Millisecond mixing of liquids using a novel jet nozzle

A millisecond mixing process for liquids was implemented using a new mixer design, i.e., a jet nozzle connected with a trumpet-shaped module. The jet nozzle can facilitate two or three liquid channels, performing an initial impingement mixing of liquid sheets in the thickness at millimeters. Then, the joint liquids sheet out of the jet nozzle was stretched thinner and thinner on the expanded solid surface of the trumpet-shaped module, which significantly intensified the liquid mixing process. Accordingly, dual controls on the liquid mixing can be accomplished flexibly by optimizing the operating conditions and the module configuration. Experiments were carried out to investigate the influencing factors on the mixing performance, where the planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique was used to measure the mass transport of fluorescent dye between the liquids. The intensity of segregation (IOS) and 95% mixing time (τ₉₅) were employed to characterize the mixing performance. The results showed that the module with a greater curvature surface possessed a better mixing performance owing to the rapid reduction of the liquid sheet thickness, which strengthened the mixing process in the lateral direction along the flow development. The mixing behaviors are greatly influenced by the flow rate ratio between the liquids. An optimum mixing state could be achieved when Q_S1/Q_S2 is 1:1. An increase of Q_T under the same flow rate ratio does not affect the mixing pattern in space, but the corresponding τ₉₅ is almost linearly shortened. By splitting one liquid stream into two surrounding streams, the so called Sandwich operation brought further improved mixing performance compared with the two liquids mixing process. Using the novel jet nozzle design, millisecond(s) mixing of liquids can be easily achieved with flexible control.     

多孔错流喷射混合器内液体射流轨迹线

利用平面激光诱导荧光测试技术对多孔错流喷射混合器内液体混合过程进行了研究,考察了操作条件（射流速度比r、混合流股Reynolds数Re_M）和混合器的结构参数（射流小孔直径d、孔径管径比d/D、射流小孔个数n）对射流轨迹线的影响。结果表明,混合流股Reynolds数对射流轨迹线影响较小,射流速度比和混合器的结构参数是影响射流轨迹线的主要因素。建立了射流轨迹线的数学模型,并利用实验结果回归了模型参数。模型预测的液体混合过程射流轨迹线与实验结果基本吻合。     

Mixing in a fluid jet agitated tank: effects of jet angle and elevation and number of jets

The effects of jet angle and elevation on mixing in a fluid jet agitated tank were investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Results show that, for a given geometric arrangement, the angle of the jet injection is significantly more important in determining the time required for 95% mixing than the length of the jet. For an aspect ratio of 1 and for a side jet injected at the bottom of a tank, the longest jet length, corresponding to an angle of injection of 45°, does not give the shortest time as suggested by many previous workers but one of the longest mixing times. An angle of injection of 30° gives the shortest mixing time.Results also show that the mixing time does not change monotonically with the angle of injection or with the level at which the jet is injected. This means that when designing a jet mixer, careful consideration should be given to the angle as well as the location of the jet.Results also show that a significant reduction in the mixing time is possible if two side jets are used instead of one. The improvement is between 40% and 68% for jet Reynolds numbers between 3000 and 7000.     

Visualization of reactive and non-reactive mixing processes in a stirred tank using planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique

A comprehensive study on the liquid mixing with/without instantaneous reactions was conducted using planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique, where a novel reactive PLIF technique was adopted to quantitatively visualize the dynamic variation of the concentration of fluorescence dye due to signal quenching by a Fenton reaction. The factors (e.g., tracer injection direction, tracer injection position, impeller speed) influencing the reactive and non-reactive mixing processes were investigated, and the mixing performances were characterized by non-reactive mixing times (τ₉₅ and τ₉₉), and reactive mixing time (θ₉₉), respectively. The experimental results from the 2-D measurements of liquid mixing behavior emphasized the significance of the understanding on the spatio-temporal mixing patterns: not only did the tracer injection position affect the mixing performances in the stirred tank, but also the sampling position to monitor the mixing status would lead to a large difference in evaluating the mixing performance. For the stirred tank with fast reactions, the reactive mixing performance had a strong interplay with the non-reactive mixing.     

Liquid mixing intensification by adding swirling flow in the transverse jet mixer

In this study, effect of swirling addition on the liquid mixing behavior of multiorifice-impinging transverse jet mixer has been investigated by planar laser-induced fluorescence as well as large eddy simulation (LES). In the case of swirling addition into the jet flow, there exists an optimized swirling jet angle or optimized jet-to-cross velocity ratio for the fixed mixer configuration. A larger swirling jet angle will make the flow dominated by the swirling, resulting in a slower mixing process. Interaction of swirling crossflow with no-swirling-injected streams, or with swirling-injected streams in the opposite direction is beneficial for the mixing. LES predictions show that many small vortices are produced homogenously due to intensified impingement in the case of opposite swirling directions, leading to a relative fast mixing process in few milliseconds. Whereas the mixing is restrained when the swirling directions of two flows are the same.     

Fast liquid mixing by cross-flow impingement in millimeter channels

A fast liquid mixing process was implemented by the cross-flow impingement of thin liquid sheets in the confined mixing channels with the width of millimeter(s). The species transport between the two liquids was studied by visualizing the 2-D concentration field of Rhodamine dye with the planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique, on which the intensity of segregation (IOS) and the 95% mixing time (τ₉₅) were calculated to evaluate the mixing quality. Due to the reduced spatial scale of liquid mixing and the high energy dissipation rate of ∼1000 to produced by the strong impingement between the liquid sheets, fast mixing of liquids was achieved at a time scale of milliseconds. The effects of operating conditions and the mixer geometry on the mixing behavior were investigated comprehensively by both experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Good agreement of the CFD predictions with the experimental data was obtained by the k-? model with species transport, where dependence of the CFD predictions on the turbulent Schmidt number (i.e. Sc_t) was discussed in detail. The results show that for this turbulence-induced mixing procedure the momentum ratio and the cross-flow angle between the two liquids play significant roles in the mixing efficiency. The absolute liquid velocity has little effect on the species transport in space, i.e. the mixing distance to reach IOS of 5%. Nevertheless, the mixing time is shortened at higher velocity conditions. The fluctuation of the transient concentration signals shows stronger interaction at the interface between the two liquid sheets. And the local concentration fluctuations can be well described by the β-PDF (probability density function) model.     

Assessing Blending of Non‐Newtonian Fluids in Static Mixers by Planar Laser‐Induced Fluorescence and Electrical Resistance Tomography

Planar laser‐induced fluorescence (PLIF) and electrical resistance tomography (ERT) were applied simultaneously to monitor the mixing performance of a KM static mixer for the blending of non‐Newtonian fluids of dissimilar rheologies in the laminar regime. The areal distribution method was used to obtain quantitative information from the ERT tomograms and the PLIF images. Comparison of the ERT and PLIF results demonstrates the ability of ERT to detect the mixing performance in cases of poor mixing within the resolution of the measurement, though the accuracy decreases as the condition of perfect mixing is approached. Thus, ERT has the potential to detect poor mixing within the confines of its resolution limit and the required conductivity contrast, providing potential rapid at‐line measurement for industrial practitioners.     

The Influence of Viscosity Ratio on Mixing Effectiveness in a Two‐fluid Laminar Motionless Mixer

An investigation of dependence of laminar mixing efficiency of a motionless mixer upon viscosity ratio at low Reynolds number (?3) was performed. Viscosity ratios up to 340 were investigated. The liquids were aqueous solutions of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Two transparent liquid streams, one marked with a fluorescing dye, were injected into a pipe housing five elements of an SMX mixer. The degree of mixing was evaluated by imaging a downstream cross‐section of pipe using laser induced fluorescence (LIF). Highly resolved spatial variations of fluorescence intensity were recorded using a CCD camera. Mathematical evaluations using correlograms, scale of segregation, COV, and intensity histograms are presented.     

气液喷射反应器内液滴粒径分布PLIF研究

气液喷射反应器是一种高强度反应器,反应器内部液滴粒径大小和分布对反应收率和选择性具有决定性影响。本文建立了气液喷射反应器内液滴粒径分布测量实验装置,并利用面激光诱导荧光（PLIF）技术对气液喷射反应器内液滴粒径分布进行了研究,得到不同气液流率情况下的液滴粒径的分布规律,结果显示：液相流率不变时,随气相流率的增大,反应器内液滴平均粒径逐渐减小,分布范围变小; 气相流率不变时,随液相流率的增大,液滴平均粒径逐渐减小,粒径分布趋于集中。     

Power demand and mixing performance of coaxial mixers in a stirred tank with CMC solution

Experimental investigation was carried out in an el iptical based stirred tank with a diameter of 0.48 m to explore the power demand and mixing performance of coaxial mixers. Syrup and CMC solution (sodium carboxy methyl cellulose) were used as the Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, respectively. Four different coaxial mixers were combined with either CBY or Pfaudler impeller as the inner one, and anchor or helical ribbon (HR) as the outer one. Results show that Pfaudler-HR is the optimized combination among four coaxial mixers in this work, which provides the shortest mixing time given the same power consumption. Compared with the syrup solution, the increase of power input can make the mixing time decreasing more obviously in the CMC solution. The quantitative correlations for both syrup and CMC solutions were established to calculate the power draw and the mixing time of four coaxial mixers.     

电场强化层流搅拌的荧光可视化试验及模拟分析

在层流搅拌中,搅拌桨的周期性扰动使搅拌槽内出现封闭、孤立的环状隔离流场。隔离流场严重阻碍了搅拌介质之间的有效交换,降低了搅拌效率。本文提出外加电场以强化层流搅拌的方案,利用电流体动力学效应改变流场的对称结构,消除混合死区。试验采用平面激光诱导荧光（planner laser induced fluorescence, PLIF）技术实现了搅拌槽内流场结构的实时可视化,并通过自编程程序识别并计算出非混合区域面积百分比。结果表明,随着电场强度的增大,混合效率逐渐提升,当电场强度为1.5kV/cm时混合效率可达98%。研究建立了基于有限元法及浓度扩散模型的混合搅拌模拟平台,探究搅拌槽内部流场结构时空演变规律。通过模拟分析发现,当外加平行板电场强度达到0.5kV/cm以上时,搅拌槽内部出现明显的二次涡流。二次涡流的出现与径向混合相互作用从而不断削弱隔离流场。在电场强度不变的条件下,外加周期性电场可以进一步提高搅拌效率,电场强度1kV/cm条件下的外加周期性电场可以使搅拌效率提升至98%以上。     

Measurement of Turbulent Mixing in a Confined Wake Flow Using Combined PIV and PLIF

Turbulent mixing in a confined wake flow was studied by using the combined PIV/PLIF technique to measure instantaneous concentration and velocity fields. Measurements were performed at two slightly overlapping areas in the initial mixing zone and at an area at the end of the channel. The measurements revealed that there is a recirculation zone right behind the block that gives an increased mixing effect in this area. The measurement at the end of the channel shows that the concentration distribution is quite uniform, but the two streams are not completely mixed.     

小型受限撞击流反应器内混合特征及激励强化

利用平面激光诱导荧光技术(planar laser induced fluorescence,PLIF)研究了小型受限撞击流反应器(confined impinging jets reactor,CIJR)内混合特征及激励强化,射流入口Reynolds数范围为75~150。研究结果表明,在受限撞击流反应器内,由分离流模式向自持振荡模式转变过程中,两股流体间的混合效果逐渐提升;当流动为分离流模式时,激励能有效地强化两股流体间的混合,而当流动转变为自持振荡模式时,激励对流体混合的影响较小。     

Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy (FLCS): Concepts, Applications and Outlook

Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy (FLCS) is a variant of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), which uses differences in fluorescence intensity decays to separate contributions of different fluorophore populations to FCS signal. Besides which, FLCS is a powerful tool to improve quality of FCS data by removing noise and distortion caused by scattered excitation light, detector thermal noise and detector after pulsing. We are providing an overview of, to our knowledge, all published applications of FLCS. Although these are not numerous so far, they illustrate possibilities for the technique and the research topics in which FLCS has the potential to become widespread. Furthermore, we are addressing some questions which may be asked by a beginner user of FLCS. The last part of the text reviews other techniques closely related to FLCS. The generalization of the idea of FLCS paves the way for further promising application of the principle of statistical filtering of signals. Specifically, the idea of fluorescence spectral correlation spectroscopy is here outlined.     

Development of Crystalline Morphology,Structure, and Impact Property of Isotactic Polypropylene and Poly(cis-Butadiene) Rubber Blends During Mixing

The development of crystalline morphology, structure, and impact property of isotactic polypropylene (PP) and poly(cis-butadiene) rubber (PcBR) (vol. %: 80/20) blends during mixing were investigated and compared to neat PP. It was found by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and small-angle light scatter (SALS) that the incorporation of PcBR into PP caused small and imperfect PP spherulites and more diffused spherulite boundaries, which sharply exhibited in the initial 2 min of mixing but remained almost unchanged in the rest of the mixing time. Crystalline structure of neat PP and blends was studied by wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD). The addition of PcBR into PP induced formation of PP β-form spherulites. As mixing time developed, the relative degree of crystallization decreased whereas interplanar distance increased. Impact strength of PP and blends was tested. The result showed that impact strength of blends significantly improved with increase of the mixing time.     

Dispersion coefficient and settling velocity of the solids in agitated slurry reactors stirred with multiple rushton turbines

The feature of solids distribution in tanks stirred with multiple Rushton turbines was investigated. Both transient and steady-state experiments were performed in tanks of two scales with a variety of suspensions. The data were analysed with the axial sedimentation-dispersion model. The axial dispersion coefficient of the solid phase was found not to differ from that of the liquid by more than 20%. The effective particle settling velocity in the stirred medium was then determined. It is confirmed that this parameter is different from the terminal settling velocity. Their ratio exhibits the same dependence on Kolmogoroff microscale and particle size as obtained previously with an indirect, approximate approach.     

Proton spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times in annealed poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Proton spin-lattice, T₁, and spin-spin, T₂, relaxation times of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film annealed at various temperatures were measured using a broad line pulse spectrometer. The value of T₁ is closely related to the crystallinity of the sample and only one T₁ was observed for each sample, indicating that the spin diffusion is effectively operating. Even in the amorphous sample there are some nuclear spins, the motion of which is strongly restricted.     

Air-fuel mixing and combustion in a small-bore direct injection optically accessible diesel engine using a retarded single injection strategy

In this paper, the air-fuel mixing and combustion in a small-bore direct injection optical diesel engine were studied for a retarded single injection strategy. The effects of injection pressure and timing were analyzed based on in-cylinder heat release analysis, liquid fuel and vapor fuel imaging by Laser induced exciplex fluorescence technique, and combustion process visualization. NOx emissions were measured in the exhaust pipe. Results show that increasing injection pressure benefits soot reduction while increases NOx emissions. Retarding injection timing leads to simultaneous reduction of soot and NOx emissions with premixed homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) like combustion modes. The vapor distribution in the cylinder is relatively homogeneous, which confirms the observation of premixed combustion in the current studies. The postulated path of these combustion modes were analyzed and discussed on the equivalence ratio-temperature map.     

Experimental evaluation and modeling of liquid jet penetration to estimate droplet size in a three-phase riser reactor

In this work,the effects of injecting an evaporating liquid jet into solid–gas flow are experimentally investigated.A new model(SHED model) and a supplementary model(spray model) have also been proposed to investigate some flow-field characteristics in three-phase fluidized bed with the mean relative error 4.3% between model and measured results.Some experiments were conducted to study the influences of flow-field parameters such as liquid volumetric flow rate,injection velocity,jet angle and gas superficial velocity as well as solid mass flux on the jet penetration depth(JPD).In addition,independent variables were experimentally employed to propose two empirical correlations for JPD by using multiple regression method and spray cone angle(SCA) by using dimensional analysis technique.The mean relative errors between the JPD and SCA correlations versus experimental data were 7.5% and 3.9%,respectively.In addition,in order to identify the variable effect,a parametric study was carried out.Applying the proposed model can avoid direct use of expensive devices to measure JPD and to predict droplet size.