Flexel® 3D LevMix System for Drum

1. Specifications 2. Overview 3. Principle of Operation
Power requirements:
single phase, 230 V AC, 3 A.
Wattage:
less than 350 Watts at a
maximum impeller speed.
Impeller speed:
0–180 RPM.
Ambient temperature:
4–30°C.
Max humidity:
75%, Non-Condensing.
4
The Flexel ® 3D LevMix System for Drum is a
unique single-use mixing solution utilizing
cylindrical tank geometries combined
with the market leading LevTech ® levitated
impeller and Sartorius Stedim Biotech
Flexel ® 3D Bag technologies.
The system hardware has three major
components:
1. MDPE cylindrical mixing drums are
designed to fit perfectly with the Flexel ® 3D
LevMix Bags for drums and the integrated
impeller. The tanks are positioned on a
stainless steel dolly for drum to ensure a
safe operation as well as easy access and
drainage. The dolly for drum contains a
railed port for coupling the mobile superconducting
drive unit with the Flexel ® 3D
LevMix bag. They are available in 50 L,
100 L, 200 L, 300 L, 370 L and 560 L
volumes to be used with the 50 L to 560 L
Flexel ® 3D LevMix Bags for drums.
2. Stainless steel mixing tanks are available
in 50 L, 100 L, 200 L, 300 L and 370 L.
The tanks are positioned on a stainless steel
dolly for drum to ensure a safe operation as
well as easy access and drainage. In the volumes
of 560 L, 750 L and 1,000 L the tanks
are mounted on legs that are equipped with
cleanroom wheels for increased mobility.
They incorporate an interface railed port for
coupling the superconducting drive unit
with the impeller inside the bag.
3. LevTech ® superconducting drive unit
levitates and rotates the single use magnetic
impeller without seals, bearings or surface
contact. This allows the Flexel ® 3D LevMix
system to efficiently mix powders, suspensions,
solutions or emulsions. The drive
unit is mobile, cart-mounted and designed
to interface with mixing tanks of different
volumes.
Flexel ® 3D LevMix System for Drum is based
on non-contact magnetic coupling between
conventional permanent magnets in the
impeller and superconducting material in
the drive. Superconducting material has the
ability to trap the magnetic field generated
by the permanent magnets and “lock the
magnetic field in memory” in an equilibrium
position.
Figure 1. Non contact magnetic coupling
between the permanent magnet and superconductors.
The superconducting material
traps the magnetic field from the magnet,
resulting in stable mechanical coupling
without physical contact.
The trapped magnetic field behaves like
mechanical springs; if the magnet is moved
up, down or sideways by outside forces (e.g.,
gravity or angular torque), it will tend to be
pulled back to an equilibrium position. The
peculiar nature of magnet-superconductor
interaction ties the two bodies together
resulting in a very stable mechanical couple
with finite equilibrium separation. This
peculiar stability cannot be attained in conventional
mixer designs that employ two
permanent magnets. In these mixers, the
two magnets strongly attract one another
and exert that force on the bearing in the
impeller. Thus, the magnet-superconductor
couple is the basis for a revolutionary design
of the non-contact magnetic levitation
mixer.
The Cryogenic temperatures (approx.
–200°C) required for the superconducting
material are achieved by an internal
cryocooler (Sterling cycle refrigerator),
which operates on 230 V 50|60 Hz AC
power.