EKATO
EPAL
For Continuous Operation Leaching Autoclaves
An impeller optimized for horizontal vessels. The special blade geometry guarantees a highly efficient mixing even in the corners of the vessel.
The EKATO EPAL impeller was developed to provide optimum suspending and blending characteristics in horizontal vessels. Efficient mixing in these horizontal vessels requires adaptation of the impeller geometry used in standard cylindrical vessels to avoid dead zones that would otherwise develop. In the minerals processing industry, metal leaching using the PAL method (pressure acid leach) – a continuous high-pressure process – that is generally carried out in horizontal vessels which are divided into a number of compartments. Short blend times together with a well-controlled residence time distribution are achieved in the consecutive compartments. These impellers can also improve the mixing efficiency in the few horizontal polymerization reactors still in existence.
Features
- Blade geometry specially adapted to horizontal and therefore asymmetrical vessel shapes
- As a result, high flow velocities occur primarily in the corners of the vessel
- Suspension of solids from the vessel corners at a significantly reduced power input
- Short mixing times and quick and efficient mixing of feed flows, maximum chemical conversion and leaching rates in combination with an optimal feeding position
