Liquid Terminology

When discussing mixing requirements, ask whether the liquids are Newtonian or non-Newtonian. Newtonian refers to whether the viscosity of a liquid changes with agitation, assuming constant temperature. It should be noted that most liquids are affected by temperature changes, but the effect of pressure is generally negligible.

A liquid is said to be "Newtonian" if its viscosity does not change when agitated. Examples of Newtonian liquids are water and mineral oil.

A liquid is said to be "thixotropic" (thick-so-tro’-pic) if its viscosity decreases with agitation. The term "shear thinning" is also used to describe thixotropic liquids. Examples of thixotropic liquids include paint, glue, molasses, asphalt, soaps, and cellulose compounds.

A liquid is said to be "dilatent" (die-lay-tent) if its viscosity increases with agitation. Examples are clay slurries and candy compounds.

PULSAIR offers an advantage over other mixing methods because it can be used with Newtonian, thixotropic and dilatent liquids without modifying the equipment or changing out the equipment. By changing the control settings, PULSAIR is a variable horsepower mixing. This can mean great cost savings because PULSAIR does not have to re-design the mixer to handle different liquids and loads. Often it is necessary to change out the gearbox, power plant, tank bracing, baffles and/or the motor etc. to meet the demands of different liquids or vary the mixing speed. It also means a customer can mix Newtonian or non-Newtonian products in any tank equipped with PULSAIR.

See also: PULSAIR Terminology