The coupled mixing action of the jet mixer and swirl mixer: An novel static micromixer

The development of high-performance static mixers is a critical research topic in process intensification in the process industry. This research combines computational fluid dynamics simulation and experimental testing to design a new type of static micromixer: First, a variable-diameter swirl shear mixer was designed and its structure was optimized. Measured by Malvern laser particle size analyzer, the median particle size decreased from 41 mu m to 29 mu m in the designed micromixer compared to that of traditional static mixers. Subsequently, the dispersed phase injection method was upgraded to a jet injection method, and the static micromixer was designed with a combination of an ejector and a variable-diameters wirl shear mixer. The median particle size of the dispersed droplets further decreased to 23 mu m, achieving a dispersion effect at 2100-2400 rpm of the dynamic high-shear mixer. The micromixer greatly improved the static mixing effect and may replace dynamic high-shearmixers in the future. (C) 2021 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.