Background/Requirement
A surfactant is defined as a material that can greatly reduce
the surface tension of water when used in low concentrations.
Surfactants are widely used in cosmetic, personal care, liquid
detergent and other cleansing products as foaming agents,
emulsifiers and dispersants. To minimize transportation and
storage costs, "high active" surfactants are available with
concentrations ranging from 65-70%. The dilution process can
be accomplished in a batch or continuous processing operation.
High active surfactants and water are of widely differing
viscosities. Generally, it is recommended that the concentrate
containing the surfactant is added to the water. Surfactants
with higher viscosities are not easily blended by conventional
agitators and can lead to globules of surfactant remaining
fully or partially undiluted. Long processing times are often
required to ensure a uniform product. And some formulations
are too viscous for conventional mixers. Air incorporation
poses another issue. The introduction of air greatly increases
viscosity as does the addition of other ingredients such as
sodium chloride (salt).
Quadro's Approach
Dilution is best carried out by applying the correct
amount of shear to blend the concentrate instantly.
Dilution can be accomplished in a batch process with
a bypass assembly on the Jet Mixer or a continuous system
with the Z Emulsifier.
Batch System
Water is added to the vessel. A pump delivers the surfactant
concentrate to the bypass assembly of the Jet Mixer.
The bypass assembly provides instant sub-surface dispersion
and blending of the viscous concentrate due to the close
tolerance of the bypass and the high speed rotor. The
Jet Mixer delivers a pure axial flow pattern to provide
an instant homogeneous blend of the solution.
Inline System
The Inline system involves pumping or metering the
concentrate into the water source which is processed
through the Inline Z Emulsifier for single pass blending
of the solution.
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