W. Roy Penney, University of Arkansas, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 3202 Bell Engr. Ctr., Fayetteville, AR 72701 and Anurag Singh, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, 72701.
An 8 inch (0.203 m) diameter Vickers-Zimmer disk style polyester finisher was tested using carboxymethylcellulose and corn syrup. This high viscosity processor consists of spoked (each disk has 5 spokes) rotating disks. The experimental unit had 20 spoked disks assembled on a rotating shaft. To prevent the liquid batch from rotating with the disks, stationary breaker bars and 210 degree baffle plates were installed between adjacent disks. Breaker bars were inserted in spaces between 5 adjacent disks and 210 degree baffle plates were inserted between every 5th and 6th disk in a repeating pattern. Dimensionless correlations were developed for (1) fractional liquid disk holdup (2) agitator power requirements (3) angles of rise and depression of the free liquid surface at the vessel wall (4) mass transfer coefficient and (5) fractional film coverage of the cutouts in the spoked wheels.