Cat's eyes: Designing the perfect mixer
L.Rossi/CEA
Fluid mechanics expert Lionel Rossi, a researcher at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and his colleagues from Imperial College London describe a new recipe for industrial mixing with the potential to optimize mixers.
The process uses magnets to generate synchronized flows of jets that move in opposite directions and whose positions are slightly offset from each other. By controlling the timing of the jets and their strength and position, the researchers created a promising mixing sequence called a "cat's eyes flip flow," named because the resulting pattern, as visualized with colored dyes added to the solution, resembles the delicate almond shape of a cat's eye. They studied the flows created by this sequence and compared them to other patterns, and found that the cat's eyes flip flows were most efficient at mixing solutions.
"The new sequence is both robust and fast, and its relative simplicity makes it transferable to mixing devices at all scales," Rossi said. At very small scales, he noted, the sequence should help reduce mixing times and possibly even the space required for mixing. This would be of interest for lab-on-a-chip applications "that require numerous manipulations in a minimum of time and space," Rossi said. At larger scales, he continued, "the sequence should increase performance while reducing energy consumption," for example by reducing the stirring of saturated regions, making the process more environmentally friendly.
Next, the researchers plan to develop tailored mixing strategies applicable to almost any mixing need, by using different sequences of synchronized flows as building blocks.
Original publication
Other news from the department science
These products might interest you
Impulsmischer by Hybrid Chemie
Pneumatic mixer for homogenizing solutions, suspensions and emulsions
Gentle, efficient mixing, regardless of the fill level, even for high viscosities
2mag Magnetic Stirrers Catalogue 2024 by 2mag
Wear-free magnetic stirrers for laboratory and cell culture
Request the 2mag catalogue 2024 with innovative stirring solutions now
THINKY ARE-250 by C3 Prozess- und Analysentechnik
Perfect mixing and effective degassing in record time - Discover the revolutionary solution for your mixing and degassing needs
THINKY ARE-500 by C3 Prozess- und Analysentechnik
Efficient mixing and degassing in minutes - The revolutionary mixer and disperser without stirrer
YSTRAL Conti-TDS by ystral
YSTRAL Conti-TDS: The No. 1 in Powder Wetting
Induct, wet and disperse powder
Mini Vortex Mixers by Ohaus
Your vortex mixer for perfect mixing in any application
Your durable laboratory assistant for everyday mixing and vortexing
OHAUS Laboratory equipment by Ohaus
Do More with OHAUS Laboratory Equipment
Do Not Limit Yourself to Just Measurement! Discover Ingenious Portfolio
MultiDrive by IKA Werke
The Universal Crusher: Weigh and Crush Using the Same Mixing Cup!
Mix, grind, disperse – no matter whether your samples are hard, soft or fibrous
Innovative Magnetic Stirrers by 2mag
Magnetic stirrer of the future - for laboratories and pilot plants
Individually configurable, 100 % wear-free, 3-year guarantee
Get the chemical industry in your inbox
By submitting this form you agree that LUMITOS AG will send you the newsletter(s) selected above by email. Your data will not be passed on to third parties. Your data will be stored and processed in accordance with our data protection regulations. LUMITOS may contact you by email for the purpose of advertising or market and opinion surveys. You can revoke your consent at any time without giving reasons to LUMITOS AG, Ernst-Augustin-Str. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany or by e-mail at revoke@lumitos.com with effect for the future. In addition, each email contains a link to unsubscribe from the corresponding newsletter.