How High Shear Mixers can help to fully hydrate powders in minutes and eliminate agglomerates.
If your mixing process involved incorporating powdered ingredients, be that starches, hydrocolloids, proteins or cocoa, you’ll know how difficult it can be to get the mixing right. At Silverson Machines, we’ve helped thousands of customers improve their powder/liquid mixing by utilising high shear technology. We see time and time again the same common mixing frustrations when it comes to powder/liquid mixing, these include:
- Poor powder incorporation resulting in agglomeration or “fish eyes” in the mix
- Long processing times affecting productivity and efficiency
- Difficultly processing high-viscosity formulations due to poor flow and limited shear
- Inadequate particle size reduction impacting texture, stability, or finished product performance
- Scale up inconsistencies between laboratory and production scale models
- Losing expensive raw materials during filtration processes, commonly due to agglomerates remaining in the mixture
So, what is it that makes powder/liquid mixing such a difficult application and why do powder problems persist? Some of the issues stem from the type of powder, for example, some powders are hydrophobic and resist wetting – making hydration difficult. On the other hand, hydrophilic powders can cause issues too. They readily absorb water which can lead to rapid swelling, clumping or gel formation that hinders uniform dispersion.
Other problems can be exacerbated by the mixing equipment being incorrect or insufficient for the application. Low density powders, for example, tend to float or “raft” on the surface. Traditional mixers, such as agitators or stirrers, can’t overcome the buoyancy and so this leads to incorporation issues.
Insufficient shear can often lead to incomplete dispersion and hydration of powdered ingredients. Even “high speed” agitators don’t generate enough localised shear to prevent or even break agglomerates once they have formed.
What is the key to smooth powder incorporation?
The solution to most of the above problems is the mixing equipment, specifically high shear mixing equipment. Unlike conventional mixers or agitators, high shear mixers utilise specialised rotor/stator technology to generate extremely high shear rates, creating a powerful suction effect that continuously draws materials into the high shear zone.
Leveraging this advanced technology, high shear mixers provide remarkable mixing efficiency, enabling:
- Instant wetting and dispersion of powders into liquids
- Faster processing times and increased production throughput.
- Full powder ulitisation, maximising yield of raw ingredients.
- Improved product quality, consistency, and stability across batches.
How does High Shear work?
- The powerful suction created by the rotor draws powders and liquids directly down into the workhead. This eliminates rafting on the vessel surface.
- Centrifugal force drives the powder and liquid towards the periphery of the workhead, where they are subjected to intense high shear in the gap between the rotor and stator wall. The product is forced out of the stator and projected radially back into the body of the mix.
- In a short time, all of the material will pass through the workhead several times, exposing an increasing surface area to the surrounding liquid rapidly completing the gum hydration. You’ll achieve an agglomerate-free, consistent solution time after time.
High shear technology doesn’t just solve technical problems, it helps to increase the product quality and offers benefits such as increase profitability due to lower raw material, processing and labour costs.
Silverson Machines has nearly 80+ years of experience helping customers mixing powders into liquids, and in that time, we’ve seen the benefit of high shear mixing for ourselves. In this case study, read about how we helped one customers process was revolutionised with the introduction of high shear mixing into their process:
Case Study: High Shear Powder/Liquid Mixer reduces process times by over 23 hours
A French manufacturer dramatically reduced mixing times and improved their product quality after implementing a Silverson Flashmix Powder/Liquid Mixer.
The company, which produces formulations containing Xanthan Gum, CMC, Carbomers and pigments, had previously relied on a fast impeller mixer. Batch processing could take up to 24 hours, yet agglomerates and unhydrated powder often remained, requiring additional filtration and increasing production times. Seeking a more efficient solution, the company worked with Silverson to conduct on-site trials using a Flashmix FMX50 Powder/Liquid Mixer. The trials evaluated a range of powders, including Xanthan Gum, cellulose polymers, sodium carbonate and natural pigments, across batch sizes from 3,500 to 27,000 litres.
In one trial, 17kg of Xanthan Gum was incorporated into 3,500 litres of vinegar in just 50 seconds and fully dispersed after 35 minutes of recirculation. The Flashmix’s high-shear rotor/stator design ensured complete hydration and dispersion. The resulting mixture met the required specification without agglomerates or the need for filtration, with a dramatic reduction in processing times. Following the successful trials, the company purchased the Flashmix.
Silverson offers a range of mixers for the dispersion of powders into liquids, to find out more, or to trial a mixer for yourself, visit: www.silverson.co.uk
Read other recent UK Manufacturing news: https://uk-manufacturing-online.co.uk/category/news/
