0.45 times / min.
Power Number N
Shaft Power,

= 0.51

= N* *(D)5 * N3 /(16 *104)

Where N = Impeller power no.,

Shaft RPM,

D = Diameter of impeller in meters,

N = revolutions per minute

∴ Shaft Power, P = 0.51 * 1.602 * (4.402)5 * 203 / (16 *104) = 85.98 h.p.
Taking Gear Box Efficiency = 80% and Drive Motor Efficiency = 95%,
Design margin

= 1.15

∴ Drive Motor Rating = 1.15 * 85.98/(0.80 * 0.95) =130 h.p. = 97.0 kW.
Thus the drive motor of about 100 kW shall be adequate for successful
operation of agitator of 3000 m3 capacity Pre-desilication tank in
Alumina refinery.
Rajendra Kunwar