The Fluidization Properties of Bagasse Pulp Suspensions in a Rotary Device

Abstract

Suspensions of bleached bagasse pulp at 0% to 15% mass concentrations were sheared in a concentric cylinder rotary device to study the pulp suspension’s fluidization properties. The use of a baffled chamber, with blade rotors, imposed shear stress within the suspensions and prevented slip at the chamber walls. Linear-type, hollow-type, and screw-type rotors were used to explore the influence of rotor structure on fluidization properties. The torque was measured as a function of rotational speed. The torque vs. rotational speed curves and flow phenomenon were found to depend on the mass consistency of the pulp suspensions and the gap between the rotor and chamber. The structure of the rotor had little influence on the fluidization of the pulp suspensions, and the critical rotational speed that makes the pulp suspensions turbulent was similar for all rotor types. The gap between the rotor and chamber should be small to let pulp suspensions fluidize at low rotational speed.

Keywords

• Bagasse pulp
• Rotational shear
• Fluidization
• Fluidizer