The surface area for cooling to reactor volume ratio decreases upon scale-up

Hazard!!

Agitated tank hydrodynamics

For turbulent conditions and geometric similarity
Torque:

P N S3 DS5

Q N S DS3

T N D

Q
NS
VT

3
S

2
S

Tip speed:

N S DS N S DS

P
2 5
Tq
N S DS
2N S
Tq
VT

Average impeller
shear:

NS

N D tipspeed
2
S

2
S

Maximum impeller
shear:

N S DS

Agitated tank hydrodynamics

For turbulent conditions and geometric similarity
Torque:

Q N S DS3

P N S3 DS5

T N D
3
S

2
S

P
2 5
Tq
N S DS
2N S

Q
Tq
2

N
2 2
S flow and
Basics of fluid
shear
N S DS tipspeed
VT
V
conditions scale differently!
T

Tip speed:

N S DS N S DS

Average impeller
shear:

NS

Maximum impeller
shear:

N S DS

Scaling-up of blending

Scaling-up of heat transfer

Scaling-up of liquidliquid dispersion

Scaling-up of solidliquid suspending

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

0 , 55

Scaling-up of blending

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1
Different phenomena scale

Scaling-up of heat transfer

differently!
Scaling-up of liquidliquid dispersion
Scaling-up of solidliquid suspending

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

0 , 55

Unclear how to scale a single

phenomena!

The overall scaling-up problem

1. Agitation creates:

FLOW
SHEAR

2. Which leads to:

blending and homogenisation

heat transfer to or from wall
mass and heat transfer
between phases
generation of contact surface
area between phases
phenomena that scales
differently

3. On which the process goal

depends :
chemical reaction
yield
selectivity
safety
liquid-liquid extraction
yield
efficiency
crystallization
purity
size and shape
polymorph
often in a complex manner, in
combination and changing
over time
8

Scaling-up - the overall problem

Difficult to characterise in detail and scale-up how agitation
influences on surface area generation, homogenisation, and
heat and mass transfer - hydrodynamics of agitated tanks are
complex

Difficult to characterise how the process goal depends on

what we directly can achieve by the agitation - processes are
complex

Process experiments have to be performed and

semi-empirical scaling-up procedures used

SCALING-UP PROCEDURE
1) define the process need
2) carefully identify all mixing parameters
that may have an influence on the process
3) select the most critical mixing parameters
4) scale on the most critical parameters
5) carefully review the behavior on each scale

10

Use the small scale experiments to try to identify

the role of mixing

Change the agitation rate to examine the role of power input plot your process result versus N3 in a log-log plot

11

Use the small scale experiments to try to identify

Use the small scale experiments to try to identify the role of
the role of mixing
mixing

Change the agitation rate to examine the role of power input plot your process result versus N3

Change the impeller diameter to examine whether flow or

shear is governing

Flow:

Q N S DS3

Maximum shear:

N S DS

Change impeller blade width to examine whether macroscale

or microscale mixing is important

12

Scaling-up of blending

Scaling-up of heat transfer

Scaling-up of liquidliquid dispersion

Scaling-up of solidliquid suspending

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

Assumes turbulent conditions and geometric similarity

0 , 55

13

Non-geometric scale-up

Why geometric similarity?

Geometry do not control no mixing in itself!

Geometric similarity occupies one degree of

freedom that can be used to control mixing!

Allow different geometry to enable an

additional mixing related scale-up criterion

Ex liquid-liquid contacting:
Droplet generation occurs in the impeller
region
Droplet coalescence occurs in the bulk
region

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

14

Mixing requirements
Require rapid attainment of uniformity:

fast chemical reactions

competitive chemical reaction

reaction crystallizations
liquid-liquid and gas-liquid processes influenced by mass transfer

More easy performed in small scale and are more difficult to scale up

Uniformity less important:

Heat transfer
Blending of miscible liquids

Slow chemical reactions

Suspending of solids

Can usually be scaled with few difficulties

15

Some final remarks

It is impossible to have all conditions equal in different scales

Preoccupation with scale-up rules truncate thinking
Geometric similarity do not capture an important mixing
property
Use intelligent experiments to identify what aspects of the
mixing that is governing your process goal
Be aware of that the governing mechanism can depend on the
scale

16

17

A reactor in the pilot plant has a volume of 1000 litres and a diameter of
1 m. It can be equipped with a propeller with a diameter of 0.3 m, or a
45o pitched blade turbine with a diameter of 0.5 m. It has been decided
to purchase reactors to the process lab to simulate 1000 litre in a
smaller scale.
Determine the dimensions of the reactors if the volumes are 20 or 50
litres, respectively, and the reactors are geometrically equivalent with
the pilot plant reactor.

A 1000 L baffled tank has the diameter 1 m and can be equipped with a
Rushton turbine, a propeller or a 45 pitched blade turbine. Determine the
flow condition, power input and pumping capacity for 50, 100, 200 and
400 rpm and agitation diameters: 0,33 and 0,45.
Data:
Density 1000 kg/m3
Viscosity: 0.001 Ns/m2
Rushton turbine
Propeller
45 pitched blade turbine

Ne=5.2
Ne=0.5
Ne=1.3

Nq=0.72
Nq=0.8
Nq=0.79

Re

Re

N S DS2

P
Np
3 5
N S DS

Q
Nq
3
N S DS

1
You have done experiments with water in laboratory experiments and
are now considering what will happen with the power consumption
when you the same experiments with the process liquor:

Water
=1000 kg/m3
0.001 Ns/m2

Process liquor
=800 kg/m3
0.005 Ns/m2

How will the power consumption in the process liquor compare

to that in the aqueous phase at

a.equal agitation rate and turbulent conditions?

b.equal Reynolds number and turbulent conditions

A catalytic powder is charged into a solution in an agitated baffled tank.

In 1000 litre scale this process is carried out with rotation speed 100 rpm
and stirrer diameter 0.3 m. To study the process you would like to scale
down to 6 litre scale. Determine appropriate stirrer speed and impeller
diameter in the 6 litre scale. Assume geometric similarity and that the
liquid is water.

1) Criterion: keep particles suspended from the bottom:

2) Suspending charactersitic:

DS V 1/ 3
0.85
S

N JS D

DS ,lab
DS ,l arg e
N JS ,lab
N JS ,l arg e

N JS DS0.85
1/ 3

Vlab

l arg e

DS ,lab

S
,
l
arg
e

DS ,lab 0.055m
0.85

N S ,lab 425rpm

A catalytic powder is charged into a solution in an agitated baffled

tank. In 1000 litre scale this process is carried out with rotation
speed 100 rpm and stirrer diameter 0.3 m. To study the process
you would like to scale down to 6 litre scale. Determine
appropriate stirrer speed and impeller diameter in the 6 litre scale.
Assume geometric similarity and that the liquid is water.
1) Criterion: keep particles suspended from the bottom:
2) Suspending characteristic:

DS ,lab 0.055m

N S ,lab 425rpm

N JS DS0.85
Turbulent?

Re

N S DS2

Rel arg e 150000

Relab 21100

Turbulent?

A catalytic powder is charged into a solution in an agitated baffled

tank. In 1000 litre scale this process is carried out with rotation speed
100 rpm and stirrer diameter 0.3 m. To study the process you would
like to scale down to 6 litre scale. Determine appropriate stirrer speed
and impeller diameter in the 6 litre scale. Assume geometric similarity
and that the liquid is water.
Determine also the specific power input required assuming that the
power number is 4
1) Criterion: keep particles suspended from the bottom:
2) Suspending charactersitic:

N JS DS0.85

T N D
3
s

3) Geometric similarity and turbulent conditions:

T ,lab DS ,lab

T ,l arg e DS ,l arg e

0.55

P N p N s3 Ds5

N p N D
3
s

5
s

2
s

T ,l arg e 45W / m3

T ,lab 115W / m3

3
A solid-liquid and liquid-liquid reaction was scaled-up to 3500 gal. The
scaling-up was performed based on the just suspended state of the
solid particles. However, upon analyzing the yield of the full scale
production plant, it soon became clear that the productivity had
decreased, giving only about 10% of the expected productivity. What
had gone wrong?

Scaling-up of blending

Scaling-up of heat transfer

Scaling-up of liquidliquid dispersion

Scaling-up of solidliquid suspending

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

0 , 55

26

3
A solid-liquid and liquid-liquid reaction was scaled-up to 3500 gal. The
scaling-up was performed based on the just suspended state of the
solid particles. However, upon analyzing the yield of the full scale
production plant, it soon became clear that the productivity had
decreased, giving only about 10% of the expected productivity. What
had gone wrong?

The liquid-liquid contacting forgotten

Would need more agitation to generate the same droplet
surface area per unit volume
There is more coalescence in the larger tank because of
longer circulation times

You have investigated a chemical reaction by labexperiements. In the

process two liquid solutions are mixed in the presence of a solid
catalyst. The catalyst particles have a diameter of 2 mm and a density
of 1900 kg/m3. The liquid phase has a density of 900 kg/m3 and the
viscosity is 0.002 Ns/m2. The experiments have been performed in a 1
L tank with four baffles and 0.11 m diameter, agitated by a pitched blade
turbine having a diameter 40 % of the tank diameter. In the experiments
it has been observed that the yield increases with increasing agitation
rate upto 700 rpm beyond which there is no improvement.
Measurements show that the reaction has gone to completion within 2
hours and that the temperature increases at most by 10 . The process
is now to be transferred to the plant and be performed in a 4 m3 tank.
What should be the agitation in the plant and are there any particular
scaleup issues to be aware of

28

catalyst particles: 2 mm and 1900 kg/m3.

liquid density: 900 kg/m3.
Viscosity: 0.002 Ns/m2
1 L tank, four baffles, pitched blade turbine, diameter 40 % of the
tank diameter.
700 rpm is the optimum
reaction time: 2 hours
temperature increases at most by 10
Plant: 4 m3 tank.
Scaling-up is normally based on geometric similarity do we
have that?
Do we have turbulent conditions?
The chemical reaction is obviously influenced by the agitation
Liquid-liquid blending
Solids suspending
Evolution of heat

29

catalyst particles: 2 mm and 1900 kg/m3.

liquid density: 900 kg/m3.
1 L tank, four baffles, pitched blade turbine, diameter 1/3 of the tank
diameter.
600 rpm is the optimum
reaction time: 2 hours
temperature increases at most by 10
Plant: 4 m3 tank.

Scaling-up is normally based on geometric similarity do we have

that?
Do we have turbulent conditions
The chemical reaction is obviously influence by the agitation
Liquid-liquid blending
Solids suspending
Evolution of heat
10 is not insignificant since the plant will have 15 times less
area/unit volume
Normally the agitation rate cannot be increased sufficiently to
compensate
Longer time is required for the process
30

Scaling-up of blending

Scaling-up of heat transfer

Scaling-up of liquidliquid dispersion

Scaling-up of solidliquid suspending

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

0 , 55

31

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

Scaling-up of blending

T N D
3
S

2
S

N S , 2 N S ,1

Scaling-up of heat transfer

N S DS
Scaling-up of liquidliquid dispersion
Scaling-up of solidliquid suspending

N JS DS0.85

T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

T , 2 T ,1
T , 2 DS , 2

T ,1 DS ,1

V2

V1

2/3

V2

V1

5/3

N S DS2 / 3
0 , 55

V2

V1

0.55/ 3