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amixon GmbHamixon GmbH

Silo mixer Gyraton®

The Gyraton® silo mixer is a precision mixer. It sets new standards in terms of mixing quality, flexibility and efficiency. It delivers perfect mixing quality even with component compositions of one to one hundred thousand.

 

Maximum efficiency, customised to your needs: the customer sets the mixing time, and the motor size adjusts to precisely match it. Example: a 22 kW motor is sufficient to mix a 40-tonne batch – an efficiency advantage that directly impacts your operating costs.

Homogeneous large batches despite small drive motor

 

  • Extremely small drive motor: Gyraton® mixers work particularly effectively with low motor power. It is about 5 - 10% of the power required by a conventional precision mixer. Nevertheless, it homogenises your mixture with the highest precision. As accurate as a precision mixer. The mixing process is extremely gentle.
  • The Gyraton® mixer is characterised by its cylindrical mixing chamber and particularly compact design. This saves a considerable amount on construction costs.
  • Total height of less than 8 m – but still up to 70 m³ of mix per batch. Headroom reduced by up to 2/3 compared to conical silo mixers
  • Energy saving: The lower height means that less vertical conveying is required when filling the mixer. The average service life of an amixon mixer is 30 years. If hundreds of thousands of tonnes of mix only have to be conveyed 1/3 of the way up, this means
    • less wear on the conveying components
    • less energy consumption
    • less cleaning
    • lower investment costs for the conveyor system
  • The grain structure of the bulk material is optimally preserved: the shorter conveying distance leads to further advantages:
    • better product protection
    • no heating of the mixture
A large Gyraton® mixer is also supplied (almost) ready to use.

A large Gyraton® mixer is also supplied (almost) ready to use.

Fast installation and commissioning

 

  • Gyraton® mixers are designed to be transported horizontally. The level of pre-assembly means that the installation work is minimal.
  • Easy to transport up to 100 m³: the height of the flat-bed trailer including the load is usually less than 4 metres – suitable for transport by road, rail and water.
  • The Gyraton® mixer is gas-tight and hygienic, meeting the highest purity requirements. It can be cleaned both wet and dry, and fully automatically if required.
  • Ideal for sterile applications: even highly sensitive products can be safely processed, mixed or fermented.
  • Large inspection doors (OmgaSeal® design) allow easy access and cleaning.
  • Extremely durable: Gyraton® mixers are designed for decades of use – amixon® mixers often achieve a lifespan of over 40 years!

Drive power on demand – uncompromised mixing quality

 

Why pay for unnecessarily high power? Traditional precision mixers (vertical or horizontal) rarely mix batches larger than 10 m³ or 10 t due to their high specific power requirements. To achieve a precise mixture, they require a minimum speed of the mixing tools – otherwise the mixing quality decreases.

The result: a conventional 10 m³ mixer often requires 100 kW or more – but the mixing time is only a few minutes.

When homogenising large batches, however, it is not short mixing times that are important, but rather the mixing quality! Mixing times of 30 minutes to several hours are acceptable for large batches. So why invest in high motor power if it is not needed?

The mixing tool of the Gyraton® mixer works with a unique movement:

The mixing shaft wobbles around the centre of the bottom and turns. There is no fixed axis of rotation, but a cycloidal movement. Excellent mixing is achieved throughout the mixing chamber – even at minimum speed!

Note on the illustrations: Dark colour indicates increased flow velocity. Lighter colour indicates lower flow velocity.

The Gyraton® mixer from amixon® mixes both batchwise and continuously.

The Gyraton® mixer from amixon® mixes both batchwise and continuously.

The Gyraton® mixer is a good solution if the following criteria are met:

 

  • The batch size is at least 3 m³ or at most 100 m³.
  • The materials to be mixed are dry powders, pastes or slurries with small and/or large particle diameters.
  • The materials to be mixed are free-flowing and/or poorly flowing.
  • the material compositions are homogeneous or heterogeneous.
    • Nanoparticles to coarse flakes and granules
    • Bulk densities are less than 0.1 kg/dm³ to 3 kg/dm³,
    • e.g. metallic or ceramic powders
  • the mixing goods solidify (block) if they are not moved.
  • the mixing goods are highly pure and are processed under inert conditions, e.g. lithium hydroxide for cathode active masses.
  • all parts that come into contact with the mixing goods are ceramic coated if necessary
  • the large-scale mixer mixes sterile goods
  • the large-scale mixer carries out fermentation processes
  • the large-scale mixer mixes the materials in batches
  • the same
  • the batch sizes can vary greatly between 10% and 100%
  • the large-scale mixer must empty itself completely and automatically
  • .....

What possibilities are there for testing the Gyraton® mixer?

 

Gyraton® mixers with a gross volume of 4.8 m³ are available in the pilot plant. It makes sense to carry out tests if your test products are available in sufficient quantities. The maximum batch size is 3 m³.

Tests create certainty and increase knowledge. They reduce residual risks. A joint test day at the pilot plant in Paderborn is a gain in knowledge for both sides. Sometimes it is coincidences or observations on the sidelines that lead to valuable ideas for your investment project.

On the basis of the test data, the amixon team prepares a reliable extrapolation for your desired size. The employees of amixon GmbH are bound to secrecy.

Mixing test in the Gyraton® GM 3000 mixer.

Mixing test in the Gyraton® GM 3000 mixer.

Two amixon® precision mixers. Left Gyraton® type GM, right single-shaft mixer type VM.

Two amixon® precision mixers. Left Gyraton® type GM, right single-shaft mixer type VM.

Comparison of two amixon® precision mixers

 

: amixon® vertical mixers are used worldwide for a wide variety of bulk materials. Sizes up to 60 m³ have been manufactured to date. The two mixers shown are precision mixers. They achieve the best mixing results. However, the mixer shown on the left can mix at almost any low speed. The mixer on the right requires a minimum speed of approx. 4 to 5 rpm.

In this example, the batch volume is 20 m³ for each mixer. The mixture is identical. Both mixers have a diameter of 3.2 m. The circumferential speed of the mixing tools on the right-hand side should not fall below 0.67 m/s. The motor driving these tools therefore requires a power input of more than 140 kW. The power requirement of the Gyraton® mixer is only 24 kW. The mixing time is five times longer.

What would happen if the agitator of the single-shaft mixer (VM) only turned at 1 rpm?

 

If the shaft of a single-shaft mixer (such as the amixon® VM mixer) is stationary, the mixture in the immediate vicinity of the shaft will only be sufficiently agitated if the speed is high enough. If the speed is too low, the mixing process will come to a halt in that area. Instead, there will only be rotation without mixing.

To ensure effective mixing, the minimum speed must be between 5 and 10 revolutions per minute, depending on the type of mixture.

For powder blenders, the following formula can be used if the flow is free of dead space:

Power × mixing time = constant,

as long as the speed is above the minimum limit of 5 to 10 rpm.

In contrast, this equation also works in the Gyraton® mixer at very low speeds. The reason for this lies in the special movement of the mixer shaft: it does not rotate stationarily, but describes a circular path. This creates the effective relative movement of the particles to each other.

The Gyraton® mixer adapts precisely to your requirements

 

The Gyraton® mixer guarantees an optimal mixing quality regardless of the rotational speed of the mixing tool. Whether rotating slowly or quickly, the result is always first-class.

Practical test: perfect homogeneity with minimal energy consumption

In a demanding mixing quality test, 1,500 kg of ground grain (feed) was mixed with only 15 g of a nanodispersed powder (patent blue) - a mixing ratio of 1:100,000. The mixing quality was checked by a colour spectroscopic analysis of 10 samples (20 mg each). The samples were taken at 10 different points in the mixing chamber.

Case (a) - energy-saving mode:

  • Slow rotation: 3 rpm (0.27 m/s circumferential speed)
  • Drive power: only 3 kW
  • Mixing time: 2 hours
  • Result: coefficient of variation < 5% - almost ideal random mixing
  •  

Case (b) - Time-saving mode:

  • increased speed
  • Drive power: 25 kW
  • Mixing time: only 12 minutes

Result: same mixing quality as in (a). Your advantage: the Gyraton® mixer adapts exactly to your requirements. Whether you need minimal motor power or the shortest mixing times - the choice is yours!

Examples of applications for Gyraton® mixers

 

Pharmaceutical products

  • Vitamins
  • Penicillin
  • API raw materials and API finished products
  •  

Organic products

  • Cereals: wheat, corn, barley, rye.
  • Thickening agents
  • Food stabilizers
  • Plastic stabilizers
  • Carboxymethylcellulose
  • Cellulose acetate
  • Cellulose nitrate
  • Carboxymethylcellulose
  • Methylcellulose
  • Hydroxyethylcellulose
  • Ethylcellulose
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Spices
  • Oilseeds: soy, rapeseed, sunflower
  • Feed: soy meal, bran, pellets
  • Rice: bulk storage and transport
  • Sugar: cane and beet sugar

Mineral and metallic raw materials

  • Lithium hydroxide
  • Lithium carbonate
  • Cobalt
  • Chromium
  • Nickel
  • Rare earths
  • Neodymium
  • Dysprosium
  • Iron alloys
  • Alumina: For aluminum production
  • Copper concentrates: For metal processing
  • Graphite: For batteries
  • Solid lubricants
  • Activated carbon
  • Power plant coal, coking coal
  • Ores: iron ore, copper ore, bauxite, nickel ore, chrome ore
  • Salts: sodium chloride, potash, gypsum
  • Sand and gravel: for the construction industry
  • Limestone: for cement and steel production
  • Cement: raw material or end product
  • Fertilizer: nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizer
  • Soda ash
  • Kaolin
  • Zinc oxide: For rubber and ceramic production
  • Sulfur chemicals: For industry
  • Electronic scrap
  • Waste paper
  • ...

Energy resources

  • Biomass: Wood pellets, wood chips, wood shavings
  • Fly ash: By-product of energy production
  • ...

Industrial bulk materials

  • - Fertilizers: Nitrogen, potash and phosphate fertilizers
  • - Sulfur: By-product of petroleum refining
  • - Chemical powders: Lime, soda, silicates
  • - Scrap metal: For recycling processes
  • ....

Construction and infrastructure materials

  • Natural stone: Gravel, grit
  • Slag: From steelworks
  • Asphalt granulate
  • Clay: For brick production
  • ....

Three large amixon® blenders (each with a usable volume of 15 m³) in a powder metallurgy plant.

Various types of silo mixers

 

  1. This silo mixer is used primarily for plastic granules. Inside, there is a pipe with openings and baffles on the sides. When the silo is emptied, the products flow together from different areas. This creates a mixing effect. The silo mixer is not a precision mixer. It only works when the products to be mixed are free-flowing.
  2. The silo mixer mixes by introducing large quantities of air or gas into the mixture. This is done in pulses at different points in the floor. The mixtures must have similar properties in terms of: bulk density, particle size, flowability, fluidisability, non-agglomeration, ......... All mixtures must be dry and easily fluidisable.
  3. Silo mixer with centrally positioned screw conveyor. This mixer is not a precision mixer either. However, it can homogenise a powder batch well if the powders are easily fluidised. With changing mixing tasks, it is difficult to ensure that the mixture slides down the silo wall.
  4. Conical screw mixer with rotating screw conveyor. This mixer can mix free-flowing powders and poor-flowing powders/granulates. The drive power is relatively low. High mixing qualities can be achieved with long mixing times. The filling levels can be varied. The mixing quality is hardly affected by this.
  5. The Gyraton® mixer represents a major advance in bulk materials processing technology.
    • It is designed to save space
    • it is economical in energy consumption
    • it can mix goods with good and poor flow properties
    • it achieves optimum mixing qualities
    • it works at a wide range of filling levels
    • it is designed to be particularly hygienic
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