INDUSTRIAL BLENDER

An industrial blender is an agitated process vessel used to mix, blend, heat or cool liquid and semi-fluid products until they are homogeneous. In the chemical industry, industrial blenders are usually installed downstream of the production reactors or main production vessels. Once the reaction is complete, the batch is transferred to the blender for thinning, additive dosing, cooling and standardisation, while the reactor is prepared for the next batch. This shortens the reactor cycle time and increases the plant’s production capacity.

Industrial Blender Applications

Since 2009, Makfen has designed, manufactured, documented and commissioned blenders for a wide range of processes. The main applications include:

Polyester resin blenders
Polyurethane blenders
Resin mixing and thinning blenders
DOP / DOTP plasticiser blenders
Alkyd resin blenders
Urea-formaldehyde resin reactors and blenders
PVA glue mixing blenders
Lubricating oil and lubricant blenders
Silicone emulsion mixing blenders

Key Points in Blender Design

Every blender is engineered individually according to the properties of the product and the process conditions. The main design parameters are:

Material grade: AISI 304/304L, AISI 316/316L stainless steel or carbon steel
Chemical compatibility with the product and structural/mechanical strength
Operating pressure and operation under vacuum
Operating temperature and heating or cooling requirements
Agitator speed (high-speed agitators: 900–3000 rpm, low-speed agitators: 10–120 rpm)
Agitator motor power according to product viscosity

Agitator Types

Paddle (blade) agitator – radial flow
Propeller agitator – axial flow
Turbine agitator – radial or axial flow depending on blade angle
Anchor agitator – tangential flow and wall scraping for high-viscosity products
Disc disperser – high-speed dispersing and dissolving

Blender Design Standards

Blenders operating under pressure or vacuum are designed, depending on the project, in accordance with the Pressure Equipment Directive PED 2014/68/EU, EN 13445 (unfired pressure vessels), ASME BPVC Section VIII or AD 2000-Merkblatt. Welding is carried out in line with the quality requirements of EN ISO 3834-2.

Industrial blender prices vary with the plant’s requirements, capacity and the selected equipment. With this type of equipment, the priority is choosing the right blender for the process and designing it correctly.

Blender and Mixer Types

High-speed dispersers
Static mixers
Grease kettles
Homogenisers
Prepolymer mixers
Resin cooling blenders
Emulsion blenders
Agitated autoclaves
High-viscosity product blenders
High-vacuum blenders

Blender is the general name for process equipment in which the product is held after the reaction and in which added solutions, additives and other materials are mixed into a homogeneous blend. In post-reactor blenders the product is mostly cooled and thinned, although some products also require heating. Heating, cooling, blending and mixing can be designed into a single vessel or into separate units.

Blenders are used in many sectors, including food, chemicals, petrochemicals, paint and pharmaceuticals, and their impeller and blade design is determined by the viscosity, density and shear sensitivity of the material being mixed. Because pressure, vacuum and temperature values differ from one system to another, Makfen blenders are designed specifically for each process and manufactured from stainless or carbon steel as required.