Internship Report
Internship Report
Internship Report
A SUMMER INTERNSHIP
REPORT
AT
Fenix Process Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Submitted by:
Ch Venkatesh
University college of engineering (ucek),
JNTUK KAKINADA
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The internship opportunity I had with Fenix process technologies pvt. Ltd. was a great chance
for learning and professional development. Therefore I consider myself as a very lucky
individual as I was provided with an opportunity to be a part of it. I am also grateful for having a
chance to meet so many wonderful people and professionals who led me though this internship
period.
Bearing in mind previous I am using this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and
special thanks to the MD of Fenix who in spite of being extraordinarily busy with his duties,
took time to hear, guide and keep me on the correct path and allowing me to carry out my
project at their esteemed organization and extending during the training.
I express my deepest thanks to Mr. Sreedhar Baddi, vice president for taking part in useful
decision and giving necessary advices and guidance and arranged all facilities to make life
easier. I choose this moment to acknowledge his contribution gratefully.
It is my radiant sentiment to place on record my best regards, deepest sense of gratitude to Mr.
Swapnil Sonar, Ms. Priyanka Parmar and Mr. Hemant Yerme of R&D Dpt., Fenix for their
careful and precious guidance which were extremely valuable for my study both theoretically
and practically.
At the last but not least I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Sarath Chandra
Sharma of Maintenance Dpt., Mr. Sagar Pansare of QC Dpt., Ms. Nilam Mundhe of HR Dpt.
and all other staff for their continue guidance and support for me during this internship period.
I perceive as this opportunity as a big milestone in my career development. I will strive to use
gained skills and knowledge in the best possible way, and I will continue to work on their
improvement, in order to attain desired career objects. Hope to continue cooperation with all
of you in the future.
Sincerely,
Ch Venkatesh
CONTENTS
3 Sieve analysis 30
6 Pusher centrifuge 61
7 Mixing technology 64
4
THEORY:
Vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) is a condition in which a liquid and its vapor (gas
phase) are in equilibrium with each other & in this condition the rate evaporation
equals to the rate of condensation on a molecular level such that there is no net
vapor-liquid interconversion .
If the liquid and vapor are pure i.e; they consist only one molecular component
and no impurities, then the equilibrium state between the two phases is
described as follow:
Pliq=Pvap ;
Tliq=Tvap ; and
Gliq=Gvap
Where Pliq, Pvap, Tliq, Tvap, Gliq, Gvap are the pressures, temperatures, Gibbs free
energies within the liquid and vapor respectively.
MULTICOMPONENT SYSTEMS:
5
In a multicomponent system, vapour and liquid consist of more than one type of
molecule. For all components i in the system, the equilibrium between the two
phases is described by :
Pliq=Pvap ;
Tliq=Tvap ; and
Giliq=Givap
Where P and T are the temperature and pressure for each phase, and Giliq and
Givap are the partial molar Gibbs free energy also called chemical potential within
the liquid and vapor, respectively, for each phase. The partial molar Gibbs free
energy is defined by:
Gi =
Where G is the (Extensive) Gibbs free energy, and is the amount of substance
of component .
BOILING-POINT DIAGRAMS:
Binary mixture VLE data at a certain overall pressure showing mole fraction vapor
and liquid concentrations when boiling at various temperatures can be shown as
a two-dimensional graph called a Boiling-point diagram. The mole fraction of
components 1,2 in the mixture be X1,X2 respectively. Then:
X1 + X2 = 1
X1 + X2 + + Xn = 1
The preceding equilibrium equations are typically applied for each phase (liquid or
vapour) individually.
In a binary boiling-point diagram, temperature (T) is graphed vs. X1. At any given
temperature where both phases are present, vapor with a certain mole fraction is
6
in equilibrium with liquid with a certain mole fraction. These vapor and liquid
mole fractions are represented by two points on the same horizontal isotherm
line.
When an entire range of temperatures vs. vapor and liquid mole fractions is
graphed, two lines result. The lower one, representing the mole fraction of the
boiling liquid at various temperatures, is called the bubble point curve. The upper
one, representing the mole fraction of the vapor at various temperatures, is called
the dew point curve.
These two lines (or curves ) necessarily meet where the mixture becomes purely
one component, namely where X1 = 0 ( and X2 = 1, pure component 2) or X1 = 1 (
and X2 = 0, pure component 1 ). The temperatures at those points correspond to
the boiling point of the two pure components.
Azeotropic mixtures:
For azeotropic pairs of substances, the two curves also coincide at some point
strictly between X1 = 0 and X1 = 1. When they meet, they meet tangentially; the
dew-point temperature always lies above the boiling-point temperature for a
7
given composition when they are not equal. The meeting point is ccalled an
azeotrope for that particular pair of substances. It is characterized by an
azeotrope temperature and an azeotropic composition. There can be maximum-
maximum
boiling azeotropes, where the azeotrope temperature is at maximum in the
boiling curves, or minimum
um-boiling
boiling azetropes, where the azeotrope temperature
is at a minimum in the boiling curves.
VLE diagrams:
These diagrams would graph liquid mole fraction on a horizontal axis and vapor
mole fraction on a vertical axis. Here also:
X1 + X2 = 1 and Y1 + Y2 = 1
8
Raoults law:
Where P01 , P02 ,etc. are the vapor pressures of components 1,2,etc. when they
are pure, and x1 , x2, etc. are mole fractions of the corresponding component in
the liquid.
Daltons law:
At boiling and higher temperatures the sum of the individual component partial
pressures becomes equal to the overall pressure ,Ptot.
Ptot = P1 + P2 + ..
9
K value:
Ki =
Where Xi,Yi are the mole fractions of the species i in the liquid and vapor phases,
respectively.
Assuming ideal conditions near ambient temperature and pressure, the K-value
may be described according to Henrys and Raoults laws for dilute and
concentrated solutions respectively:
Henrys Law: Ki = Hi
P=
For binary mixtures, the ratio of the K values for the two components is called the
relative volatility denoted by .
/
= Ki/Kj =
/
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP:
EQUIPMENT:
1. Equilibrium still
2. Gas chromatography instrument
3. 10 ml volumetric flask
4. 2 ml Clip lock tubes OR Sample vials
5. Digital thermometer
6. Beakers
7. Syringe
CHEMICALS:
1. Acetone
2. Water
DESCRIPTION:
A vapor-equilibrium still consists of:
A. A boiling pot
B. Central and outlet vapor tubes
C. Thermocouple
11
D. Condenser
E. Pot sampling cock
F. Interchangeable receiver with liquid sampling cock which can hold approx.
15 ml of distillate.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE:
1. Prepare a mixture of 250 ml acetone and 60 ml water in a 500 ml beaker.
2. Feed the mixture in to the boiling pot.
3. Switch on the heater and the digital thermometer.
4. Switch on the cooling water supply to the condenser.
5. Note down the top temperature and bottom temperature for every 5
minutes of interval.
6. Note down the temperature at which condensation begins.
7. Take samples of the vapor distillate and liquid in the clip lock tubes at
different time intervals, when sufficient amount of distillate is collected in
the distillate receiver.
8. The remaining distillate obtained is kept separately and add 40 ml of water
in to the boiling pot for every sample collected.
9. The procedure is repeated until the temperature is reached up to the
boiling point temperature of water, i.e; 100 c.
10.The samples taken are analyzed in a gas chromatography instrument and
the compositions of water and acetone in different sample are noted down.
11.Draw a Temperature (T) vs. X, Y graph by plotting T on the vertical axis and
X, Y on the horizontal axis.
12.Draw another graph showing Y on the vertical axis and X on the horizontal
axis.
OBSERVATIONS:
12
TABULAR FORM:
CALCULATIONS:
Antoine parameters:
A B C
Water 8.07131 1730.63 233.7912
Acetone 7.6313 15566.69 273.419
logP =
Using Raoults law , the acetone mole fraction in the liquid residue
(Xacetone) can be calculated from the acetone mole fraction in the
distillate (Yacetone) as:
14
!"# $ %!"!
Xacetone =
&
100
90
80
70
60
50
T
40 T-x
30
20 T-y
10
0
0 1
x and y
15
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
vapor- liquid equilibrium
y 0.5 curve
0.4 x=y line
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
x
RESULT:
The behavior of the ACETONE-WATER system is studied at various temperatures
with various feed compositions and VLE graph is plotted showing the liquid and
vapor compositions of acetone in the binary water-acetone mixture at various
isothermal conditions.
APPLICATIONS:
1. VLE diagrams are used in the McCabe-Thiele method to determine the
equilibrium stages (or theoretical plates) needed to distill a given
composition binary feed mixture in to one distillate and one bottom
fraction.
2. In the determination of activity coefficient for the low pressure systems
containing an ideal gas phase, but a non-ideal liquid phase.
16
OBJECTIVE:
To re-refine the used lube oil which will restore the chemical composition of the
base oil so that it can be used to produce new lubricant products over and over
again.
THEORY:
Lubricants are typically comprised of 80-90 % base oil and 10-20% specialty
additives that distinguish the product such as a motor oil, transmission or
hydraulic fluid, or industrial process oil. Most all base oils originate from the
processing of crude oil. The lubricants eventually become spent and are no
longer effective because either the additives have broken down or the lubricant
has become contaminated with impurities during its use.
However, the base oil retains its original properties and usefulness. So it can be
regained in the re-refining process described as below:
Used oil re-refining is the process of restoring used oil to new oil by removing
chemical impurities, heavy metals, moisture and dirt.
17
B. Diesel removal:
The residue obtained from the step 1 is further distilled at higher
temperatures to remove the diesel fraction as a distillate in the process.
C. Asphalt removal:
The residue obtained in the step 2 is further processed in a thin film
evaporator at higher temperature and high vacuum to remove the asphaltic
fraction from it.
E. Hydro treating:
After removing water, light hydrocarbons and asphaltic fraction, chemical
treatment of waste oil by hydrogenation is done to remove the sulphur
contents present in it.
F. Fractionation:
The obtained waste oil undergoes fractionation in distillation column to
recover the different cuts of base oil according to their boiling points.
20
21
22
EQUIPMENTS:
Vertical thin film evaporator, heating drum, cooling tower, vacuum pump, chilling
system, separating funnel, volumetric flasks
CHEMICALS:
Used lube oil, Therminol (Thermic fluid), N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP)
DESCRIPTION:
VERTICAL THIN FILM EVAPORATOR:
The vertical thin film dryer consists of a cylindrical, vertical body with heating
jacket and a rotor inside of the shell which is equipped with rows of pendulum
blades all over the length of the evaporator. The hinged blades spread the feed
product in a thin film over the heated wall. The thickness of the layer is defined by
the clearance between the blade and the wall. A highly agitated bow wave is
formed in front of the rotor blades. The turbulence increases as the product
passes through the clearance before entering a calming zone situated behind the
blades. The volatile component evaporates continuously. The product layer is
typically less than a millimeter in thickness. The volatile component is then
condensed by the cooling water used in the chilling system supplied to the cetre
of the evaporator. So the volatile component is collected at the centre and other
components of the feed are collected in the outer side. The heating medium is
normally high pressure steam or oil.
23
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE:
Dt: 24-05-2016
PROCEDURE:
5. Start the flow of feed in to the vertical cylindrical shell where it is heated by
the hot thermic fluid present in the shell side.
6. The lighter components present in the feed such as water boil up and are
condensed by the internal condenser and are further collected as liquid in
the distillate tank.
7. The remaining heavy components are collected in the residue tank.
OBSERVATION:
Dt: 25-05-2016
PROCEDURE:
1. The residue fraction from the dehydration process is loaded into the
feed tank.
2. The thermic fluid heater and chiller are started simultaneously.
3. Note down the thermic fluid temperature for every 10 minutes and
raise the temperature up to 220 c.
4. Once the temperature is achieved start the vacuum pump and
rotation of the shaft.
5. Start the flow of feed in to the vertical cylindrical shell where it is
heated by the hot thermic fluid present in the shell side.
6. The lighter components present in the feed such as water boil up and
are condensed by the internal condenser and are further collected
as liquid in the distillate tank.
7. The remaining heavy components are collected in the residue tank.
OBSERVATION:
Dt: 30-05-2016
PROCEDURE:
1. The residue fraction from diesel stripping process is loaded in to the feed
tank.
2. The thermic fluid heater and chiller are started simultaneously.
3. Note down the thermic fluid temperature for every 10 minutes and raise
the temperature up to 265 c. When the temperature crosses 100c purge
the thermic fluid with nitrogen gas to remove any oxygen present and
prevent oxidation and also to avoid vaporizing of the thermic fluid by
raising its boiling point by purging with nitrogen.
4. Once the temperature is achieved start the vacuum pump and rotation of
the shaft.
5. Start the flow of feed in to the vertical cylindrical shell where it is heated by
the hot thermic fluid present in the shell side.
6. The lighter components present in the feed such as water boil up and are
condensed by the internal condenser and are further collected as liquid in
the distillate tank.
7. The remaining heavy components are collected in the residue tank.
27
OBSERVATION:
Dt: 30-05-2016
FEED: distillate from the asphalt removal process containing lube oil fractions,
8.5 L
PROCEDURE:
RESULT:
1. At the end of stage 1, no distillate is obtained.
2. At the end of stage 2, 200 ml of distillate containing low boiling
hydrocarbons in the range of diesel is obtained.
3. At the end of stage 3, 150 ml of distillate is obtained, containing base oil
and aromatics and the residue containing asphalt.
4. At the end of stage 4, 30 ml of lube oil is recovered.
29
BENEFITS OF RE-REFININIG:
1. Reduce dependence on base oil imports saving foreign exchange.
2. Prevent ground water contamination and pollution of surface water.
3. Preserve natural resources like coal and crude oil.
4. Reduce sewage treatment costs.
5. Eliminate improper burning of waste oil as fuel, which generate toxic fumes
and air pollution.
30
SIEVE ANALYSIS
Dt: 22-05-2016
DESCRIPTION:
A sieve analysis is a practice or procedure used to assess the particle size
distribution of a granular material.
The size distribution is often of critical importance to the way the material
performs in use. A sieve analysis can be performed on any type of non-organic or
organic granular materials including sands, crushed rock, clays, granite, feldspars,
coal, soil, a wide range of manufactured powders, grain and seeds, down to a
minimum size depending on the exact method.
TYPES OF SIEVES:
1. Woven wire mesh sieves: these sieves are usually have nominal aperture
ranging from 20 micrometers to 3.55 millimeters, with diameters ranging
from 100 to 450 millimeters.
2. Perforated plate sieves: these can have round or square apertures ranging
from 1 mm to 125mm. the diameters of the sieves range from 200 to
450mm.
3. American standard sieves: the nominal aperture of these sieves range from
20 micrometers to 200 millimeters, however these sieves have only 8 and
12 inch diameter sizes.
WORKING:
31
A typical sieve analysis involves a nested column of sieves with wire mesh cloth
(screen). A representative weighed sample is poured into the top sieve which has
the largest screen openings. Each lower sieve in the column has smaller opening
than the one above. At the base is a round pan, called the receiver.
The column is typically placed in a mechanical shaker. The shaker shakes the
column, usually for some fixed amount of time. After the shaking is complete the
material on each sieve is weighed. The weight of the sample of each sieve is then
divided by the total weight to give a percentage retained on each sieve.
PROCEDURE:
1. Take the sample of 100 grams of sodium methoxide and place it on the
upper sieve of the mechanical shaker.
2. Set the shaking time to 10 minutes.
3. Switch on the power supply to the shaker.
32
4. After shaker is stopped, collect the samples from different sieves and weigh
them on the weighing machine.
5. Tabulate the percentage of different size particles retained on each sieve.
OBSERVATIONS:
Weight of SMO sample taken = 100 gm
Tabular form:
S.NO. SIEVE SIZE (m) WEIGHT RETAINED(gm) WEIGHT RETAINED (%)
1 425 11.15 11.15
2 355 02.60 02.60
3 210 18.00 18.00
4 150 28.50 28.50
5 125 16.00 16.00
6 106 02.35 02.35
7 75 05.40 05.40
8 53 07.18 07.18
9 38 01.06 01.06
10 - 00.09 00.09
PRECAUTIONS:
1. The sieves should be free of moisture.
2. The sieves should be arranged in decreasing order of their sizes from top to
bottom.
3. Sample weights should be measured accurately.
RESULT:
The fractions of the given SMO sample retained at different sieves are calculated
and observed that the majority of the particles are having sizes 150 m and more.
33
DISTILLATION:
Distillation is a process in which a liquid or vapor mixture of two or more
substances is separated into its component fractions of desired purity, by the
application and removal of heat.
Methods of Distillation:
McCabe-Thiele Method:
It is a graphical method and involves calculation of total number of equilibrium
stages required for a given separation using material balance and equilibrium
relations.
It uses the fact that the composition at each theoretical tray (or equilibrium stage)
is completely determined by the mole fraction of one of the two components and
is based on the assumption of constant molar overflow which requires that:
McCabe-Thiele method assumes that the liquid on each tray is in equilibrium with
the vapor phase above each corresponding tray.
1. ROL:
' (
Yn+1 = Xn + XD
' ( ' (
2. q-line:
)* (
Y=- X+ XF
()* ()*
3. SOL:
+,
Y=- X+ XB
+,) +,)
DESIGN PROBLEM:
A continuous fractionating column is to be designed for separating 10,000 kg per
hour of a liquid mixture containing 40 mole percent methanol and 60 mole
36
Equilibrium data:
X: 0 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.0
Y: 0 0.417 0.579 0.669 0.729 0.78 0.825 0.871 0.915 0.959 1.0
DATA:
R=3
XF = 0.4
XD = 0.97
XB = 1- 0.98= 0.02
Calculations:
F=D+B
423.73 = D + B
37
F x XF = D x XD + B x XB
B=FD
= 423.73 169.4256
= 254.3044 kmol/hr
ROL:
(
Intercept = XD
' (
(
= x 0.97
- (
=0.2425
q=1
q-Line passes through the point (0.4,0.4) on the diagonal line parallel to the Y-axis
and meet the ROL line at (0.4,0.5425).
ROL, q line are plotted on the Y vs. X graph and SOL line is from the point XB on
the diagonal line through the intersection point of the ROL and q line.
38
From the above graph we can get the total number of ideal stages = 7 and
the feed is given at 5th stage.
39
I.TRAYS
II.PACKINGS
Trays and packing are installed in the column for efficient vapour liquid contact.
I.TRAYS:
The function of a Tray is to felicitate contact between the vapour phase and liquid
phase, so that mass transfer between the two phases can take place.
The geometry of the tray within the column will affect extent of contact between
vapour and liquid streams.
Each tray is considered as being made up of 3 sectons:
1. Weir
2. Bubbling area
3. Downcomer
Each tray has 2 conduits, one on each side, called downcomers. Liquid falls
through the downcomers by gravity from one tray to the one below it.
A weir on the tray ensures that there is always some liquid (holdup) on the
tray and is designed such that the holdup is at a suitable height, e.g. such
that the bubble caps are covered by liquid.
produced.. The area allowed for the passage of vapour on each tray is called the
active tray area.
1. SIEVE TRAY:
Sieve trays are simply metal plates with holes in them. Vapour passes straight
upward through the liquid on the plate. The arrangement, number and size of
the holes are design parameters.
Application:
Low cost, used when high turn down ratios are not required.
2. VALVE TRAYS:
Benefits:
Lower froth height, less entrainment due to lateral vapour release
Increased capacity and improved turn down ratio when compared to
sieve trays
Excellent fouling resistance
Applications:
Floating valve trays are used in applications where higher turndown
ratios are required.
No liquid flow under the valves
Minimized weeping due to lateral vapour release
A bubble cap tray has riser or chimney fitted over each hole, and a cap that
covers the riser. The cap is mounted so that there is a space between riser
and cap to allow the passage of vapour. Vapour rises through the chimney
and is directed downward by the cap, finally discharging through slots in
the cap, and finally bubbling through the liquid on the tray.
44
Applications:
Used for low liquid loads and higher turn down ratios.
Bubble caps are appreciably more expensive than sieve or valve trays.
Due to its simple design, sieve trays are normally the cheapest.
2. Operating range:
It refers to the range of vapour and liquid rates over which the tray will
operate satisfactorily.
TURNDOWN RATIO: the ratio of the highest to the lowest flow rate is called
the Turndown ratio.
Bubble cap trays can operate efficiently at very low vapour rates.
Sieve trays cannot operate at very low vapour rates.
Valve trays are intended to give greater flexibility than sieve trays at a
lower cost than bubble cap.
45
3. PRESSURE DROP:
Sieve tray has lowest pressure drop, followed by valve and bubble caps
giving the highest.
4. MAINTENANCE:
Bubble caps are not suitable for dirty services as they may be susceptible to
plugging.
Sieve trays are easiest to clean.
Valve trays should be considered, if the specified turndown ratio cant be
maintained with sieve trays.
II.PACKINGS:
The type of packing material in industrial use can be distinguished into structured
packing (also called as stacked or arranged) and random packing (also called
dumped).
A good packing material is one that provides a high surface area per volume since
mass transfer takes place between liquid layer forming on the packing element
surface and gas going through the packing elements.
The material of construction must provide a high liquid flow capacity through it to
ensure a uniform liquid layer (good wettability) as well as good resistance to
pressure (high strength).
A) STRUCTURED PACKING:
Structured packings require much less height of column with lower pressure drop
compared to random packings or trays.
Grids are developed for severe services that are susceptible to fouling, erosion,
coking, and high solids content. Grids are installed in rigid modules stacked in
successive layers with a fixed orientation, thus minimizing the overall pressure
drop while simultaneously increasing tower efficiency.
The smooth surface provides low liquid hold up reducing the residence time and
the possibility of coke formation.
48
APPLICATIONS
Coker fractionators wash section
Atmospheric Crude Unit wash section
Crude Vacuum Unit was section
Reactor Off Gas Scrubbers
Flue Gas Scrubbers
a) RANDOM PACKING :
Random packings are small objects made from metals, polymers, ceramics
are dumped into the column.
Random packings have low pressure drop when compared to tray columns.
Ceramic:
Ceramic elements are used when corrosive chemicals are involved and good
wettability is required.
Plastic:
Usually polypropylene is largely used because of low cost but fail at high
temperature and it also has poor wettability.
49
Cylindrical rings:
P-Rings:
C-Rings:
Saddle-Rings:
N-Rings:
Material of construction: Stainless steel or any metal or alloy.
Bulk density: 130-180 kg/m.
Surface area: 150-220 m/m.
NTSM: 1.2-2.5
Application:
Very low pressure drop, suits high vacuum conditions, very low-liquid hold-up.
HP-Rings:
Disadvantages:
1. Higher cost
2. Greater sensitivity to maldistribution
Liquid distributors serve the purpose of distributing liquid evenly over the
packing.
LIQUID COLLECTORS:
PACKING SUPPORTS:
These are used to support the packing placed above them. These should have a
high percentage of open area to allow unrestricted counter flow of liquid and
vapour.
BED LIMITERS:
Bed limiters are installed directly above a packed bed in a distillation column to
prevent shifting of packing elements under turbulent conditions of vapour and
liquid.
59
MIST ELIMINATORS:
Mist eliminator which helps n separation of liquid droplets from gas stream which
provide suitable foaming system with higher liquid loading.
2. VANE TYPE
(Hook type, Pocketed vane type, Plain vane type)
Used when fouling and blockage are possible.
Used where a relatively low efficiency is acceptable.
These kinds of mist eliminators can be used where higher pressure drop is
allowed.
61
PUSHER CENTRIFUGE
INTRODUCTION:
A pusher centrifuge is a type of filtration technique that offers continuous
operation to de-water and wash materials such as relatively in-compressible feed
solids, free-draining crystalline, polymers and fibrous substances. It consists of a
constant speed rotor and is fixed to one of several baskets. This assembly is
applied with centrifugal force that is generated mechanically for smaller units and
hydraulically for larger units to enable separation.
Pusher centrifuge can be used for a variety of applications. They are typically used
in inorganic industries and later, extensively in chemical industries such as organic
intermediates, plastics, food processing and rocket fuels.
WORKING:
A suspension feed enters the process to undergo pre-acceleration and
distribution. The subsequent processes involve main filtration and intermediate
de-watering, after which the main filtrate is collected. Wash liquid enters the
washing step and final de-watering follows. Wash filtrate is extracted from these
two stages. The final step involves discharge of solids which are then collected as
the finishing product. These process steps take place simultaneously in different
parts of the centrifuge.
OPERATION:
The slurry is feed through a stationary feed pipe at the centerline of the pusher
basket. The slurry is accelerated in the rotating feed funnel and distributed
uniformly at the back of the rotating screen. This feed funnel is anchored to the
pusher plate. The feed funnel gently accelerates the slurry in to the basket speed
in order to form an even cake and minimize particle attrition.
As the pusher plate moves in to its back position, a clean wedge slot screen
surface is exposed. The accelerated slurry is deposited on the wedge slot screen,
and cake is built as the mother liquor drains through the basket. Then, the pusher
plate moves forward and pushes the cake forward, towards the solids discharge
end. During this time, the incoming feed is held in thee feed funnel, until the
pusher plate moves backward and exposes fresh screen for another annular ring
of cake to be built. The reciprocation of the pusher plate causes cake to progress
towards the solids discharge end. The cake, which is under centrifugal force,
becomes drier as it progresses in the basket and ultimately is discharged from the
pusher basket in to the solids discharge housing.
63
ADVANTAGES:
1. It offers higher processing capacities than batch filtering centrifuges such as
vertical basket and inverting filter.
2. Provides the best washing characteristics of any continuous centrifuge due
to control of retention time and uniform cake.
3. Gentle handling makes pusher better suited for fragile crystals.
LIMITATIONS:
1. Pushers require a constant feed flood due to their continuous nature.
2. Although high capacities may be preferred, this may result in longer
residence time.
3. Typical particle sizes must be at least 150 micrometer and average 200
micrometer.
4. A high viscosity feed lowers throughput.
5. Pushers have a limited liquid filtration capacity and requires fast-draining
materials, since it must form a cake within the period of one stroke.
APPLICATIONS:
1. Production of sodium chloride as common salt.
2. Production of organic intermediates include paraxylene, adipic acid, oxalic
acid caprolectum, nitrocellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, etc.
3. In food processing, pusher centrifugation is used to produce monosodium
glutamate, salt, lysine, and saccharin.
4. In plastic industry, for the production of PVC, polyethylene and a number of
other resins.
5. Individual products include soda ash, sodium carbonate, paraxylene, Adipic
acid, cotton seed delinting.
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MIXING TECHNOLOGY
STATIC MIXER:
A static mixer is a precision engineered device for the continuous mixing of fluid
materials. Normally the fluids to be mixed are liquid, but static mixers can also be
used to mix gas streams, disperse gas into liquid or blend immiscible liquids. The
energy needed for mixing comes from a loss in pressure as fluid flows through the
static mixer.
One design of static mixer is the plate-type mixer and another common device
type consists of mixer elements contained in a cylindrical (tube) or squared
housing. Mixer size can vary from about 6 mm to 6 meters diameter.
OPERATION:
In the plate type design, mixing is accomplished through intense turbulence in the
flow.
FLOW DIVISION:
In laminar flow, a processed material divides at the leading edge of each element
of the mixer and follows the channels created by the element shape. At each
succeeding element, the two channels are divided, resulting in an exponential
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RADIAL MIXING:
APPLICATIONS:
1. In Mixing two-component
component adhesives (e.g., epoxy) and sealants.
2. In Waste water treatment and chemical processing.
3. In bitumen processing and desalting crude oil in the refineries.
4. In polymer industries to facilitate polymerization reactions or for the
admixing of liquid additives.
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SHEAR MIXER:
A shear mixer disperses, or transports, one phase or ingredients (liquid, solid, gas)
into a main continuous phase (liquid), with which it would normally be
immiscible. A rotor or impeller, together with a stationary component known as a
stator, or an array of rotors and stators, is used either in a tank containing the
solution to be mixed, or in a pipe through which the solution passes, to create
shear. A high-shear mixer can be used to create emulsions, suspensions, lyosols
(gas dispersed in liquid), and granular products. It is used in the adhesives,
chemical, cosmetic, food, pharmaceuticals, and plastic industries for
emulsification, homogenization, particle size reduction, and dispersion.
PRINCLIPLE OF WORKING:
Fluid undergoes shear when one area of fluid travels with a different velocity
relative to an adjacent area. A high-shear mixer uses a rotating impeller or high-
speed rotor, or a series of such impellers or inline rotors, usually powered by an
electric motor, to work the fluid, creating flow and shear. The tip velocity, or
speed of the fluid at the outside diameter of the rotor, will be higher than the
velocity at the center of the rotor, and it is this velocity difference that creates
shear.
rotor. The rotor and stator combined together are often referred to as the mixing
head, or generator.
The mixer has a separate chamber at the bottom through which the mixing
ingredients are drawn in. the high speed rotating head pushes the ingredients
through specially designed perforated head at a very high velocity. This helps the
fluid to break into small particles which flow through the peripheral cavity to the
top. The fluid is kept in suspension in the chamber by rotating blades and flows
out through the top nozzles.
OPERATION:
Shear mixer works on the principle of drawing the materials through the specially
designed mixing head and shearing this through another specially designed
rotating assembly.
Stage 1:
The high-speed rotation of the impeller draws material through the suction of the
mixing vessel.
Stage 2:
Centrifugal force drives material towards the periphery of the impeller where it is
subjected to a milling action in the clearance between the ends of the impeller
blades and the stator head.
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Stage 3:
Stage 4:
The material expelled from the head flows up at high speed towards the sides of
the mixing vessel. The impellers at the top of the mixing head keep the material in
the suspension.
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Equilibrium mixing:
APPLICATIONS:
Shear mixers are used throughout the chemical process industries, wherever it is
necessary to produce standardized mixtures of ingredients that do not naturally
mix. These include: