PROPER DESIGN OF A ROUND ANCHOR AGITATOR

I.N. Karasev and S. Y a . Gzovskii UDC 66. 063.8-404. 2

Viscous fluids a r e mixed efficiently with the aid of anchor agitators, which are widely used in such
p r o c e s s e s as sulfurization nitration, etc. Two f l o w p a t t e r n s t a k e shape in the operation of round anchor
agitators in a h e m i s p h e r e - b o t t o m e d v e s s e l where the liquid agitated has viscosity ranging up to 500 cP:
eddy flow and Jrrotational flow,
Theoretically, it is easy to p r o v e that the power expended in mixing operations using either an
anchor m i x e r at r = R 0 (Fig. 1), or an anchor agitator with a solid paddle, and also the volumes of liquid
swept p e r second when either of the two types of anchor agitators is used, are identical.
The m a x i m u m bending m o m e n t due to external f o r c e s acting on one paddle blade in a two-bladed
round solid-paddle anchor agitator (r = 0), equal to the m a x i m u m bending moment acting on one blade
of a two-bladed round anchor agitator such that r = R0, can be found
f r o m the f o r m u l a :

" ~- R0 '

~xxx
w h e r e M. I and Mu~ are r e s p e c t i v e m a x i m u m bending m o m e n t s for a
-_z_ ----= round s o ~ d - p a d d l e anchor agitator and for a round anchor agitator
such that r = R o ; PL is the density of the agitated liquid; co is the
paddle-blade angular velocity; As= R 2 - R02; C = cot R2 is the circulation
rate; co~ is the angular velocity of the liquid in the c o r e of the eddy
c r o s s section.
The power used up in the mixing p r o c e s s is determined by the
usual formulas.
Fig. 1. Round anchor The total volume of agitated liquid swept p e r second by the
agitator. types of paddle blades mentioned can be determined f r o m the f o r m u l a

Q~:Q~=2[-~-C(RIn R+A A)]

where Qt and Q2 are the volumes of liquid r e s p e c t i v e l y agitated by a

0 200 ~ 600~,cP
Fig. 2. The ratio r / R as a
function of the v i s c o s i t y #
of agitated liquid: 1) curve
giving limiting r / R r a t i o s
at which blade slippage in
the eddy c o r e zone disap-
p e a r s ; 2) curve giving r / R
ratios for round anchor agi-
tator of type r = R 0.
T r a n s l a t e d f r o m Khimicheskoe i Neftyanoe Mashinostroenie, No. 10, pp. 6-7, October, 1966.
round solid-blade anchor agitator and a round r = R 0 type anchor
agitator.
The radii of the eddy c r o s s section core R 0 can be found in the
l i t e r a t u r e for liquids of different v i s c o s i t y [I. N. Karasev, S. Ya.
Gzovskii. Khimicheskoe i Neftyanoe Mashinostroenie, No.6 (1964)].
The investigation of the p e r f o r m a n c e of round anchor agitators
in a h e m i s p h e r e - b o t t o m e d v e s s e l revealed that there is p r a c t i c a l l y
no slippage of the agitator blade in the eddy c o r e zone when r = R 0.
Experiments were c a r r i e d out in an agitated v e s s e l 200 m m in
diameter. The v i s c o s i t y of the test liquids ranged f r o m 1 to 500 cP
inclusive. Curve 1 (Fig. 2) can be used to find the limiting blade
width h for round anchor agitators, depending on the v i s c o s i t y of the
agitated liquid. If the 'L
design ratio r / R lies on c u r v e 1 o r below,
then we can a s s u m e Wt/w equal to 1. Curve 2, based on empirical
r / R ratios for round r = R 0 type anchor agitators, lies below curve 1.
col=w for all points of curve 2, of course.

631
 T h e s e e x p e r i m e n t s showed that, given the s a m e a g i t a t o r shaft r p m , each of the b l a d e s t e s t e d
d r o v e the s t r e a m of a g i t a t e d liquid to the s a m e h y d r o d y n a m i c a l s t a t e c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y the p r o f i l e of the
funnel f o r m e d . The power used up in agitating the liquid with t h e s e paddle b l a d e s turned out to be
identical.
Hence, we have to use round a n c h o r a g i t a t o r s in which r = R 0 to a g i t a t e h i g h - v i s c o s i t y liquids, when
a l a r g e amount of e n e r g y is to be i m p a r t e d to the flowing s t r e a m ; round s o l i d - b l a d e anchor a g i t a t o r s a r e
not s u i t e d to this application.

632