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Case: High-precision daily chemical emulsion production line supporting project - Record of application of compact high-speed shear-stirring tank
2026-07-17
Project Background
An emerging high-end skincare product manufacturing factory in East China began expanding its flexible production line in early 2026. They plan to add a pilot and batch production shared line with an annual capacity of 500 tons. This production line needs to handle a wide range of viscosity of serums, makeup removers, and micro-emulsified moisturizers. The core requirements are: to achieve efficient homogenization and emulsification within a limited ceiling height workshop, and to ensure batch stability and the convenience of cleaning verification.
After multiple rounds of technical comparisons, the client finally chose our JYMT-1000 type mixing tank as the core main tank for this production line, replacing the conventional double-layer mixer with a larger volume and non-adjustable speed in the original plan.
Implementation Challenges and Solutions
Space Limitations & Installation Height
The first challenge was the strict space limitations. The customer's first workshop was a renovated old factory building, with a net floor height of only 2.8 meters. Moreover, the top had already been equipped with fire protection pipes and cable trays. The total height of a conventional 1000L tank usually exceeds 1800mm, making it impossible to be lifted vertically. Therefore, our company adopted a flat cover without pressure cylinder design, removed the arch roof and the manhole protrusions, and positioned the reducer and motor horizontally, using belt transmission to reduce the vertical height. The final equipment net height was 1480mm. After installation, a 200mm maintenance gap was reserved at the top, and it was perfectly integrated into the existing production line.
High-Speed Shearing vs. Volumetric Efficiency
The next issue is the contradiction between high-speed shearing and volumetric efficiency. The customer's formula contains high-melting-point stearic acid and nano-sized titanium dioxide powder, requiring the oil-water two phases to be homogenized within 10 minutes, and the particle size to be controlled at D90 ≤ 10 μm. The conventional emulsifying head is prone to the "vortex" effect when used in large tanks, causing the powder to float. Therefore, the custom-made shear-type emulsifying head adopts a double-layer suction structure. The upper impeller presses the material downward into the working chamber, and the lower impeller sucks the material at the bottom of the tank upward, in combination with a 2.8mm thick 304SS cylinder. The highly rigid design effectively suppresses the tank resonance at the high rotational speed of 2800 RPM. The actual measurement results show that the homogenization time of 200kg emulsion in a single batch has been shortened from the originally planned 25 minutes to 8 minutes, and the particle size D90 of the final product remains stable at 6.8 μm.
Risk of Residual Contamination
The third aspect is the risk of residual contamination. This factory simultaneously produces lipstick base materials with pigments and mask liquid without additives. During the switch-over process, thorough cleaning is required, and the liquid level gauge must be able to withstand the acid and alkali impact during CIP cleaning. Therefore, the inner surface of the cylinder is polished to a mirror finish with Ra ≤ 0.4 μm, and the outer surface is treated with a matte finish to prevent material from adhering. The single-capacitive liquid level gauge installed adopts a flush-mounted flange without dead angles. The electrode material is the same as the cylinder (304SS), and after cleaning with 80°C hot water and 2% sodium hydroxide solution, the liquid level returns to zero with an error of less than ±1.5 mm, ensuring the repeatability of batch feeding quantities.
Operational effectiveness
The tracking data collected three months after the production launch showed that the actual homogenization time for a single batch of 200L materials was 8 minutes, which was better than the customer's expectation of 15 minutes. The finished product showed no stratification or precipitation under a centrifugation condition of 3000 rpm for 30 minutes, and its stability met the standards. The actual cleaning time for equipment changeover (including heating) was 25 minutes, which was better than the target value of 40 minutes. The measured temperature rise of the tank wall after continuous operation for 2 hours was 3.2℃, which was better than the control standard of 5℃.
Customer feedback
The production supervisor specifically pointed out that the overload protection of the 11KW motor and the coordination with the shear gap of the emulsifier head exceeded expectations. When handling high viscosity (15000 cps) makeup remover gel, the current fluctuation was only ±0.8A, and due to the reduction in total height, the operator could complete the inspection of the feeding port without stepping on the platform, significantly enhancing the safety of daily inspection.