Slurry Mixing 101: Magnesium Hydroxide Slurry

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:52:25 +0000

Magnesium hydroxide powder is an excellent source of alkali with a low pH that is non-hazardous, safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. It is used mainly in industrial wastewater treatment systems as an alternative to lime or sodium hydroxide. When mixed with water it is referred to as milk of magnesia. In this liquefied state, milk of magnesia is becomes a settling slurry that needs to be agitated and mixed while in storage in order to prevent the settling of solids. Mixers from Pulsair Systems are an efficient and effect solution for keeping these magnesium hydroxide slurries agitated and in suspension in storage tanks.

1. Efficient mixing

The Pulsair Systems non-shear slurry mixing process allows operators to mix and agitate 100% of magnesium hydroxide slurries in any size tank and at any liquid level. The mixing process involves generating a large compressed air bubble at the tank bottom and sequentially releasing them at set intervals. Pulsair tank mixers can be custom designed to fit the geometry of any tank and the height becomes irrelevant because the bottom up vertical mixing pattern mixes the entire tank.

2. Lower maintenance costs

There are no moving parts inside the tank when using Pulsair tank mixers for mixing and agitation – the only thing that moves is the slurry. This feature significantly reduces overall maintenance costs and is a huge savings when compared with mechanical mixers and impellers that need to be taken out for maintenance, repair or replacement.

3. Improved operating efficiency

Pulsair slurry mixing and agitation results in uniform suspension of solids and can adequately mix up to 65% of solids in magnesium hydroxide slurries. Additionally, no extra investment in baffles or tank support structures for electric mixers are needed. Existing magnesium hydroxide storage tanks can be retrofitted with a Pulsair tank mixers without be taken out of service.

Contact Pulsair Systems today and learn more about this slurry mixing process for magnesium hydroxide.

Faster rail tank car mixing, heating and thawing – 5 Reasons to choose Pulsair Systems

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:04:34 +0000

Thawing and heating a rail tank car is necessary to restore heat lost during transit and prepare for unloading. When a full tank car arrives at its destination, sometimes the liquid contents are frozen or are in a highly viscose state and need to be heated and liquefied prior to unloading. Today, many railcar terminals are equipped with steam traps or oil heating generators that pump steam or hot oil through the tank car’s interior heating coil system. Some rail tank cars are also equipped with electrical heating systems. Depending on the starting temperatures of the liquids in the rail tank car and the optimal pumping temperature, heating the contents can take many hours and sometimes days. These long heating times are significantly increased in freezing temperatures. The Pulsair mixing process helps reduce the heating times by over 50%.

5 benefits for using a Pulsair Systems rail car tank mixing system:

1. Faster heating and mixing
The Pulsair mixing process works by sequentially pumping compressed air or industrial gas through the bottom discharge valve into the tank car. The tank mixing process increases the transfer of heat by moving already heated liquids away from the heat source, while bringing the colder material to the heat source, resulting in a faster heating process. This active mixing and heating of the liquid contents is much faster than relying only on the passive conduction method (heating but no mixing) which is the slow migration of energy from molecule to molecule. Heating times are typically cut in half.

2. Uniform tank mixing and temperature distribution
By circulating the liquid contents throughout the tank, uniform mixing and temperature distribution is achieved. Uniform tank mixing produces accurate temperature readings through the top hatch and reduces the risk of burning or scalding of the liquid contents. Pulsair tank mixers can be either integrated into a standard bottom-loading arm or attached directly through the bottom drain outlet.

3. Process Improvement & Reduces Labor Cost
Since Pulsair rail tank car mixers typically cut the heating time in half, rail cars are ready for discharge in half the time, which can significantly improve process efficiency. Additionally, this can result in a reduction in personnel staffing needed during the rail car heating process. Some rail tank car customers have eliminated swing and graveyard shifts after incorporating the Pulsair tank mixer.

4. Reduces energy costs
Heating rail tank cars with steam is an expensive process, especially with rising energy prices. By improving heat transfer and reducing heating time, Pulsair rail tank mixers are an effective method for cutting steam generation costs. But it’s not just the steam.. Pulsair rail tank car mixers can also reduce the cost of virtually any existing railcar heating system – steam, hot oil or electric.

5. Successful proven track record
Pulsair System rail car tank mixers successfully reduce heating and mixing times for liquid sugars, vegetable oils, petroleum based products and additives, chemicals and resins. This efficient mixing process also brings solids and slurries into suspension, and reduces ‘heels’ in rail cars.

Contact Pulsair Systems today for advice and see if this tank mixing system is right for your mixing needs.

Wastewater treatment mixing & operation efficiency solutions from Pulsair Systems.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:23:38 +0000

Wastewater sewage treatment plants are a critical component of our modern everyday life and play a critical roll in keeping our waterways clean for fisheries, wildlife ecosystems and the environment. Wastewater treatment plants process wastewater from homes, industries and storm water runoff before safely returning it to our environment. The main goal in wastewater treatment is to remove as many suspended solids quickly and efficiently while using the least amount of resources as possible. Solid decaying organic matter left untreated uses up dissolved oxygen needed by animals and plants living in the water.

To accomplish this, municipal and industrial wastewater treatments plants process billions of gallons of raw sewage and wastewater daily through a serious of primary and secondary stages to removed solids and clean the water prior to it returning to the local lake or waterway. This 24-hour, 7-day a week processes uses nearly 4% of our nation’s electricity, some of it on inefficient mechanical mixers that require a lot of maintenance.

For over 25-years, Pulsair Systems has been replacing inefficient, high energy consuming and high emission emitting mechanical mixers with an energy-efficient and effective vertical mixing solution. Pulsair mixing systems greatly reduce energy consumption needed to run these wastewater treatment plants mixers and significantly reduce maintenance making the operation of these facilities more efficient.

Pulsair Systems’ unique, vertical mixing solutions for wastewater sewage treatment plants are ideal because they are designed to fit any size tank allowing for 100% of the tank’s contents to be uniformly mixed faster and more efficiently than with mechanical mixers.

A few reasons why the Pulsair mixing system should be the main choice when choosing a wastewater mixer:

1. Faster mixing

The vertical mixing process generated from the Pulsair mixing can mix, blend and agitate 100% of the contents of a tank faster than any other solution and can operate at any liquid level. This process provides a better flow patterns than horizontal mechanical mixers in both rectangular and circular tanks eliminating the need for expensive baffles to be installed.

2. Improves tank utilization

Pulsair mixers are designed to fit any size tank or vessel regardless of their size or tank floor bottom design. Additional support structures and guide rail systems for inefficient submersible gear-driven mixers and jet mixers are no longer needed. The Pulsair vertical mixing process allows for better suspension of solids and eliminates stratification or sludge build up on the bottom of the tank.

3. Reduces maintenance costs

Pulsair mixing systems greatly reduces maintenance costs because there are no moving parts in the tank! In addition to inefficient jet mixers that continually and inefficiently bleed air into tanks, most wastewater treatment plants also use expensive submersible gear-driven mixers that require periodic retrieval for inspection, preventive maintenance and occasional replacement.

4. Improves operation efficiency

The combination of faster mixing, improved tank utilization and reduced maintenance costs allows wastewater treatment plants to improve operation efficiency. Customers all over the world previously using inefficient mechanical mixers have successfully converted to the Pulsair Systems mixing process to reduced energy consumption without comprising the goals of the respective wastewater treatment stage.

Diving bubbler systems: 5 reasons aquatic centers & diving coaches should use Pulsair Systems.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:10:22 +0000

1. Safety – Failed dives and incorrect water landings can result in painful welts and in worst cases, a trip to the ER. Aerating the landing area below the dive station with a bubbler diving system prior to the diver’s entry allows for a soft water landing and greatly reduces painful landings and injury for failed dives.

2. Introduce newcomers to the sport – There are many examples of people making the switch from other sports, mostly gymnast, to competitive springboard and platform diving. To make the transition as easy as possible, many coaches we’ve talked to said they’ve been able to attract new athletes and increase the size of their squads by allowing their new athletes the dive with Pulsair’s SoftWater Landing System allowing their athletes to overcome their fears more quickly.

3. Learn harder dives more quickly and increase diver confidence – As diving is primarily a “heads first” sport, newcomers are often confronted with overcoming fears of incorrect water landings. Also, as divers of all caliber increase the degree of difficulty for backward, somersault and twisting dives, having a soft cushion of aerated water allows the diver to concentrate on throwing a perfect dive and not on the fear of landing incorrectly.

4. Proven track record – From the upcoming to 2012 Olympics Trials in Federal Way, WA and the more recent 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Pulsair SoftWater Landing System has installed countless bubbler systems in colleges, universities and large aquatic facilities for the past 15-years.

5. Versatile – The SoftWater Landing System can be either built into the pool floor at the time of construction or portable stainless steel systems can be installed without draining the pool.

Hello world!

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:57:04 +0000

Welcome to the new Pulsair System blog! We look forward to communicating with our current and future customer base on new product development, customer success stories, industry news and best practices so you can realize the maximum benefits of the … Continue reading →