The main objective of this work was to investigate a new agitation system, which would improve the standard process for concentrated juice after evaporation. The commonly used agitators for this kind of application were analyzed, including anchor agitators with tangential flow and pitched-blade agitators with axial flow. A pilot unit was installed “in company.” The results of the pilot test were scaled-up to an industrial size agitator with pitched-blade impellers. Three impellers, each with four blades at a 45° angle, were mounted on an off-center shaft. Better results were obtained in all the aspects analyzed. Process time was reduced by a factor often, power consumption was reduced by a factor of five, without air incorporation into the product. The new system had less internal surface area to be cleaned than the old system with an anchor impeller. Additionally, the new equipment was only one-fourth the cost of a similar installation with an anchor impeller. This innovative solution demonstrates the practical substitution of pitched-blade impellers for an anchor impeller in viscous fluids.
Paper published with permission.
