
6
INTRODUCTION
The Tri-Blender consists of two basic sections, the dry material section and the liquid material section.
TheTri-Blendermodels F3218 and F4329 aremountedonbases. Thesemodelsare mounted adjacent
to the drive motor and are driven by belts running between pulleys under the base. The electrically
controlled Butterfly valve is standard equipment on model F3218. The F4329 is standard without a
valve or hopper. The control panel may be mounted directly to the Tri-Blender base or may be mounted
in remote areas to suit your facility.
TheTri-Blendermodels F1114L, F2114 and F2116 aremountedon a base directly above theelectric
drive motor. The drive motor is mounted to the underside of the base. It is coupled to the blender by
the motor shaft which extends through the base into the stub shaft that is secured to the impeller.
This model is equipped with a hand operated butterfly valve for control of the material entering the
blender. Optional electrically or pneumatically controlled valves are also available.
Blender F2116 EZ-System is the same as units F1114L, F2114 and F2116 with additions of a dolly,
tube assembly, motor starters and supply pump. For supply pump service information, refer to the
Tri-Clover
"C"SeriesCentrifugal Pump Service Manual
.
On all models, the connection ends, the diffuser and the suction tube, the inlet adapter, the casing,
screen, washer, and backplate are made of 316 stainless steel. The hopper is made of 304 stainless
steel. All of the tubes are fastened with quick couple Tri-Clamps for easy care and fast access. The
fourlegssupporting the Tri-Blenders are adjustablefor easy leveling of theblenderduring installation.
DESCRIPTION
BASIC OPERATION
The Tri-Blender basically consists of a centrifugal pump
head and impeller mounted so that the normal suction port,
or inlet, is pointed upward. The inlet piping consists of a
patentedtube-within-a-tubearrangement. Thisservesto
keepthe liquid and dry ingredients separated until they are
inthemixingchamber. Thetube-within-a-tubearrangement
eliminatesprewetting,oneof the major problems of wet-dry
mixing.
The natural suction of a centrifugal pump is used to pull the
powderfromthehopperthroughthediffusertube.
The outer tube is used to direct the liquid into the impeller.
The liquid is introduced at the leading edge of the impeller
bladeswherethepressuregradient of the Blender head is
zero. Since there is no suction at this point, liquid must be
pumped to the blender by external means, such as the
supplypump.
The liquid inlet is mounted tangentially. The liquid entering
theblender mixing chamber entersthe chamber in the
same direction the impeller is rotating. The impeller then
strikes the liquid and accelerates it, with minimal splashing. This is how the powder inlet tube can be
keptdryduringoperation.
In operation, the liquid pumped into the Blender is accelerated outward until it strikes the blender
screen. This creates a natural back pressure that causes the liquid to flow downward and back toward
the eye of the impeller. This forms a hollow envelope into which the powder is introduced by the natural
suction of the blender.
Hopper
Valve
Diffuser
Tube
Liquid
Inlet
Outer
Tube
Area
Impeller
Outlet
Screen
Blending
Chamber