Mixing Fluids

I don't know what exactly it is you're mixing, but here in North Carolina, there is a dye that is mixed with diesel fuel to separate farm use fuel from road use fuel for tax purposes. Other than changing the color it doesn't have any effect on the fuel or how it burns. If the color doesn't matter, you may be able to find something like this that would work, ( I'm thinking yellow and green), this seems like it would give you a fairly good visual indicator.

GA.

"What you don't have can't leak" - Dr. Trevor Kletz, internationally-renowned process safety guru.

GA, I've never heard of those. So simple and yet so perfect for this application, cool. You may have just saved the OP a lot of time and $$$$$$. Can these be used to make large batches of consistently perfect mixed drinks?

They work great. But OP has now added conditions that may disqualify it.

I prefer to give each drink personal attention. Actually, that's a lie. I only drink tequila, straight up, or beer. That way I never have to bother with proportions.

And to the OP I say, she's a realist and you're a dreamer.

And finally, it's hard to argue with, "What you don't have can't leak" !

Thanks all.

Another effective technique is to reduce the diameter of the impeller of a centrifugal pump 15% or so

The pump efficiency reduced, the fluid spending more time in the pump body, combines faster.

depending on the quantities, you may be able to install a small tube terminating at the center of the impeller's reduced pressure zone, which will suck one of the fluids in...

Hi Lyn,

You are absolutely the solution provider for these kinds of mixings. In small scale, colour one part and pump through both liquids in 6 and 12 units of static mixer at the ratio established by the formula, and see the solution by colour. I hope it will be cost effective for the company, Gil.

I had not heard of the static mixer either. I like the idea, but I dont think it will work in my application because I will be pouring the fluids into an IBC tote and my plan was to put a mixer in the 6'' opening. The mixing has to go in stages where two fluids are mixed and then after proper mixing the next fluid is introduced and so forth. The static mixer appears to need a tube chamber and a pump for each fluid so that it can be introduced, right?

I was using the set up I described to mix biodiesel ingredients

we had cut a strip of perforated metal twisted it & tack welded it into a section of pipe we used a 1hp pump to pull from the bottom of a tote [220gallon] & dump back into the top for the acid step [increases yield]. we found pulling chemicals in through the pump(s), reduced the mix time required.

it would depend on the the quantities, SG [specific gravity] ,viscosity, rate [amount of batches you are going to make], the tendencies of the liquids to separate...

circulating with a pump seemed to give better results for our application than mixers

Sounds like you already have your mixers. Seems to me like you're either going to have to change your mixing method to one of the other two suggestions, or just overkill the time on each step of mixing to the point where you are sure it is uniform. You could sacrifice a batch using the dye and time each step while keeping a close eye on the consistency. I have to add, it always helps to be as specific as possible in a post. It tends to eliminate a lot of answers that won't work in your given situation.

I have several types of low cost static mixers I assemble for processes such as yours.

Stacey Greenwood

206 715 4787

There is no majic formula.

IT depends on different compitability to each other agitation provided in the container. How many secondry propellar one has and desgin of main propellar.

This comes with experience and needs to develop from pilot plant experience to raise it to bulk volume manufactureing

I had pain when we went from 55 gallon to 1500 gallon container every assumption of 500 gallon was wrong for 1500 gallon mixing