The Main Principles of Mixing Elements in Static Mixers
Static mixers are precision engineering machines. They are used to combine fluid materials in numerous applications. Fluid material is present in many industries, such as the food and beverage industry, chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, plastic industry, and many more.
Utilizing Static Mixers
Static mixers are able to mix various types of compounds; solid and liquid, liquid and liquid, as well as liquid and gas compounds too. At Komax Systems, we custom-design each of the static mixers depending on the project at hand and the application the mixer is intended for. While they are generally called by the same name, static mixers, the construction of these products changes depending on how they are being utilized. A static mixer that is applied to a system within the food and beverage industry will have different build needs than one being used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. We customize each unit to ensure each mixer operates at its peak performance and stands the test of time.
Static mixers are also used to mix suspended materials like plastics into one or multiple liquids to form a mixture of colloids. A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. It creates the colloidal mixture due to the loss of energy from the mixing elements flowing through a mixing mechanism on a static mixer.
This mixer is static, meaning that this machine does not have a moving element such as a mechanical mixer. The mixing process with the static method aims to control the flow of compounds. In the end, it forms a homogeneous mixture.
The Main Principles in Static Mixers
This mixer is static, meaning that this machine does not have a moving element such as a mechanical mixer. The mixing process with the static method aims to control the flow of compounds. In the end, it forms a homogeneous mixture.
Mixing elements experience two working principles in static mixers to produce perfectly homogeneous mixtures: laminar flow and turbulent flow.
The turbulent flow occurs within the mixer when the triple-action mixing elements cut the material’s flow in a controlled manner disrupting its natural flow. Turbulence is achieved by the periodic rotation of mixing material to a certain degree and a set number of times predetermined by the mixing elements put in place. The consistent switching of flow direction achieves the desired homogeneity of the mixture produced.
Using the principle of laminar flow, the static mixer mixes the material without disruption of flow direction by dividing the material into several thin layers using the triple-action static mixing elements and reassembling the layers together in the end. The level of homogeneity is determined by either increasing or decreasing the number of static elements inside the static mixer, which is determined by the velocity and viscosity that the mixing material maintains as well as the actual diameter of the mixer.
Leading the Industry
Komax Sytems understands the mixing needs of industrial plants and the multitude of industries that we service. We have applied our static mixing technologies to over 100,000 installations worldwide. In addition to static mixers, Komax Systems specializes in heat exchangers, desuperheaters, and steam heaters. Whatever your facility needs, we will help you find a solution that will effectively get you the most efficient and cost-effective results with a customized unit perfectly designed for your specific project. Get in touch with us for a free quote!