Static mixing technology has evolved over the years. There were only one or two kinds of static mixers available a few decades ago, but now there are several different kinds, each meant for mixing a certain material.

Being spoilt for choice isn’t the best thing, because people often end up being the wrong choice. The same is the case with static mixers.

Whether you are buying a custody transfer mixer for an oil refinery or a sanitary mixer for a food manufacturing plant, there are some common mistakes you can end up making. Three of the biggest mistakes when buying a static mixer are:

Buying a generic mixer: There are ready-made static mixers as well as custom made ones. While buying a readily available mixer is cheaper and more convenient, it is rarely the right fit for your purpose.

Customizing a mixer for your needs is the best option. You have to provide the diameter of the pipe, maximum allowable pressure drop, material that the mixer is to be made of (PVC, stainless steel, etc), design of the mixer, injector requirement, and flange type. Only a customized static mixer fits the needs of your plant.

Not specifying the materials to be mixed: Different materials will require different static mixer designs. Without the details of the materials to be mixed, it is hard to design the right equipment.

You need to know the flowrates and other physical properties of the materials, such as density and viscosity. In some instances, the operating temperature and pressure drop may also be required. Knowing these details is vital for choosing the right kind of static mixer for your needs.

Not knowing the mixture quality: What kind of mixture do you want the mixer to produce? Homogenous or heterogenous? Mentioning this to the manufacturer is highly essential, because static mixers can be designed to produce different types of mixtures, depending upon the purpose.

Do not use vague terms like “thoroughly mixed” or “evenly mixed”. Rather, state the variation coefficient (CoV), where a value of 0.05 usually means complete homogeneity. The variation coefficient is the best indicator of mixture quality and must definitely be mentioned.

Komax static mixers have the most sophisticate design, achieving high efficiency, energy savings, and proper utilization of the materials.

The engineers at Komax will work with you to build just the type of mixer that you need. Regardless of the industry, Komax static mixers are used the world over because they meet every requirement.