(452b) Modeling Pigment Deagglomeration for Industrial Coatings Production

Pigment particle size distribution control is essential in high-value industrial and architectural coatings applications. A common approach to achieve the desired particle size is to disperse a pigment into a slurry with a high speed mixer, typically equipped with a single sawtooth-style impeller. This equipment delivers high specific energy near the impeller to deagglomerate particles and creates bulk flow in the vessel to draw material into the high shear zone. However, dispersion impellers are typically not optimized and may lead to long cycle times. Predicting the particle size distribution of a pigment grind with modeling can lead to more optimal impeller designs that balance power dissipation and circulation in the tank and reduce cycle times.

We use M-Star Simulation LLC’s Digital Mixing Tank software to model agglomerated pigment dispersions and compare to experimental lab-scale dispersions. We monitor the evolution particle size by grind gauge and other analytical measurements. Additionally, we discuss the utility of the software to model other particle-particle interactions.