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Unique Process, Unique Problem: Contact Us for Unique Answers

  • Mar 23, 2023
  • 2 min read

Updated: Aug 10

Problem :

A bioplastics manufacturer needed a mixing solution for their tank farm, with the goal of blending process chemicals in their tanks. The EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction firm) involved on the project recommended Jacoby-Tarbox Tank Liquid Agitator (TLA) technology to their customer instead of mechanical mixers, due to the reduced cost and maintenance TLAs offer. The application called for preventing settling of solids as well as general blending.


Solution :

The EPC provided application information, tank drawings, and piping specs from the bioplastics manufacturer, allowing our team to perform multiple Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses to properly quote the number of units, sizing, and placement of the TLAs within the tanks.


Why the EPC Chose Eductors Over Mechanical Mixers

This is a case worth examining closely because it reflects how an experienced EPC evaluates mixing technology for a client. Mechanical mixers - motor-driven impellers - are a familiar, conventional choice, but they come with real costs beyond the initial purchase: ongoing maintenance on seals, bearings, and motors, plus mechanical components exposed directly to the process fluid being mixed.


Eductors require no power directly at the mixing point and have no moving parts. The design creates a pressure differential that allows fluid to flow naturally within the device, generating suction, mixing, and pushing liquid throughout the tank using the momentum of a motive fluid rather than a motor. For an EPC evaluating total project and lifecycle cost, not just upfront equipment cost, this reduced maintenance burden was the deciding factor in recommending TLAs to their client.


Why CFD Analysis Mattered for This Project

Rather than sizing and placing eductors based on general rules of thumb, the project used Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis - engineering software that models actual fluid flow within the specific tank geometry provided in the EPC's drawings and piping specs.


This mattered because tank mixing performance is highly dependent on tank-specific factors: dimensions, connection points, fluid properties, and the presence of internal obstructions all affect how eductor-driven flow actually behaves inside a given vessel. CFD analysis let our engineers determine the correct number of units, their sizing, and their placement based on how fluid would genuinely move through this specific bioplastics manufacturer's tanks, rather than a generic specification that might underperform or require costly field adjustment after installation.


Why This Reflects Genuine Engineering Partnership

This project worked the way effective engineering partnerships should: the EPC brought detailed, real project data - tank drawings, piping specs, application requirements - and our team brought the analytical capability to translate that data into a properly engineered mixing solution. Neither party was working from assumptions; the CFD analysis grounded the final specification in actual predicted fluid behavior for this specific installation.


Applications

This kind of EPC-partnered, CFD-engineered mixing approach applies across:

  • Bioplastics & Chemical Manufacturing: Process chemical blending in tank farm applications

  • Any EPC-Managed Project: Requiring properly sized and placed mixing equipment based on actual tank geometry

  • Facilities Comparing Mechanical Mixers vs. Eductors: Where lifecycle maintenance cost is a deciding factor

Related Products & Resources:

unique tank liquid agitator eductor

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