A numerical investigation of some approaches to improve mixing in laminar confined impinging streams

The laminar flow in an in-line mixer based on opposing jet impingement was examined as a first step toward the development of a simple efficient in-line fluid mixer. Some new design approaches to improve mixing effectiveness under laminar conditions in two-dimensional configurations were studied numerically for different operating conditions and geometric configurations. It was found that unequal inlet momenta of opposing jets obtained using both equal and unequal slot widths and the addition of baffles in the exit channel yield better mixing over shorter distances after impact. The pressure drop for the case with the addition of baffles increased as well, however. The improvement of mixing effectiveness was found to depend strongly on the operating conditions and geometric configurations.