MSc / MEng Module
060- Batch mixing of fluids and particles
Scale up
Dr Gül Özcan-Taşkın
Scale-up
• What should the design and operation be at large scale to achieve
the desired process result obtained at small scale ?
• Manufacturing at high volumes
• Build many identical, small vessels to get exactly the same power,
flow, turbulence and mixing rate characteristics as the pilot or
laboratory case
Impractical in most cases
• Scale up: as the scale of operation increases, relevant scaling
parameters change with different exponents
Scale-up
Scale-up of industrial processes can be a challenging task as
– Several mixing duties (blending, solid suspension, reaction,…) can
take place simultaneously; one scale up rule will not apply to all of
these
– Physical properties may change during processing flow regime
can change; different scale up rules apply in different regimes
Therefore, it is crucially important to carry out pilot scale trials.
Similarity
• Geometric similarity
• Kinematic similarity
• Dynamic similarity
Geometric Similarity
A single scale ratio, s, defines the relative
magnitude of all linear dimensions between the
large and small scale:
D2 T2 W 2 H2
s
D1 T1 W1 H1
Geometric Similarity
Geometrical similarity is as important as scaling criteria
Kinematic Similarity
• Velocities at geometrically similar positions
remain constant
– Constant tip speed
– Constant superficial gas velocity
– Constant maximum liquid velocity in impeller
discharge
Dynamic Similarity
• Ratios of forces remain constant at different scales
(Re, Fr, We,…)
• For ex. constant Froude number for systems in
which vortexing for gas entrainment is required
• The relationship between process performance
and the dimensionless group may not be linear.
Rules for scaling up geometrically similar vessels- turbulent mixing
Processes Rules
Miscible liquid blending Constant tip speed(VtipND)
Solids suspension NjsD0.85 = constant
Solids distribution Constant P/V
Gas-liquid mixing: ct Constant P/V & vsg
hold-up and mass transfer
Immiscible liquid mixing: Constant P/V, Vtip or N (depd.
same droplet size on breakage mechanism)
Heat transfer Equal Reynolds number
Fast chemical reactions Equal mixing time: const. N
Scale-up
– Practical constraints often dictate, for ex the power input at large
scale can be very high if mixing time is to be kept constant over the
turbulent regime.
– Empirical or semi-empirical correlations used for certain mixing
applications, e.g. (P/V)js D-0.55. These are valid for geometrically
similar systems and must not be extrapolated outside validity range.
– “Advanced methodologies” such as CFD have limitations particularly
if not validated against data.
Scale-up
• Often one attempts to go for one of the commonly used scale up
rules (P/V, ND, /V) BUT in many situations it is not possible to
apply a given scale-up rule because:
– It may not be possible to achieve the high levels of P/V achieved
at small scale;
– The equipment at small scale may bear no resemblance to that
at production scale;
Scale up
– The process may involve more than one mixing duty and one
scale up rule does not apply to all mixing processes;
– Changes in material properties during processing changes the
flow regime and different rules apply in different regimes;
– Mechanisms at bench scale can be very different to those at
manufacturing scale.
Therefore, pilot scale trials are essential
Pilot scale trials
– Should not be undertaken as a “make do” exercise
– Should aim to find out the way in which the process
responds to a change in the mixing variables in order to
identify the parameters to scale
A great deal of art still remains in scale up.
Scale up
Parameter Pilot scale Plant scale
P/V ct ND ct Re ct
D 1.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
P 1.0 125 25 0.2
P/V 1.0 1.0 0.2 0.0016
N 1.0 0.34 0.2 0.004
Q 1.0 42.5 25 5.0
ND 1.0 1.7 1.0 0.2
Re 1.0 8.5 5.0 1.0
Conclusions
– The skill required for reliable scale-up is selecting the correct parameters
in relation to the process
– Identify the process requirements
– Examine existing mixing equipment to help identify important issues, e.g.
heat transfer, mass transfer, chemical reaction
– The use of dimensionless groups (ratios of forces) to identify operating or
flow regimes
– If a process is kept geometrically similar on scale-up, what do we keep
constant? How does N vary? Scale-up of different systems will be covered
in more detail in the later sections of the module
