High Shear Performance and Productivity in a Single Pass
Faster batch times. Higher capacities. Predictable, consistent quality. Easy to clean.
These are the demands that are challenging process engineers in large-scale manufacturing today. However, traditional in-tank fluid mixing continues to impose limitations on productivity – causing bottlenecks that the industry has reluctantly learned to live with or work around by introducing costly additional processes.
Conventional hit-and-miss
Traditional in-tank dispersion and emulsifying methods are, at best, hit-and-miss.
Powders and immiscible liquids introduced into a vessel of liquid must find their way to the mixing impeller in order to be effectively sheared and dispersed. In theory, the vortexing created by a conventional impeller draws the powder down into the action zone. In reality, only a portion of the material introduced will reach the tooling for processing.
The result? Random, uncontrollable rates of shear.
Some materials are continually recirculated back into the action zone – leading to overprocessing. Other components, most often in "dead zones" nearer the vessel walls and surface, remain virtually untouched. This incomplete dispersion not only promotes waste as materials "raft" on the tank surface or build up on walls and baffles, but it also encourages the creation of "fish eye" lumps.
It’s easy to see why even the most powerful mixer often has limited impact. To compound the situation, traditional vortex flow induction introduces unwanted air into the batch mix, further compromising the desired results. And because these results are the product of so many randomly impacting processing variables, batch-to-batch quality and consistency become wholly unattainable. Processors have traditionally attempted to overcome these problems by extending processing times or using more costly, higher horsepower mixers.
However, these approaches can damage heat- and/or shear-sensitive products.
Single-pass emulsions
With the Quadro Ytron® line of mixers, dispersers and emulsifiers there’s now a proven, viable alternative that removes these obstacles to greater efficiency. This unique in-line technology maximizes yields, creating high-quality dispersions and emulsions by applying the required shear to all the material in a quick, single pass. And its wide range of tooling can be specifically tailored to the difficulty of the application.
Quadro Ytron®’s breakthrough, single-pass process delivers high product quality that is not only predictable, repeatable and scalable, it can dramatically reduce batch times and energy consumption by as much as 75%.
In-line processing offers a host of additional advantages. Powder wastage, air entrainment and batch-to-batch cross-contamination are virtually eliminated.
Clean-up is fast and easy. What’s more, Quadro Ytron® technology is flexible enough that a single device can even process multiple applications feeding several batch tanks. No wonder single-pass processing is rapidly gaining momentum among leading processors. As pioneers in this revolution, Quadro offers the expertise, track record and advanced technology to meet the growing demand.
Solution profile
Meeting Tight Deliveries Through Faster, More Consistent Processing
"Not only did Quadro Ytron®’s speed and versatility allow us to reduce our batch times from 72 to 8 hours, but we were also able to free up manufacturing space, plus reduce inventory and warehouse demands while still meeting tight 3-day deliveries."
Rapid dispersion of high-viscosity thickeners - Carbopol®, HPMC and Keltrol®
Quadro was approached by a large personal care product manufacturer producing private label shampoos, creams and lotions for global distribution by health & beauty product retailers. Their conventional in-tank process was impeding productivity, and limiting batch quality and consistency. Delivery deadlines were potentially at risk.
At the Quadro R&D Test Center, we audited their process, providing a solution that eliminated lumps, “fish eyes” and air entrainment, rapidly dispersing high-viscosity thickeners such as Carbopol®, HPMC, and Keltrol® into water and alcohol during the liquid fill cycle. In addition, wax flakes are instantly dissolved at reduced temperatures, saving cooling time.
Powders are dumped from a mezzanine into the hopper of a ZC3 Powder Disperser, with a liquid feed from the water supply line and short discharge directly into the mixing vessel. A full-flow ball valve maintains the mass flow of powder through the hopper.
Quadro Ytron® Model ZC3
Thinking Outside the Box
In over 40 years of delivering the most efficient processing solutions for our customers worldwide, Quadro Ytron® technology has never allowed conventional thinking to get in the way. In fact, thinking outside the box is at the heart of our way of doing business. We continually develop innovative solutions that exceed expectations and break traditional assumptions about processing limitations.
A solution for every challenge
Our track record in high-efficiency, single-pass processing is unequaled across a broad range of industries and applications – from challenging materials for Personal Care and Cosmetics such as Carbopol® and pigments, to tough stabilizers in sauces, dressings and ice cream for the Food industry, to difficult-to-disperse powders for the Pharmaceutical and other industries.
Continuous innovation
To ensure each new generation of the Quadro Ytron® line raises the bar in productivity, we continually advance our understanding of the science of shear and dispersion through extensive R&D in our state-of-the-art, in-house Test Center. This, along with ongoing feedback from our customers about their changing processing challenges, has enabled us to engineer a line of liquid mixing technologies that delivers industry-leading performance, predictability, repeatability, ease of maintenance and long-term reliability.
Performance across the line
Available in four scalable technologies capable of handling a broad range of capacities, Quadro Ytron® emulsifiers, dispersers and mixers can be custom engineered to deliver the exact amount of shear required by your application. And all our equipment is manufactured in stainless steel for full sanitary operation and easy cleanability.
And when it comes to achieving maximum up-time for your application, we don’t think conventionally either. To meet your ongoing needs, Quadro offers a global sales, service and technical support network that spans six continents – so wherever you are, we are.
Quadro Ytron® Performance Line
Z EMULSIFIER (IN-LINE)
- Deagglomeration
- Emulsions
- Fine dispersions
- Homogenizing
- Texturing
ZC DISPERSER (IN-LINE)
- Lump-free dispersion of difficult-to-disperse powders into a liquid stream
XC DISPERSER (IN-LINE)
- High-capacity dispersion of powders into a liquid stream at high concentrations
Y Jet Mixer and By-Pass Tube (IN-TANK)
- Sub-surface dispersion of floating powders
- Efficient mixing/blending without baffles
- Solids suspension & dissolving
Quadro Ytron- Z Emulsifier
Ultra High Shear Single Pass Emulsions and Homogenization
The Quadro Ytron® Z Emulsifier delivers unparalleled consistency and control of high-shear process applications such as immiscible phase emulsifying/homogenizing, wet grinding, deagglomeration and fine solids dispersing.
High differential velocities
Incorporating up to three sets of toothed rotor/stator heads, engineered to extremely fine radial tolerances, the Z Emulsifier processes product at high differential velocities, as many as 18 times in a single pass. The result is consistent, repeatable quality at capacities exceeding those of conventional multiple-pass technology, such as in-tank high-shear mixers, colloid mills and shear pumps.
Tooling flexibility
Rotors/stators for the Z Emulsifier come in a wide variety of slot widths which allow for a high degree of multi-processing flexibility. Through tooling selection and varying rotor tip speed the amount of shear can be precisely controlled.
Scalable throughput
Four sanitary-design models are available providing scalability from pilot plant capacities to >300 GPM (1,136 L/min). By maintaining the same tip speed while changing the tooling diameter, throughput can be scaled up or down without altering product characteristics, texture, or particle size distribution.
Typical Applications
COSMETIC/ PERSONAL CARE
- Perfumes
- Toothpaste
- Hair dyes
- Creams & lotions
- Shampoos
- Soaps
FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Yogurt
- Salad dressings
- Mayonnaise
- Cheese sauce
- Condiments
- Creams
- BBQ sauce
- Spreads
PHARMACEUTICAL
- Antibiotics
- Topical creams & gels
- Ointments
- Injectables
- Suppositories
- Nutritional drinks
- Oral suspensions
CHEMICAL
- Pitch/bitumen emulsions
- Fungicides & insecticides
- Toners
- Pigments
- Laquers
- Resins
FEATURES
- Sanitary design with clamped housing, easily dismantled for cleaning; CIP and SIP options available. Meets 3A® standards.
- All stainless steel construction.
- Single and double mechanical seals provide for high-temperature, high-pressure performance.
- Single-speed drive with variable speed options.
- Stainless steel base with portable, locking castors.
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
Equipped with an infeed pump, this Z Emulsifier delivers outstanding quality and high throughput for the production of an oil/ water emulsion liquid medication for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer.
DYNAMIC PRINCIPLES
- Product enters housing axially.
- One or more liquid phases and suspended particles are pumped through 1, 2 or 3 sets of toothed rotors/stators.
- Controlled, high-intensity shear is delivered equally to all fluid elements, regardless of product characteristics.
- Shear rate is constant, dependent only on rotor/stator tooth selection and rotor tip speed.
SPECIFICATIONS (if including specifications, the image of the chart might be best)
Single pass dispersion of extremely difficult to wet powders
The Quadro Ytron® ZC Powder Disperser is uniquely engineered to incorporate and disperse extremely difficult-to-wet powders into a liquid stream in a single pass.
Intense shearing
The advanced design of the ZC Disperser’s rotor/stator and reactor head provides for intense shearing of powders prior to hydration, to produce homogeneous dispersions that are completely free of lumps and "fish eyes".
Dramatic powder and batch time savings
A near-perfect vacuum, created by the liquid seal between the rotor and stator, permits concentrations up to 25% by weight to be generated in a single pass with minimal air entrainment. Because the powder is completely hydrated, yield is maximized and wastage is reduced or eliminated, translating into powder savings of up to 30%, compared to processing with in-tank or other in-line high shear technologies. In addition, the over-processing common with conventional dispersing technologies is entirely eliminated, preserving the rheological properties of shear-sensitive products.
Batch time reductions as high as 75% can be realized with the Quadro Ytron® ZC Disperser technology. No dispersion aids such as pre-heating the water or the pre-dispersion of ingredients into non-aqueous solvents are required. Even with difficult products such as hydrocolloid gums, cellulose gums and carbomers you can expect complete dispersion in a single pass.
Sanitary design options
There are three sanitary-design models available, offering liquid throughputs up to 120 GPM (454 L/min). An optional vacuum delivery system is also available, for completely dust-free operation.
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
COSMETIC/ PERSONAL CARE
- Lotions
- Gels
- Creams
- Deodorants
- Hair gels & sprays
- Mouthwash
- Shampoos
- Hair conditioners
- Toothpaste
- Sunscreen
- Liquid makeup
FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Jams
- Pet foods
- Egg substitutes
- Salad dressings
- Syrups
- Condiments
- Gums
- Stabilizers
PHARMACEUTICAL
- Antacids
- Cough syrups
- Granulation solutions
- Tablet coatings
- Vitamin dispersions
- Topical creams
- Ointments
- Lotions
- Gels
CHEMICAL
- Airplane de-icer
- Detergents
- Paint
- Drywall compound
- Oilfield products
FEATURES
- Steep-walled, mirror-polished hopper for superior powder flow.
- A butterfly valve or optional full-port ball valve eliminates hindrances to powder flow.
- Sanitary design with clamped housing, easily dismantled for inspection; most CIP designs meet 3A® standards, USDA Dairy approved.
- All stainless steel construction.
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
The Quadro Ytron® PID Powder Inductor Disperser uses ZC technology to convey, incorporate and disperse difficult-to-wet powders with the push of a single button.
DYNAMIC PRINCIPLES
- ZC Disperser operation is based on a close-tolerance, highshear, slotted rotor/stator design.
- Rotor creates a liquid ring, generating a significant vacuum build in the reactor head.
- This vacuum ensures that powders from the hopper above are drawn into the head where they are sheared into the liquid phase, before hydration takes place.
SPECIFICATIONS (if including specifications, the image of the chart might be best)
Quadro Ytron- XC Disperser
High capacity, single pass dispersion of powders
The Quadro Ytron® XC Powder Disperser is designed to incorporate and disperse large quantities of moderately difficult-to-wet powders into a liquid stream with minimal air entrainment.
High concentrations
Processing at ambient temperatures, the XC Disperser’s dual-stage reactor generates a near-perfect vacuum that ensures the intensive wetting of powders while delivering high discharge capacity, to enable concentrations up to 40% by weight to be produced in a single pass.
batch-to-batch repeatability
Not only does this innovative technology reduce dispersion times by up to 80%, but product characteristics are completely reproducible from batch to batch. And there’s no plugging of screens, typical of other inline blenders.
High throughput
Two portable, sanitary-design models of the XC Disperser are available, offering throughputs up to 200 GPM (760 L/min). Powder delivery options include feeding from hoppers, bag dump stations, bulk bags or super sacs, and wanding from bags or our Quadro Vac® vacuum delivery system.
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Milk powders
- Whey powders
- Protein powders
- Gums and stabilizers
- Cocoa
- Starches
- Maltodextrin
- Ice cream mix
- Drink syrups/concentrates
- Infant formula
- Yogurt mixes
- Liquid beverages
PHARMACEUTICAL
- Nutrient replacement drinks
- Antacids
- Cough syrups
- Growth media
- Cell cultures
- Gelatin
- Pigment dispersions
INDUSTRIAL
- Paint
- TiO2
- Oxides
- Pigments/stabilizers
- Coatings
- Carbon dispersions
- Ink
- Resins
- Textile color
- Cleaning solutions
FEATURES
- Steep-walled hopper for superior powder flow
- A butterfly valve or optional full-port ball valve eliminates hindrances to powder flow
- Sanitary design with clamped housing, easily dismantled for cleaning; CIP design meets 3A® standards, USDA Dairy approved.
- All stainless steel construction.
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
This XC Disperser provides high concentrations with fast dispersion of protein hydrolysate for the Dairy industry
DYNAMIC PRINCIPLES
- The XC Powder Disperser has a dual-stage reactor.
- The first stage creates a strong vacuum to draw the powders into the reactor head.
- Immediately after the powder comes in contact with the liquid, the premix is subjected to intense directional and velocity changes as it impacts the stationary baffles.
- The lower stage tangentially discharges a smooth, lump-free, homogeneous product.
SPECIFICATIONS
Quadro Ytron Y Jet Mixer
In tank mixing system for liquid blending, powder incorporation, and dispersions
The Quadro Ytron® Y Jet Mixer uses a unique rotor/stator mixing head that creates a purely axial flow discharge jet to provide efficient in-tank mixing and blending. The wasteful radial flow and vortexing that are the downfall of conventional open-impeller design mixers are gone forever. Air entrainment is virtually eliminated – without the use of baffles.
Uniform velocity profile
The Y Jet Mixer’s strong axial flow pattern produces a uniform velocity profile, throughout the vessel with no stratification or dead areas, improving heat transfer rates and reducing batch blending times by as much as 80%. The Y Jet Mixer’s flow characteristics are ideal for the suspension and re-suspension of high-settling-rate solids.
Rapid sub-surface dispersion
An innovative by-pass tube makes use of the strong negative pressures at the Y Jet Mixer’s rotor to draw powders and liquids directly into the rotor/stator head. The result is the immediate sub-surface dispersion of powders and viscous pastes into the liquid phase. Shear is applied to the product as it is discharged from the bypass for single-pass incorporation.
Dust-free powder handling
Depending upon the nature of the dry ingredients, a variety of dust-free powder handling methods, such as wanding from bags or totes, are available for delivering powders to the bypass tube. In addition to ensuring maximum mixing performance, dust-free handling reduces health and safety concerns, minimizes cross-contamination, and eliminates the need for expensive material conveyors.
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
COSMETIC/ PERSONAL CARE
- Shampoos/ conditioners
- Make-up bases
- Lotions
- Creams
- Toothpaste
- Pigments
FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Pectins
- Skim milk powder
- Fruit blending
- Gum acacia
- Starches
- Guar
- Gelatin
- Sugar solutions
- Cocoa
- Citric acids
- Powdered egg
- Cinnamon
- Juice and beverage concentrates
- Lactose
- Ice cream mix
- Stabilizers
- Tomato paste
- Pasta sauce
- Ketchup
- Salad dressings
- Syrups
- Yogurt mixes
PHARMACEUTICAL
- Pigments
- HEC
- CMC
- HPMC
- HPC
- Vitamins and minerals
- Bentonite clay
- Cab-o-Sil® (fumed silica)
- Sodium alginate
- Starches
- Polyethylene glycol
- Medicated syrups
- Antibiotics
- Antacids
- Tablet coatings
CHEMICAL
- Automotive coatings
- Pigments
- Bentonite clay
- Cab-o-Sil® (fumed silica)
- Resins
- Calcium carbonate
- Diatomaceous earth
- Polyvinyl alcohols
- Paper coatings
- Paint Ink
- Carbon black
FEATURES
- Unique rotor/stator tooling for strong axial flow pattern.
- Innovative by-pass tube provides single pass sub-surface powder dispersion directly into rotor/stator.
- Fixed-speed motors with variable-speed and air motor options are available.
- A simple, direct-driven spindle provides long bearing life and easy maintenance.
- Seal options include V-ring, double Varilip™, and single and double mechanical seals.
- Stainless steel construction.
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
Typical applications for this side-entry model include storage silos, tall tanks, horizontal vessels, and low-liquid level mixing.
DYNAMIC PRINCIPLES
- The Y Jet Mixer incorporates a specially designed rotor/ stator mixing head to create a pure axial flow pattern.
- An axial flow impeller within a unique, finned stator eliminates radial flow to deliver a strong axial discharge.
- By means of a by-pass tube, the product is delivered directly to the head for single-pass processing.
- The Y Jet Mixer is mounted near the tank wall to ensure a strong top-to-bottom roll that results in a uniform velocity profile of the tank contents, without vortexing or air entrainment.
SPECIFICATIONS
Quadro Ytron- Integrated Solutions, Custom Engineered For Your Processing Demands
At Quadro, we love challenges. After delivering industry-leading performance in thousands of applications – from the simple to the most complex– we’ve seen some of the toughest processing challenges. In fact, we like nothing more than a customer with a seemingly impossible problem to solve.
Meeting the requirements of the toughest applications requires more than experience. It requires engineering depth. When you partner with Quadro, you work hand-in-hand with some of the most knowledgeable engineers in the business, processing experts who understand how to apply the unique advantages of Quadro Ytron® technology to maximize your process.
Application-specific solutions
First, we look at your process train, to see how we can optimize your application. Then, in our state-of-the-art R&D Test Center, we verify your process using various configurations of Quadro technology, providing product samples and video-taped results, to achieve the performance your specifications demand. In most cases, the performance and quality improvements to our customer’s existing processes are dramatic.
Available in USDA Dairy approved, CIP and SIP designs meeting 3A® standards, Quadro Ytron® products are available in accordance with many international standards including UL, CSA and Halal certifications, and comply with OSHA, FDA, CE, cGMP, ATEX and 21CFR11 guidelines and directives.
Up and downstream integration
From stand-alone, in-line emulsifiers to integrated process skid systems incorporating automatic powder feed, liquid flow control and product transfer, each solution can be custom configured for easy integration with your process train. And to ensure successful integration into your plant environment, we offer on-site demos, lab testing, monthly rentals and extended proof-of-performance programs.
Another thing to consider. With distribution, service and support in virtually every industrialized region of the world, we can meet your needs no matter where you’re doing business. Just one more reason why global leaders choose Quadro as their processing partner.
SOLUTION PROFILE
"With Quadro Ytron® we’ve been able to substantially increase production, without having to expand our facility. In addition to reducing overall batch times by 75%, the increase in viscosity we achieved has allowed us to re-formulate and use less powder – saving time and money."
A leading North American developer of innovative professional dentistry products brought us their challenge.
They needed to rapidly and uniformly disperse Carbopol® and 40% carbamide peroxide into a low pH glycerine solution, without overprocessing. After analyzing the problem, Quadro engineered a solution that not only met their requirements, but optimized batch-to-batch consistency reduced air entrainment and eliminated the need for filtering undispersed powders.
A ZC1 In-line Disperser is skid mounted with a dual PD pump arrangement and Quadro Vac® powder transfer system for full control over addition rates and viscosity. Pre-set operating points on inlet and discharge pumps facilitate addition of individual ingredients. An automated powder valve with level sensors in the hopper controls powder addition on/off. Quadro Ytron® Model ZC1Q
QUADRO PROCESS PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTIONS
For more than 30 years, Quadro has made an unparalleled commitment to delivering the highest production efficiencies, product quality and consistency to market leaders in the Pharmaceutical, Food, Fine Chemical, Personal Care and Cosmetics industries worldwide.
With the engineering experience gained from developing reliable application-specific solutions for major processors in more than 80 countries, our knowledge of size reduction and dispersion is unmatched. In fact, meeting the evolving needs of our customers drives the development of some of the industry’s most advanced processing technologies and systems – such as the Quadro® Comil®, Quadro Ytron® in-line mixers, dispersers and emulsifiers and Quadro Vac® vacuum transfer systems.
Since 1976, Quadro has led the industry in research & development. Through the Quadro R&D Test Center, we work directly with our customers, to run real-world tests of their processes on the latest Quadro equipment. The result has been technical breakthroughs that have changed the way many of our customer's process, and led to new global processing industry standards.
As the world’s leading supplier of size reduction technology – with a vast global network of agents, distributors, OEMs, and partners – Quadro provides a level of service and technical support that is unequaled in the industry.
Our passion for technology is exceeded only by our dedication to meeting the needs of our customers.
