Small and lab-scale A310s are made from
castings. Thus, there are specific set sizes. Larger
impellers are formed, pressed and bent into shape. The A310 has a
rounded leading edge to further improve the flow efficiency. Some
large scale A310s do not have the leading edge rounded (to save on cost)
and have a flat leading edge. LIGHTNIN calls this the A305
impeller.
The A310 was LIGHTNIN's major thrust into fluidfoil or hydrofoil
shaped impellers. The A210 preceded it, but after meticulous
studying in their Laser Lab, the A310 put an end to the A210.
The LIGHTNIN A310 is designed for turbulent flow and shines in flow-controlled
processes, such as fluid
flow, liquid-solid
mixing, miscible
liquids, and blending.
The ring shown on one of the pictures is often added to the impeller if it
is the lowest impeller, or to stabilize it if the impeller operates
during draw-off (emptying the tank while the impeller is still
rotating).
A310 has been replaced recently (1999) with the A510 impeller.
The differences are not noticeable to most of us. The method of
manufacture was simplified, creating minor changes, hence the new name
A510. Another feature of the A510 is that it comes standard in
three tip chord angles (TCA) to accommodate process and engineering
design constraints. When we find out what they are, we will let
you know here.
