By Ross

Ross vacuum-rated high speed dispersers are a family of tank-mounted and raisable mixers featuring a laser-cut saw-tooth blade that runs to approximately 5,000 ft/min. Also sometimes called a High Speed Dissolver, this classic workhorse is primarily used to incorporate dry powders into liquid and disperse loosely bound agglomerates. It imparts high levels of shear while producing vigorous flow and rapid turnover of low to medium viscosity dispersions as high as 50,000 centipoise. In most applications, the extent of deagglomeration is further optimized under vacuum conditions which reveal tighter and more uniform particle size distributions in shorter cycle times.

Pictured is a 600-gallon mix vessel designed for full vacuum and equipped with a 20-inch diameter disperser blade that is raised/lowered by means of an air/oil hydraulic lift. The agitator shaft is coupled to the dished-shaped vessel cover via a single mechanical seal and Viton O-rings. All wetted surfaces are stainless steel 316 polished to 150-grit finish. Sight/charge ports, a vacuum port, and Type J thermoprobe are installed on the cover. The mix vessel is built with a 50-psig stainless steel jacket for heating/cooling, a dished bottom, flush discharge ball valve, large handles and heavy-duty casters.