14.01.2021 15:28

UTG’s new flow animations illustrate mixing performance in industrial scale

“Our method complements traditional laboratory and pilot-scale physical modeling by allowing for studying mixer-induced flows on a full industrial scale. Analytical scaling of lab results to an industrial scale is a challenging task that may case-by-case involve considerable uncertainties,” says Niclas Tylli, Technical Manager at UTG Mixing Group.

“Whenever a new mixer is designed, the customer benefits from the fact that the reactor or mixing tank is numerically simulated. This helps ensure that the mixer works exactly as designed. The results of the simulation can be used to produce a flow animation that shows in advance how the mixer will work,” Tylli adds.

The animation helps understand the three-dimensional flow and how the flow changes when the mixing parameters or mixer configuration are changed. The customer can receive an even more accurate and quantitative analysis of mixer performance, if necessary, by examining the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results that contain important mixer-related process data. The ultimate benefit for the customer, of course, is a better mixer, not the animation itself.

The flow animations are especially helpful to R&D experts, who can study all the mixing options for developing their own processes. Based on the animations, they can quickly visualize the shape, number and coverage of the circulation zones. By combining this information with their own experience and expertise, they can then evaluate the suitability of the mixer for the problem to be solved.

Unlike most companies in the industry, UTG performs CFD simulations itself. The competence is now available in both Germany and Finland, where the team’s CFD capabilities have just been strengthened.

“In this way, we are able to serve our customers even better by providing even more comprehensive data in a modern and usable way,” Tylli says.

UTG already has basic CFD files for all its own mixers that enable fast track applications for the customer’s mixing cases. The simulation is included in the price of any UTG mixer and is also available separately as a paid service under certain conditions.

Watch product animations for UTG mixers