Colloid mill
Type of grinding machine
A colloid mill is a machine that is used to reduce the particle size of a solid in suspension in a liquid, or to reduce the droplet size in emulsions. Colloid mills work on the rotor-stator principle: a rotor turns at high speeds (2000-18000 RPM). A high level of hydraulic shear stress is applied on the fluid which results in disrupting and breaking down the structure. Colloid mills are frequently used to increase the stability of suspensions and emulsions, but can also be used to reduce the particle size of solids in suspensions. Higher shear rates lead to smaller droplets, down to approximately 1 μm which are more resistant to emulsion separation.
01Application suitability
Colloid mills are used in the following industries:
- Pharmaceutical
- Cosmetic
- Paint
- Soap
- Textile
- Paper
- Food
- Grease
02Rotor - stator construction
A colloidal mill consist of a high speed rotor and stator with a conical milling surfaces
- 1 stage toothed
- 3 stage toothed
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Colloid mill”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Schematic diagram of colloid mill.jpg by William361905663, CC BY-SA 3.0
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