When centrifugal pumps are installed, mixers are frequently installed as well. A very interesting case in point concerns axial-flow impellers. Mixers are normally used for maintaining homogeneity in a mixture of liquids or liquids and solids.
Some typical applications of mixers are as follows: preparation of chemical products, neutralization of water for water purification plants, dissolving of salt in liquids or dust suspension. An interesting application of mixers is in tanks used for metal surface treatment.
As a general rule, we can say that the more uniform the temperature and the concentration of the liquid, the easier it will be to keep control of the process inside the treatment tank. In many cases the liquid is put back in circulation inside the tank by using centrifugal pumps. In this case, the user should seriously consider using mixers because, with equal installed power, you can have a much higher level of movement compared to the use of centrifugal pumps. Also, since mixers are machines with simpler features compared to pumps, the plant reliability is better as well.
Special attention must be given when choosing the type of mixer based on the liquid and the size of the tank. Some variables that must be checked while determining the dimension of a mixer are the size of the impeller, the rotation speed (in some cases gear motors can be installed to obtain milder agitation), the size and shape of the tank as well as the direction (upwards or downwards) of the flow coming from the agitator’s blades.
Mixers are machines that can be very well used with inverters: by changing the rotation speed you can control the flow so that you can adapt the agitation of the liquid to the needs of the plant.
