Surface velocity measurement in a high shear mixer

Particle velocity measurement in high shear granulation systems has been an area of interest in recent years. This paper gives an insight into the systemic variation of the bulk motion in a high shear mixer (HSM) equipped with a three-blade impeller. The velocities are measured using a high speed camera and particle image velocimetry (PIV) software. Fourier analysis of the velocity data shows a very regular pattern of velocity variation largely dependent on the impeller frequency. The effect of binder viscosity on the bulk flow is investigated as well. From these experiments it was possible to characterize, quantitatively, both the mean surface flow, and the fluctuations in this motion.