Category Archives: Colloid Mill

Laboratory Homogenizer for sample preparation

Colloid Mill, , ,

Laboratory homogenizer for sample preparation is an  important piece of equipment that makes foods with new flavors, produces medicines and helps in chemical research.

Let’s consider the use of this device in different industries in detail. To compete in the food product market, many manufacturers develop new recipes, new products with improved flavors and longer shelf life, etc. At the stage of research it does not make sense to make the new product in industrial quantities. Simply get a small test sample and continue to work with it, exploring the taste and other factors. A mini-homogenizer, or more precisely, a laboratory model fits this job perfectly. Normally such equipment is smaller in size and capacity, but functions just as an industrial unit.

In the pharmaceutical industry the mass production of medicinal emulsions also starts after medicine undergoes the necessary tests and certification procedures.  Here again a laboratory homogenizer prepares samples, which are then tested for effectiveness of the drug.

Generally, chemical laboratories are small areas, where research takes place in a confined space and there is simply not enough room to accommodate large homogenizing equipment for intensification of chemical reactions. And a laboratory homogenizer is big enough to obtain new materials and chemical patterns with relatively small amounts of reagents. For this purpose and for sample preparation, GlobeCore offers the CLM laboratory homogenizer. This unit uses “wet milling” principle to produce highly stable colloidal solutions, extremely fine suspensions, mixtures and emulsions.

The high quality of homogenization is achieved through an integrated use of a variety of effects and phenomena: the turbulent force (created by a complex micro-relief surface of the rotor), the centrifugal forces, the high relative speed between the rotating rotor and fixed stator, cavitation, and others.

GlobeCore colloid mills homogenize and disperse the product. Thermal jacket supplies heat to the grinding zone.

CLM Laboratory Homogenizer

Colloid Mill, , ,

Laboratory equipment, despite its apparent simplicity, plays a crucial role in industrial processes.

To understand this, recall the whole process of designing machines and mechanisms for the production of consumer products, from the beginning. In the first stage a prototype of the equipment is produced, which is then subjected to all kinds of tests, simulating the situations that may arise during industrial operation.

Homogenizers are used for a homogeneous distribution of one substance in another. They are used in such industries as food, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. In the food industry homogenizers determine the consistency, structure, color, and finally, the palatability of the product. Pharmaceutical and chemical industries also cannot do without homogenizers, because homogenizers affect the speed of reactions in the preparation of suspensions and emulsions.

Laboratory homogenizers are used in the same areas as the industrial ones, but they work with small amounts of substances. As noted above, they are necessary for simulation of industrial production, formulation of new recipes, as well as research.

GlobeCore manufactures a CLM laboratory homogenizer (colloid mill) with the processing capacity up to 1.8 m3 / hour. Unlike its “big brothers”, a laboratory version of the CLM has a compact design (720/700/1330 mm). Depending on the characteristics of the future use of the device it can be made of chemically resistant stainless steel, black metal or stainless steel.

The operating principle of laboratory homogenizers GlobeCore is based on the centrifugal force and the high relative velocity between the rotor and the stator, achieving homogeneity of semi-liquid materials.

CLM  homogenizers’ great advantage is that they can also disperse the processed products in the process of homogenization.

Colloid Mills

Colloid Mill

Colloid Mills. Colloid pulverization is such processing of materials which produces partices of colloidal sizes (several micron and smaller).

At certain conditions, this degree of pulverization can be achieved with just about any industrial grinding equipment. But if the process is considered from the economic and technological viewpoints, it becomes apparent such tasks are best performed by colloid mills. There is no coagulation of particles in the colloid mills, since the process occurs in dispersing media (liquids or, seldom, gases).

Colloid pulverization is almost always a “wet” process. The ratio of solid and liquid phases varies with the nature of the material and can be anywhere from 1:2 to 1:6.

Colloid solutions, unlike normal ones, are heterogeneous. Colloid particles have sizes much larger than the molecules of the dispersion media, which causes formation of phase boundary between liquid and solid phases. The height of this surface increases with increased dispersion of the material.

GlobeCore presents the CLM colloid mills for food, road construction, chemical and other industries. This product is designed specifically for fine pulverization of materials and production of highly stable suspensions, emulsions and solutions. Passing through the gap between the rotor and the stator of the mill, product particles rotate. Centrifugal force tears the particles apart. There are other effects, such as cavitation, which facilitate high quality of dispersion and homogenization.

The CLM colloid mills feature the following advantages:

  • adjustment of pulverization degree and pumping characteristics;
  • production of highly stable materials at the required rate;
  • high degree of homogenization;
  • production of colloid mills from carbon steel, food grade stainless steel or chemically resistant stainless steel on customer request;
  • the mills can be equipped with general purpose or intrinsically safe motors depending on production conditions.

Colloid Mills

Colloid Mill

Colloid milling is crushing of a product to the size of colloid particles (from a few micron to fractions of a micron).  If certain conditions are created, this product can be produced in virtually any crushing plant, but the use of colloid mills is the most economical and technologically justified method.

The explanation is quite simple.  Particles of colloidal size tend to gravitate to each other, after which they stick together or are compressed by external forces.  To prevent this phenomenon, colloidal milling should be done in the presence of some dispersing medium.  After milling, colloidal particles grow apart at a distance where the attracting force is weaker than wedging force of dispersion medium.  Liquid is considered the best dispersion medium of today, while gas is used less frequently.

In most cases, wet-type colloid milling is used.  The ratio of solid and liquid phases of the system depends on the material which is being milled and can range from 1:2 to 1:6.

The main difference between colloidal systems and molecular solutions lies in their heterogeneity. Impossibility of dissolving the dispersed phase in the dispersing medium is one of the key quality requirements of colloidal milling.

GlobeCore company produces high quality colloidal mills for grinding raw materials for chemical, construction, engineering and oil industries.  Furthermore, GlobeCore colloid mills are used in equipment designed for producing bituminous emulsions and modifying of bitumen with polymers.

Colloid Mills for Water Bitumen Emulsion Production

Colloid Mill, Road construction industry,
CLM-4.1-colloid mill GlobeCore

Water-bitumen emulsion is highly appreciated by building and road construction companies.  This is due to  its ease and safety of use  in comparison with the mixtures based on solvents of and from petroleum products such as kerosene.  As a rule, water-bitumen emulsion is obtained by blending liquid bitumen with water  and special emulsifiers and acids.

Having years of experience in designing and building blending machines and bitumen emulsion units, GlоbeCоre is one of the most reliable manufacturers of modern equipment for production of water-bitumen emulsions anywhere in the wolrd today.

A colloid mill is considered to be the heart of any bitumen emulsion production equipment where bitumen is grinded into  small droplets and is then evenly distributed in water.  In the past, manufacturers of equipment used blending equipment such as dispergators and ultrasonic homogenise that perform the wet grinding of the dispersed  phase of bitumen production.

GlоbeCоre Colloid mills for wet grinding can produce highly-stable dispersed systems from two or more  mutually insoluble  substances.  Bitumen emulsion units (depending on the desired size of bitumen droplets) use three groups of colloid mills.

The first group of colloid mills provides 90% of droplets with a size of less than 5 microns (a minimum size of a droplet of 1-2 micron).  They are used  to manufacture polymer-modified emulsions, bitumen emulsions for surface treatment ( “chip seal”), recycling, soil stabilization, grouting, tack coating and similar technological processes.

The second group of colloid mills provides 90% of droplets at the outlet with the size of less than 10 microns (a minimum size of a droplet of 4-5 micron).  The areas of its application include: simple slurry mixtures, surface treatment, tack coting, recycling, and grouting.

The third group of colloid mills produces bitumen emulsions with a minimal size of a droplet of more than 5 microns (no more than 10% of droplets are larger than 10 microns).  Such bitumen emulsions are used  for surface treatment, tack coating and grouting.

Since colloid mills are mostly mounted in line with continuous blending units, components are supplied directly to the unit.  As a rule, the water phase is prepared in advance to withstand the required temperature, PH level and emulsifier metering.  Then the water phase and warmed-up bitumen are supplied to the input of the colloid mill to be  dispersed.  If necessary, the viscosity of bitumen is reduced by injecting  flux  to the feed line.

The ratio of components is maintained automatically by metering pumps in accordance with the program or by temperature control of the source components, by measuring the temperature of bitumen emulsion at the outlet (as a rule it is 85-94°С)  and  the subsequent flow adjustment.

If required (depending on the formula), the colloid mill may be supplied with latex that allows for modified bitumen emulsion production.  At the outlet of a colloid mill, there is a three-way valve that provides recycling of water solution of emulsifier, mill flushing or discharge of the finished bitumen emulsion product.

GlobeCore‘s continuous bitumen emulsion equipment has a wide range of benefits that include; (1) a rapid change of the type of emulsion produced; (2) no impact of reagents on the staff; and (3) low operating costs.

Homogenizer vs Colloid Mill

Colloid Mill,

Chemical, food, construction and many other industries cannot do without the preparation of different suspensions, emulsions and colloid solutions.  They include lubricating oil emulsions, fuel emulsions, polymer modified bitumen as well as a wide range of food fat emulsions.  Additionally, many kinds of gels, creams, and pastes are included in this list, so the list is virtually endless.

To obtain high quality homogeneous multi-component mixtures and colloid solutions, the production facilities use special blending units that consist of a dispenser.  The dispenser is used for superfine grinding of solid and liquid components.  If the  production method requires a grinding down of the liquid fraction and evenly distributing it in a liquid basis, (dispersed  medium) or requires preparing the suspension with a small amount of a solid phase, they routinely use a homogenizer.

The emulsion’s segregation  resistance  must be determined, first of all, by the  size of the dispersed phase.  For example, in a stable water-fat emulsion, the droplet size should be no more than 5 microns which can be produced by a modern centrifugal (rotary) homogenizer.  A rotary homogenizer is used  to reduce the droplet size of the emulsion to between 1 and 2 microns, also known as the so called secondary homogenization.

Many years ago, valve homogenizers were widely used and accepted as standard within industry.  Now the preference is given  to  the centrifugal (rotary) homogenizers due to the following benefits:

(1) Reduction of the processed materials down to 1 micron; (2) compact size of the equipment; (3) low power consumption; (4) simple design; and (5) high degree of reliability.

Depending on the model, the homogenozer’s rotor speed varies from 2,000 to 18,000 rpm.  The intensive vortexing and micro cavitation processes ensure the homogenization and stability of the mixture.  If the technological process or recipe requires the production of a suspension with a large content of a solid phase (up to 40%) or a high stable emulsion, or a fine suspension, then solid and liquid  substances are mixed in a colloid mill (dispergator).

A colloid mill allows not only for the intensive blending of particles and droplets in a suspension or thick emulsion, but also for grinding solid fractions of the suspension (emulsion droplets) down to the size of between 1 and 2 microns producing high-quality suspensions and emulsions.

In terms of design, colloid mills resemble rotary (centrifugal) homogenizers.  The wet method is the basis for the grinding of solids in a colloid mill.  The main working body of a colloid mill, as well as a homogenizer, is constituted by a pair of drives.  One of the drives serves as a stator and another as a rotor.

The linear velocity of the rotating drive surface can work up 125 m/s.  This high speed provides the intensive turbulent processes in the intradiscal space that contributes to the effective grinding of the dispersed phase.  It ensures even distribution in the processed and dispersed medium.

The practice has shown that modern twenty first century colloid mills  can provide the highest degree of dispersion and emulsification that meets the  requirements of the majority of industrial technological processes.

GlobeCore: Modern Brand Name Colloid Mills

Colloid Mill,
CLM-4.1-colloid mill GlobeCore

GlobeCore is a leading  manufacturer of high quality equipment used for regeneration, restoration and production of bitumen emulsions and all possible polymer-modified industrial liquids.  GlobeCore equipment has enjoyed  sustained demand in more than seventy countries around the world.

Annually, GlobeCore produces several hundred units for emulsifying, dispersion, wet grinding and blending of solid and liquid substances.  Each blending line or a separate machine delivered to a customer, is tested before leaving the factory.

A wide range of units and machines are designed and produced by GlobeCore.  The line includes machines for fuel blending, vortex layer machines, units for transformer oil regeneration with Fuller’s earth reactivation, bitumen-emulsion equipment, and machines for  fuel decoloration and  blending.

One of the undeniable benefits of GlobeCore equipment is that it is customer-oriented and is manufactured to meet the needs of the customer.

A colloid mill for wet grinding and a homogenizer are considered to be very important units of industrial blending machines that are produced by GlobeCore.  The volume and the quality of colloidal solutions, emulsions and suspensions depend on the  technical specifications  and performance  of colloid mills and homogenizers.  GlоbeCоre engineers do a great job to improve this small, but an important industrial unit.

With the help of modern software, engineers  make the hydraulic calculations and design the working surfaces of a rotor and a stator, the two essential parts found in modern colloid mills (homogenizer).

Due to modern metal-working machinery and based on a high tech digital software, each part of the colloid mill corresponds to the drawings with all tolerances and fitted pieces that were provided by the designer.

If the design of a working chamber of a colloid mill requires lathe work  with the need for subsequent milling of the blades, CNC mills are applied.  Robotic plasma cutting machines provide the accuracy and the purity of the surfaces that are made of sheet metal  A laser guded welding center  ensures  high-quality welded joints.

Generally, the use of the modern  metal processing  equipment  along with the high quality staff allows GlobeCore not only to hold the position as a leading industrial manufacturer of equipment in the hi-tech market, but also garners attention and respect from its customers.

How Does the Modern Colloid Mill Influence the Quality of Road Pavement?

Colloid Mill,

Bitumen emulsions are used for road surface treatment, soil reinforcement, and ground stabilization as well as for the construction of roads and highways.  Bitumen emulsion usually consists of bitumen (50-70%) and water (30-50%).  A special component known as an emulsifier (acidol, naphtha soap, sulphate soap) is added to bitumen emulsion to make it stable.  The emulsifier is more expensive than bitumen though only 0.6-1.6% of emulsifier is required for bitumen emulsion preparation.

Bitumen emulsions were first introduced in the 1920s by French scientists. Bitumen emulsion has made it possible to avoid many of the difficulties that emerge when applying hot bitumen.  Some of them include high viscosity of bitumen that results in excessive bitumen consumption, air pollution and extra time and energy to warm up the bitumen.

Bitumen is emulsified in a colloid mill.  It is the colloid mill that blends the water and bitumen phases and determines the quality of the final product.  It should be noted that colloid mills have replaced propeller type mixers commonly used in earlier emulsification production processes.

The following is a common procedure of road surface treatment when using bitumen emulsions:

  1.    to remove dirt and dust from the surface and repair potholes (if necessary);
  2.    to moisten the surface if it is hot outside;
  3.    to spread 30% of  the regular amount of the emulsion along the surface;
  4.    to spread 70% of the regular  amount of crushed stones along the surface;
  5.    to spread the rest of the emulsion (70%);
  6.    to spread the rest of the crushed stones (30%);
  7.    to compact the surface; and
  8.    to form the final surface.

The temperature and the concentration of emulsion do not need to be set according to weather conditions.  For example, if the ambient temperature is -20ºC, the temperature of the bitumen emulsion should be heated to between +40  and +50ºC and its concentration between 55-60% of the normal volumes.

Here is the list of benefits of bitumen emulsion that have distinguished it from other construction materials:

  •    reduction in power consumption (by 20-40%) since there is no need to warm up the bitumen;
  •    reduction in bitumen consumption  (by 30-40%) due to low viscosity and wettability of the mineral material;
  •    road construction jobs performed on moistened road pavements or mineral materials with natural moisture;
  •    extended road construction season (from early spring till late autumn, at more than +5ºC);
  •    improved adhesion to mineral materials due to emulsifier;
  •    improved work safety;
  •    reduced risk of fire since water; and
  •    reduction of hazardous wastes emitted into the atmosphere.

Bitumen emulsion is usually classified according to the charge of the bitumen particles.  Emulsions with negatively charged particles are called anionic. In practical terms however, it is troublesome to use them since some filling materials are also negatively charged.  It is therefore, very difficult to homogenize filling material and bitumen emulsions that have the same negative charge of particles.

Having done a great deal of work, researchers finally invented emulsions with positively charged particles that are called cationic bitumen emulsions.  Such emulsions are used more often when performing road construction projects because they are easy to combine with filling materials.

In practical terms, not only bitumen emulsions but also bitumen pastes and mastics may be used for road pavement.  It is the proportion of components that distinguishes bitumen pastes from bitumen emulsion: 40-55% of bitumen, 8-15% of emulsifier and 30-50% of water.

Bitumen mastic is the mixture that consists of  bitumen pastes and finely dispersed mineral filling materials  (the size of the grains is no more than 1.25 mm).

GlobeCore has developed, and is still producing equipment, designed for production of high-quality bitumen emulsions (cationic and anionic), bitumen pastes and mastics.  The colloid mill, as the one of the basic parts of bitumen emulsion equipment, provides for production of highly-stable bitumen emulsions that can be stored for a long period of time and ensures high quality of of completed road construction projects.

The Design and Functions of the “Colloid Mill”

Colloid Mill

Colloid mills are a very unique kind of industrial equipment.  They are used for the grinding of road construction materials and perform the grinding through the effect of cavitating forces.  These forces result from considerable centrifugal loads.

GlobeCore produces and supplies the domestic and international road construction industry with a wide range of equipment for the production of bitumen emulsions and modified bitumen products.  The GlobeCore brand of equipment may vary from simple colloid mills to complex systems for blending operations.  The grinding process in the colloid mills is performed by friction or blows.  This process is performed either dry or wet.

The colloid mills, that use a wet grinding process, consist of a body with a tapered seat in the middle of the mill.  Inside the seat there is a rotor fixed on a vertical shaft that rotates with a speed of between 1,800 and 7,500 revolutions per minute (RPM).

The liquid runs through a special opening and flows between the tapered seat and the rotor.  The solid particles wear down and go out together with the liquid through an outlet hatch.  A micrometer screw regulates the gap between the seat and the rotor.  The micrometer screw helps to regulate the size of the gap needed for grinding the polymer so there is sufficient homogenization of the final product.  Grinding of the solid particles in the colloid mills is performed due to shear pressures created by the liquid films.  These films of liquid are formed on the moving and unmoved smooth surfaces of the rotor and the seat.

Additional functions of the colloid mills may include modern optional features that supplement the standard features of the plant.  For example, they might include a semi-automated operating system of the bitumen content  in the emulsion, a system of heating and preparation of soap solutions, and different levels of process automation with input lines for additional components.

Moreover, the GlobeCore colloid mills guarantee a high quality level of grinding and homogenization of the final product at attractive prices.  Additionally, GlobeCore provides you with qualified technical assistance at all levels of  the sales and service processes.

Technology That Will Conquer the World! Colloid Mill from GlobeCore

Colloid Mill

A colloid mill is one of the most important parts of the equipment used in the blending of bitumen emulsion products.  It grinds bitumen down to particles of between 1 and 3 microns while blending it with an emulsifier solution.

A unit for emulsion production consists of many separate units and sub-assembly parts that have their own peculiarities and provide for the overall operation of the colloid mill.  The quality of the colloid mill operation influences the characteristics of the final product output.  Bitumen emulsion, produced with the help of a special machine, is fitted with a high-production, modern colloid mill.  The mill must have good stability controls such as the ability to monitor the speed of its decay process and it should provide long service life to its owners.

A colloid mill is used for grinding the components of highly stable, ultrafine, colloidal solution suspensions, emulsions, orimulsions, pastes, bitumen modified by polymers and other ingredients.

The common principle of colloid mill operation is its use of two disks that interface with special claws.  One of them is fixed while the other one rotates.  The liquid, or semi-liquid materials are blended and become homogeneous and finely-divided by the action of centrifugal force between the two disks.

A colloid mill, used on modern bitumen emulsion equipment, consists of a steel split body with a closable plate and an inlet suction pipe.  A rotor component leans against a thrust ball bearing.  The outlet end of a drive shaft becomes thick with the help of a stuffing-box.  The colloid mill also includes a pipe that accepts the primary components.  There is a  pipe that allows the emulsion to go out.  There is also a connecting branch for an inlet and outlet that allows for a heat-transfer agent to warm up the operating head.

There are also heated colloid mills that use a heating element powered by mineral and synthetic oils to make high viscosity emulsions.

GlobeCore produces equipment for manufacturing bitumen emulsion products and modified bitumen products that are based on the performance capabilities of a modern colloid mill.  GlobeCore takes a leading position in the “high tech” equipment  markets of more than 70 countries.  The GlobeCore brand of equipment uses a high tech colloid mill in its bitmen  procesing units.

GlobeCore has been meeting the market demands over the last few years created by the world wide highway building boom and the increasing needs to coat modern building sites with emulsion products.

The GlobeCore brand of colloid mills produce high quality grinding resulting from better technolgy and the use of high quality construction materials and techniques developed by GlobeCore.

The market leading positions of GlobeCore have been achieved by years of experience and by the use of only the very highest quality materials and new production technologies used during the manufacturing process.

Furthermore, the current GlobeCore brand of colloid mills have been updated and are the newest and improved versions of previouly sucessful equipment.  They can produce unique formulations of bitumen emulsions blends and can modify bitumen products.

The products produced by the GlobeCore line of equipment become homogeneous after they pass through the colloid mill for the first time.  That is why we can say that the advantages of using GlobeCore branded equipment includes continuous production; reduction of electricity usage, reduced heat and reduced production time.  These benfits save you money and increase the value of the finished product.