Ultrasonic Homogenizers for Liquid Processing
Hielscher Ultrasonics specializes in the design and manufacturing of high- power ultrasonic homogenizers for lab, bench-top and production level. Ultrasonic power is an effective and energy-efficient means to apply high shear and intense stress to liquids, powder/liquid mixtures and slurries. This makes it a strong alternative to high shear mixers, high pressure homogenizers and agitated bead mills.
Hielscher ultrasonic devices are in use worldwide as laboratory mixers, high shear mixing equipment, full-size in-line homogenizers or particle mills. The applications include mixing, dispersing, particle size reduction, extraction and chemical reactions. We supply to various industry segments, such as nano-materials, paints, coatings and pigments, food & beverage, cosmetics, chemicals and fuels. Read more about our ultrasonicators and applications, or contact us now for to get recommendations and a quote for the right ultrasonic system for your process.
Hielscher offers a wide range of ultrasonic lab homogenizers (probe-type ultrasonicators with 50 to 400W) to homogenize samples in beakers, test tubes or vials. Flow cells and flask adapters allow for more complex setups in the laboratory. For the sonication of closed vials, we offer the VialTweeter.Read more about our ultrasonic lab systems!
Bench-top homogenizers (0.5 to 2.0kW) are used for application research, scale-up work, pilot studies, process optimization or smaller batch processing. These programmable ultrasonic devices can be combined with flow cell reactors and pumps for in-line processing.
For high volume in-line processing or batch processing, we offer high-power ultrasonic probes (4 to 16kW). In commercial installations, these can run in clusters to process several hundred tons per hour. Sanitary designs, and multi-feed flow cells are avaible to adapt to your processing needs.Read more about our industrial ultrasonic systems!
Simple and Reliable Scale-up from Lab to Production
While the scale-up of a process from the laboratory or bench-top level to full production is the most critical and hardest step for other mixing technologies, it is most simple with Hielscher ultrasonic equipment. This is because during scale up we do not change any of the driving parameters, such as amplitude or pressure.
Ultrasonic batch mixing works well for volumes of up to 100L for some purposes, however ultrasonic in-line mixing using flow cell reactors and a feed pump is the more effective solution. In a flow cell the ultrasonic power is highly concentrated on a small volume resulting a more uniform processing and better product quality. A back pressure valve can be used to increase the pressure in the flow cell. This intensifies the sonication significantly resulting in higher hydraulic shear.
Ultrasonic Processes and Applications
- Blending
- Homogenizing
- Dispersing and Deagglomerating
- Emulsifying
- Dissolving
- Particle Size Reduction
- More Processes
Industry Specific Solutions
- Nano-Materials
- Sonochemical Reaction and Synthesis
- Biology and Microbiology
- Paint, Ink and Pigments
- Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
- Pharmaceuticals
- Biofuels
- Fuel, Energy, Oil and Gas
- Food, Dairy and Beverage Manufacturing
Features and Benefits
- Sonication in batch or in-line mode
- Wetted sonication elements are Titanium
- Reactors are stainless (316L) or glass
- Low maintenance, no small orifices
- Ultrasonically assisted clean-in-place (CIP)
- 24hrs / 7days operation under full load
- High energy efficiency
Improved Digital Control
Our new devices come equipped with enhanced digital controls, such as touch screen, SD-card protocoling, temperature control and LAN interface for browser control. No software installation needed.
High Viscosity Slurries
Our bench-top and industrial homogenizers can process viscous slurries of up to 250,000 centipoise. For viscosities higher than 2,000 cPs we recommend the use of flow-cells with progressive cavity pumps for better coupling.
Easy-to-Clean / CIP
Hielscher ultrasonic mixers are available with sanitary fittings for easy access and cleaning. The ultrasonic cavitation assists clean-in-place procedures (CIP) – it is an extremely powerful ultrasonic cleaner in place.
Scientific News – Research of the Month
Hielscher ultrasonicators are used for numerous applications in all kind of research and industries. Here, we present some interesting research results with promising prospects for implementation in industrial production.
Improved Complex Coacervation of Whey Protein Isolate with Ultrasound
High-intensity ultrasound of whey protein isolate (WPI) molecular structure as a previous step for complex coacervation with kappa-carrageenan has been proven to improve some functional properties including foaming capacity, the stability of emulsions, add viscosity and maintain their solubility.
In the study of Vargas et al. (2021), a protein suspension of whey protein isolate (1% w/w) has been sonicated with the ultrasonic probe UP400St (24 kHz, 400W). Sonication resulted in a progressive decrease in whey protein isolate particle size to nanometers. Further, volume increment, stability, and expansion percentages of complex coacervation foams were improved using sonicated whey protein isolate. Additionally, the ultrasound treatment had positive effect on the emulsifying properties of the complex coacervation, increasing the time emulsion stability percentage. Thus, sonication is an efficient tool to improve functional properties of whey protein isolate / kappa-carrageenan complex coacervates.
(Study and picture: © Vargas et al., 2021)
