Mixing and Blending of Solids

Mixing and blending of solids is a very common unit operation across a wide range of industries from pharmaceutical tabletting operations to foodstuff manufacture to ordered mixtures for plastic granules. This webinar provides an introduction to both the fundamentals of mixing processes and how to assess mixture quality and examine the qualities of industrial powder mixing equipment.  Segregation of particulate solids is examined in detail; for if we understand how things separate by particle property (size, density, etc.) and physical mechanisms then processes can be designed to create particle mixtures. As for all mixing processes, it is important to understand the scale of scrutiny for solids mixtures.  Hence, proper sampling (both sampling method and sample size) must be used to determine the “mixedness” of a given blend of bulk solids. The combination of the segregation potential of a desired mixture and the desired mixture quality are key factors in industrial mixer selection. The webinar examines  the characteristics of some of the more common mixers in the process industries, for example, ribbon, inclined screw, hopper blenders, etc.