Renewable Energy
Fig. 2. In order to design the most effective and tailored solution for Vivergo, EKATO’s design engineers built a pilot model fermenter with scale agitators and vessel internals.
Te company’s ongoing development of side-entry equipment is the result of a continuing market need for efficient mixing designs with lower cost investment. Installing multiple side-entry mixers is more straightforward than installing top entry agitators, and does not require additional equipment such as internal baffles, thereby reducing the cost per vessel. Side entry agitators operate successfully by
producing fluid flow and therefore tank contents turnover. EKATO’s impeller technology is designed for fluid displacement, which is fundamental to the process result in applications where side entry agitators are selected.
is able to demonstrate how its technology will work in practice by offering a full scale projection using sophisticated R&D methods, and can also reference a large number of applications using its technology that are operating successfully. Te agitator can, due to its design, be placed in the exact position and orientation required to achieve suspension or gassing applications. A side entry agitator system from EKATO significantly reduces investment costs for bio refineries, as it can be easily installed without the need for heavy duty mobile lifting equipment. Te cost per vessel is also reduced by using side-agitators, as they eliminate the need for the internal baffles often found in vessels equipped with top entry agitators. As a design option, a ‘shut-off’ device is also available which allows the mechanical seal to be serviced or removed while the vessel is full of product, reducing maintenance costs as well as servicing time. In addition, side entry agitators enhance process efficiency and allow the user greater control over the mixing process, avoiding deposits of solids in the tank. “Top entry agitators would have been prohibitively
Fig. 3. The EKATO team simulated flow velocities and solids concentration distribution of the pilot set-up using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling as the validation method.
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Although side entry agitator technology is relatively simple in itself, difficulties often arise for manufacturers when assessing the suitability of the equipment for their particular application. EKATO
expensive due to the need to strengthen each vessel to transmit the torque and bending moments,” explains Stewart Murray, engineering manager, Vivergo Fuels. “EKATO’s side entry agitator design was consistent with our aim to design an installation which had minimal crevices and would be straightforward and economical to implement and maintain.” In order to design the most effective and tailored solution for Vivergo, EKATO’s design engineers followed a unique rigorous research and development process, building a pilot model fermenter with scale agitators and vessel internals, including filling and drain points to confirm agitator design to achieve the required degree of particle suspension. Following this, the team simulated flow velocities and solids concentration distribution of the pilot set-up, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling as the validation method. Using both pilot modelling
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