Characterization of a vibromixer: Experimental and modelling study of mixing in a batch reactor

Experimental as well as modeling approach has been combined to characterize mixing in a batch reactor using a Fundamix vibromixer. Competitive-parallel chemical reactions were used to study the effect of the geometrical properties of the agitator (i.e. disc diameter, number of frusta) and the operational parameter (amplitude of vibrations) on the mixing intensity. By deriving an expression for Reynolds number, the joint effect of the geometrical properties and the operational parameters on the mixing performance of the system could be studied. Furthermore, a CFD model of the system using a commercially available software has been developed and the modeling results have been combined with the experimental information by showing how the product of the slow reaction is controlled by the Damköhler number. Having the capability to simulate the process, a comparison of the vibromixer with a traditional impeller by comparing the generated shear rate at the same level of mixing intensity for both devices has been made.