Is it possible that shear-thinning fluid discharge tank without mixing?

[silebi66]

Dear Professional members:

I have a question about the shear-thinning fluid transfer by gravity.
This fluid is with viscosity around 26,000 cp at room temperature, but the viscosity decrease to around 2600 at 50C.

Is it possible to use the tote as discharge tank to transfer this by gravity flow into the reactor downstream ?

Since it is not possible to install the mixer in the tote, is any other way around to be use as a heating device for the totes, such as the electric spoon, or others ?

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[jari001]

Gravity flow will work, it's just a matter of how long you can wait. You might have to do some silly things with a forklift too...I am assuming your tote is a normal plastic, so 50C might be too hot to maintain structural integrity but there are large heating blankets with thermostats that you can buy (~1k USD/piece). Can you put the totes in a warm spot/in the sun?

Is there a reason you can't use a mixer in the tote? I think such an arrangement is very common.

 

[don1980]

If you're doing an engineering design or a feasibility assessment, then you need an informed answer rather than our speculative opinions. The fact is, we don't have enough info to answer your question. Shear-thinning fluids range from things like paint to toothpaste. Both of those materials will come out when you hold the container upside down, but as jari001 says, you'll be waiting around for a very long time if your fluid is similar to toothpaste.

You can answer the question by testing it yourself, or asking someone who has specific knowledge about this specific material (e.g. manufacturer, or supplier).