MIXING EQUIPMENT


clearance between the ends of the rotor blades and the inner wall of the stator. This is followed by intense hydraulic shear as the materials are forced, at high velocity, out through the perforations in the stator and circulated into the main body of the mix. The materials expelled from the head are projected radially at high speed towards the sides of the mixing vessel. At the same time, fresh material is continually drawn into the workhead, maintaining the mixing cycle. The versatility of Silverson high shear mixers


MIXING SMARTER


Silverson Machines explains how it helps manufacturers stay ahead in mixing through the use of High Shear Mixing technology


equipment. With extensive knowledge and experience and one of the most comprehensive product ranges from a single manufacturer, Silverson has become known as the first name in high shear mixing. Having supplied customers all over the


F


world in a diverse range of industries, as well as finding solutions for hundreds of applications large and small, Silverson are confident that whatever scale you are mixing at, your process could benefit from the advantages of high shear mixers. To understand how high shear mixers can


revolutionise certain mixing processes, it is helpful to know how they work and the differences between conventional and high shear mixers. Conventional mixing equipment, such as


agitators or stirrers come in a vast array of shapes and sizes, including marine propellers, foils, axial and radial flow turbines, gate and anchor stirrer/scrapers, etc. Despite the wide range of capacities and viscosities this type of mixer can handle, the low shear nature of conventional equipment limits its effectiveness to performing simple tasks such as blending liquids of like viscosities, maintaining in-tank uniformity, and producing flow in a vessel to promote heat transfer from jacketed vessel walls. Where the product has to be processed in some way – liquids of differing viscosities are being blended, powders dispersed and hydrated, an emulsion


2 SEPTEMBER 2025 | PROCESS & CONTROL 6


or suspension formed, solids dissolved or disintegrated and so on, conventional mixing equipment can take a long time to achieve the required results, or is simply not capable. That's where high shear mixers come in. High


shear mixers are ideal for these types of mixing tasks and can cut mixing times by up to 90%, offering improved yield, product quality and greater batch-to-batch consistency. How can one mixer achieve high quality


batch-to-batch results in such varied applications? The answer lies at the heart of every Silverson mixer – the rotor/stator workhead. ‘Shear’ in the simplest terms, means to cut. Silverson high shear mixers achieve the ‘cutting’ action as the blades of the rotor rotate inside a static stator. The high-speed rotation of these rotor


blades create a powerful suction, drawing liquid and solid materials upwards from the bottom of the vessel and into the centre of the workhead. Centrifugal force then drives materials towards the periphery of the workhead where they are subjected to a milling action in the precision-machined


or over 75 years Silverson Machines has been at the forefront of new developments in high shear mixing


is further increased by the range of interchangeable workheads. With a range of options, the perforations in the stators can be changed to suit specific applications and processes. For example, the emulsor screen is ideal for liquid/liquid preparations and especially useful for applications which require the forming of stable emulsions. Whereas the Slotted Disintegrating Head would be more suitable for the disintegration and solubilisation of “elastic” materials such as rubbers and polymers and other fibrous materials. Time after time, companies specify Silverson


mixers as the “standard” equipment for their manufacturing process, with a single Silverson high shear mixer able to perform a wide range of mixing applications with speed and consistency. With the exceptionally rapid mixing action of a Silverson high shear mixer, process times are substantially reduced compared to a conventional agitator. Shorter processing times are more energy


efficient, therefore saving further costs. This also allows manufacturers to process more material in the time previously taken, increasing their productivity and profitability. In the case of Silverson High Shear mixers,


equipment is built to last. The oldest Silverson mixer that we know of still in operation has been working for over 60 years! So, although the initial investment in a piece of high shear mixing equipment may be higher than that of conventional mixing equipment, over time the mixer will pay for itself. To find out more about the company, please


see the corporate video on the Silverson website homepage.


Silverson Machines www.silverson.co.uk


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