Mixing with helical ribbon agitators: Part III. Non‐Newtonian fluids

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Abstract
The use of helical ribbon agitators to mix viscous non‐Newtonian fluids has been investigated. A generalized model, based on an appropriate definition of effective viscosity, is proposed to predict power consumption. This model is most successful with fluids that do not have a high degree of elasticity.It was found that the efficiency of mixing of pseudoplastic fluids was about half of that of Newtonian fluids in the same mixer, while the efficiency of mixing viscoelastic fluids was still lower and approximately independent of the mixer geometry. Blade width was the primary variable affecting the mixing efficiency on inelastic fluids.