Static Mixing

Advanced mixing technology

Fluitec www.fluitec.ch

It was back in 1993 when Fluitec launched its first static mixers in the
market.Today, Fluitec is a reliable partner for high quality products
whose know-how spans a wide range of mixing, heat transfer
and reaction tasks in the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical,
environment and food industries.

View of the production shop – apparatus weighing up to 3.5 tons is The Fluitec management:
manufactured in-house Daniel Altenburger (Managing Director), Silvano Andreoli (Manager
Production), Alain Georg (Manager R&D), Tobias Vögeli (Manager Sales)

The Fluitec team

2
www.fluitec.ch Contents

Fluitec static mixers

Pages 4 – 6

Static mixers for laminar flow

Pages 7 – 8

Laminar mixing applications

Pages 9 – 12

Static mixers for turbulent flow

Pages 13 – 15

Food and pharmaceutical industries

Page 16

Dosing technology
Page 17

Enquiry data sheet

Page 18

Other Fluitec products

Page 19

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Fluitec static mixers www.fluitec.ch

Static mixers are apparatus with fixed internal elements Mixing with static mixers
that mix the product flowing through them with the help
of kinetic energy only. Since maintenance and wear are There are basically two possible types of flow: turbulent
negligible, only a comparatively small space is required and laminar. In turbulent flow (Re > 2400), the fluid parti-
for installation and the apparatus is suited for a wide vis- cles move randomly in all directions. In laminar flow (Re
cosity range, static mixers are today a popular alterna- < 20), the fluid particles move in layers along straight,
tive for continuous and batch processes. parallel paths. The Reynolds number is a dimensionless
quantity that is defined as the ratio of inertial to viscous
Fluitec mixers are ideal for the following applications forces. It is the decisive parameter for the flow regime.
The Reynolds number can be represented as follows re-
ferred to the diameter D or the hydraulic diameter dh:
• Mixing of pumpable liquids
• Dispersion and emulsification of components Equation 1 
which are insoluble in each other
• Mixing of reactive liquids
Determination of homogeneity
• Mixing and homogenising of polymer melts
The mixing efficiency of static mixers in laminar flow al-
• Contacting of gas and liquid
ways used to be analysed by forcing epoxy resins dyed
• Mixing of gases in various colours, which had been premixed with hard-
ener, into the mixing section and subsequently curing
• Heat transfer of viscous fluids
them. The hardened strand was cut into slices in order
• Laminar, uniform flow through to investigate what goes on inside the mixer. These slic-
tubes, e.g. residence time reactors es revealed a cross-section of the mixture. It could be
seen that the number of layers increases rapidly with the
The most diverse geometries are employed to achieve length of the mixer; the layer thickness simultaneously
a homogeneous mixture, depending on the application decreases while the homogeneity increases. Today, the
and the flow regime.The choice of mixer geometry is de- efficiency of a mixer geometry can be assessed very ac-
termined by the Reynolds number and the properties of curately with the help of CFD simulations. Real experi-
the fluids to be mixed. ments with epoxy resin are usually only carried out in or-
der to verify the simulation results.
The mixing processes which take place in Fluitec mixers
are defined, reproducible and optimised.Their high pro- The success of a mixing process can be quantified if a
ductivity and low energy consumption have a positive measure exists for the state of the mixture and this refer-
impact on both the capital investment and the operat- ence state can be derived from locally determined quan-
ing costs. Industrial plants can be reliably designed on tities (e.g. temperature, concentration, electrical con-
the basis of longstanding experience and the results of ductivity, laser induced fluorescence (LIF), photometric
pilot trials. The scale-up risk is reduced to a minimum in analysis (FIP), a CFD calculation, etc. If this data is avail-
this way. able for the cross-sectional area of flow, the mixture can
be evaluated according to statistical criteria. The meas-
ured values and measuring errors generally conform to
a Gaussian (normal) distribution.

CSE-XC/6 CSE-W made from PTFE

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www.fluitec.ch Fluitec static mixers

Coefficient of variation  (COV)

In the world of static mixing technology the coefficient
of variation COV has become established as the bench-
mark for mixing quality. The smaller this quotient, the
more homogeneous the mixture. The following quanti-
ties have an influence on the mixing quality in a homo-
geneous mixture:

Equation 4 

The diagram below shows the relationship between

the coefficient of variation and the maximum allowa-
ble deviation from the mean concentration. 95.5% of all
Mixing efficiency assessed by means of experiments with epoxy resins measured values are within the tolerance defined by this
(top) and CFD simulation (bottom) graph ( ).

Standard deviation
The standard deviation is a useful benchmark for the -0.5% +0.5% 0.0025
symmetrical distribution of measured values about the
weighted average and is usually formed from the square
root of the variance. -1% +1% 0.005

Equation 2  -5% +5% 0.025

If account is taken of the symmetric intervals when inte-

grating the distribution density function, the following -10% +10% 0.05
statement can be made regarding the distribution with-
in an interval: -15% +15% 0.075

68.3% -20% ∆X ∆X +20% 0.1

95.5 % X σ
99.7 % X

The maximum allowable deviation of individual mixture A mixture is normally described as homogeneous if the
samples, referred to the mean concentration, is repre- coefficient of variation COV is between 1 and 5% ( = 0.01
sented as follows: to 0.05).

If a mixture has 5% homogeneity, this corresponds to a

coefficient of variation of 0.05, meaning that 95.5% of all
If the weighted average is referred to the concentration measured values are within a concentration which is ±
of a soluble mixing process, the following correlation ex- 10% of the volumetric mean.
ists with the volumetric mean:

Equation 3 

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Fluitec static mixers www.fluitec.ch

Pressure drop In the laminar flow regime the Newton number is in-
versely proportional to the Reynolds number, i.e. NeRe
The pressure drop must be overcome by means of con- = constant.The following equation is thus used to calcu-
veying devices such as pumps, extruders or blowers. late the pressure drop with laminar flow
With Newtonian fluids, it can be described using the fol-
lowing equation for all flow regimes: Equation 6 

Equation 5 

Experience shows that the power requirements of stat-

ic mixers are one order of magnitude lower than for dy-
The Newton number Ne is a parameter for determin- namic mixers. The power consumption is directly pro-
ing the mixer geometry and is directly dependent on the portional to the pressure drop and can be determined
Reynolds number. as follows

The diagram below shows the Newton number of vari- Equation 7 

ous static mixers as a function of the Reynolds number
for their respective applications.

It can be seen that, with laminar flow, the Ne number

of the new Fluitec CSE-XC/6 mixer is significantly lower
than that of the conventional CSE-X/8 mixer.

1.0E+06

1.0E+05

CSE-X/8

1.0E+04 CSE-XC/6
Aquamix
Newton Number Ne

VORTIX
1.0E+03 New CSE-B

1.0E+02

1.0E+01

1.0E+00

laminar flow transition zone turbulent flow

1.0E-01
1.0E+02 1.0E+01 1.0E+00 1.0E+01 1.0E+02 1.0E+03 1.0E+04 1.0E+05

Reynolds Number Re

Pressure drop diagram for known static mixers

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www.fluitec.ch Static mixers for laminar flow

Static mixers in the laminar

flow regime Re < 20
Laminar mixing processes are based on the repeated
separation of the flow into layers, followed by redistri-
bution and recombination parallel to the flow direction.
The number of layers, and hence the homogeneity, in- Basic geometry of the CSE-W helical mixer and the CSE and
creases with each additional mixing element. A homo- CSE-X mixers

geneous mixture is primarily achieved by diffusion as a

result of layer growth. The design and length of the mix- involving extreme viscosity ratios, Fluitec CSE-X® mix-
er vary according to the mixing process. Fluitec’s speci- ers have been the technology of choice for several dec-
ality is an efficient, energy saving mixer for each specific ades now.
mixing task.

The mixing quality of a soluble mixing process is largely Development of the new CSE-XC/6
dependent on the volume flow and viscosity ratios. It can
also be influenced by diffusion, the shear rate, the resi- Over a period of many years, various attempts were
dence time and the Froude number. made to improve the mixing intensity of the CSE-X mix-
er. The engineers at Fluitec considered the mixing pro-
X mixers have emerged during the last few years as by cesses in the static mixer from a different angle for this
far the most powerful and most popular of all known ba- purpose. The question they asked themselves was «Is
sic geometries, namely CSE-W, CSE and CSE-X. Thanks layer growth in the CSE-X mixer determined by the num-
to laser welding technology, Fluitec can meanwhile build ber of bars or is it the open ducts between the bars that
the CSE-X with any desired diameter – from very small to are responsible?»
very large – and using a wide range of materials.
If the open ducts are the culprit when it comes to lay-
Fluitec is continuing to develop and optimise the above er growth, they concluded, one remedy might be to re-
mixer geometries. The new «CSE-XC/6» mixer, which duce the number of bars from 8 to 6 and at the same time
combines a small pressure drop with high mixing effi- open the wall area of the mixer tube.The mixing element
ciency, the «mikromakro®» mixer technology and the would thus have the same number of ducts (openings)
«CSE-X-DS high performance mixer» are just a few re- but would be easier to manufacture and the mixing effi-
cent examples. From mixing and gasification through ciency ought to remain constant.
emulsification and homogenisation to mixing processes

Fluitec uses various types of mixer inspired by the basic geometry of the CSE-X

CSE-XC/6 CSE-X/8 mikromakro® CSE-X-DS

The new CSE-XC/6 is a The CSE-X/8 was the mikromakro® mixing The CSE-X-DS high per-
more advanced version number one universal could be described as formance mixer is an X
of the CSE-X/8. It reduces mixer for many years. In the targeted use of static mixer with additional
the pressure drop by up the meantime, it has been mixers with different ge- bars.These improve the
to 50% without compro- largely superseded by the ometries and diameters. mixing efficiency, resi-
mising mixing efficien- new CSE-X/6 owing to The macro mixer nor- dence time distribution
cy and can also mix high its relatively high energy mally serves to achieve and variable concentra-
or low-viscosity fluids consumption. However, good pre-distribution of tion range, though at the
without any problems. its geometry sometimes the product prior to fine expense of higher en-
This new mixer model has advantages and it distribution in the micro ergy consumption.This
has a narrower residence therefore remains the mixer. mixer type is therefore
time distribution than the system of choice in cer- only used to meet special
CSE-X/8. tain applications. requirements.

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Static mixers for laminar flow www.fluitec.ch

Systematic investigations Opening the wall area is conducive to efficient mixing

Systematic investigations carried out in the search for and the residence time range is relatively narrow. No
answers to this question resulted in several novel mix- wall effects have so far been observed in the CSE-X/6
er types. The mixing properties of the different versions mixer.
were studied both when using polymer melts and in mix-
ing processes with high viscosity ratios.
The efficiency of the new mixer geometry is comparable High and low-viscosity mixing processes
to that of the CSE-X/8.The suspicion that layer growth is
determined not by the number of bars but by the num- Mixing trials with a viscosity ratio greater than 1:1000
ber of open ducts has been confirmed in the meantime. can generally be described as problematic. In the past,
only the CSE-X/8 mixer was capable of mastering this
kind of challenge. Mixing trials with the new CSE-XC/6
have demonstrated very impressively that the new mix-
er, too, excels at even the most complex mixing process-
es. In other words, the CSE-X/6 provides clearly superior
performance compared to conventional X mixer types.

The advantages of the new CSE-X/6 mixer can be

summed up simply as follows:

Same mixing efficiency:

• Approx. 50% smaller pressure drop across
the mixer.
Same pressure drop:
Investigation using CFD simulation
• One diameter smaller mixer design.
• The residence time is approximately 40% shorter.
1.00
mixing ratio 1:1 CSE-X/8
mixing ratio 1:10 CSE-X/8
mixing ratio 1:100 CSE-X/8
coefficient of variation COV

mixing ratio 1:1 CSE-XC/6

mixing ratio 1:10 CSE-XC/6
mixing ratio 1:100 CSE-XC/6

0.10

0.01
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
relative mixer length (L/D)

Coefficients of variation of the CSE-XC/6 and CSE-X/8 compared

Mixing of two epoxy resins in the new CSE-X (top) and CFD calculation
(bottom). The cut views along the mixing section show the rapid growth
of the layers.

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www.fluitec.ch Laminar mixing applications

mikromakro® for extreme CSE-X for low throughputs

mixing processes
Laser welded elements
CSE-X mixing elements with small diameters have been
employed over a period of many years in a wide range
of applications, mainly in small plants in the chemical,
mikromakro® mixing could be described as the targeted plastics, food and pharmaceutical industries.Today, Flu-
use of static mixers with different geometries and diam- itec can supply mixing elements with a diameter of just
eters.The macro mixer normally serves to achieve good 4.6 mm and Ra 0.4 surface quality thanks to special laser
pre-distribution of the product prior to fine distribution production processes and finishing techniques.
in the micro mixer. For years now, the Fluitec CSE-X®
mixer has been used in applications with very exacting
requirements. Most CSE-X® mixers have between 4 and
12 bars. The mixer design and the number of bars de-
pend on the mixing process and the mixer diameter.

The mikromakro® technology improves the mixing qual-

ity of even the most complex mixing processes. For ex-
ample, mixing elements with more bars at the end of a Mixing elements De = 4.6 to 10 mm Laser welding
mixer increase the potential for diffusive mixing, where-
as the targeted use of different diameters enables better Cast elements
mixing quality owing to the higher shear rate. Cast mixing elements in standard dimensions are avail-
able from stock at attractive prices because it is possi-
ble to manufacture them in large quantities. Fluitec has
an extensive range of cast mixing elements, so that cast
mixers can be shipped without delay for many applica-
tions. An unfinished cast surface is sufficient for the ma-
jority of mixing processes.

Installation types
Mixer bars can be provided for various installation types.

short conical section for

positioning of the mixing rod

Inserted
di

di

mikromakro® mixer for a high pressure application (polymer)

short conical section for L acc. to requirements
positioning of the mixing rod

Sleeve design
di

di

di

short conical section for L acc. to requirements L acc. to requirements L

positioning of the mixing rod

Supporting ring
di

di

di

L acc. to requirements L acc. to requirements L acc. to requirements

CSE-X/4 and CSE-X/8 welded together to form a mikromakro®
mixer bar

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Laminar mixing applications www.fluitec.ch

CSE-X-DS high performance mixer CSE-X as a residence time mixer

A high performance mixer is an X-mixer with addition- Fluitec CSE-X® mixers are notable for their high mixing
al bars. The high performance mixer is ideal whenev- efficiency and short installation length. Numerous stud-
er very high mixing efficiencies or very good residence ies have confirmed the CSE-X® mixer’s excellent resi-
time properties which cannot be realised using conven- dence time distribution.
tional static mixers are stipulated.
1.0

CSE-X-DS high performance mixers are used in the fol- 0.9

lowing applications to meet specific requirements: 0.8

• Short mixing length / limited space available 0.7

0.6
Laminar flow tube
• Viscosity ratios from 1 to 1’000‘000 and

H(θ)
0.5 Ideal flow tube (plug flow)
concentrations of up to 50%
CSE-X mixer / Bodenstein number = 120
0.4

• Narrow residence time distribution 0.3

• Very slow flow velocities 0.2

in residence time reactors 0.1

0.0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
θ = t/τ

Cumulative residence time curve

It can be seen from the diagram that CSE-X® mixers

come very close to an ideal plug flow regime. This is an
indication of good self-cleanability, which is especial-
ly important in reactions or hygienic applications. The
studies were carried out using glucose syrup with vari-
ous viscosities from 1 to 500 Pas. Whereas in the empty
tube, dye additives still adhered to the wall, they were no
longer visible in the CSE-X® mixers.

Dispersion in laminar flow

When dispersive mixing occurs in the laminar flow re-
gime, the resulting droplet size dT is determined by the
shear and elongational components in the flow. Finer
droplets can be achieved if elongational flow compo-
CSE-X/4-DS and CSE-X/8-DS nents are introduced into the flow field compared to just
shear components. Provided a suitable mixer geometry
is chosen, the amount of energy which is required for
the droplet break-up process can be reduced. The ratio
of viscous to interfacial tension force is decisive for the
droplet break-up process:

Equation 8 

Droplet break-up only occurs after a defined time tz if

Ca ≥ Cacrit, where stands for continuous viscosity and
G is the deformation rate.

Mixing efficiency of the high performance mixer (experiments with epoxy

resin and CFD simulation). A homogeneous mixture is achieved after just
a very short mixing length.

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www.fluitec.ch Laminar mixing applications

1.0E+03

simple shear flow (a= 0, Grace 1982)

planar extensional flow (a= 1, Grace 1982)
1.0E+02 planar extensional flow (a= 1, Bentley und Leal 1986)
critical capillary number Cakrit (-)

measuring points Fluitec mixer CSE-X

1.0E+01

1.0E+00

1.0E-01

1.0E-02
1.0E-07 1.0E-06 1.0E-05 1.0E-04 1.0E-03 1.0E-02 1.0E-01 1.0E+00 1.0E+01 1.0E+02

viscosity ratio λ (-)

Critical capillary number Cacrit Sample of a glucose dispersion with 5% additive (viscosity ratio =5x
10-4)

The graph shows the influence of the viscosity ratio on • Incorporation and emulsification of insoluble
the critical capillary number Ca for droplet break-up in additives prior to pelletising (mineral oil,
simple shear flow (a = 0) as well as in planar elongation- lubricants, etc.)
al flow (a = 1).
• Dispersion of gas or liquids upstream of
a spray dryer
The flow parameter a, which describes the elongational
component of the total deformation rate, can be repre- • Washing unwanted aromas or additives out of viscous
sented as follows. liquids
• Dispersion and cooling for reactive
Equation 9 
mass transfer processes
It is clear from the measured values that CSE-X static • Incorporation and emulsification of blowing and nu-
mixers have a high elongational component. A corre- cleating agents for foams (e.g. pentane, air, nitrogen,
spondingly lower energy consumption is thus neces- etc.)
sary to achieve the droplet size dT. Static mixers have an
• Establishment of uniform cell structures in foams (re-
a value from 0.2 to 0.7 depending on the mixer geometry.
dispersion and homogenisation)
Droplet break-up time tz • Manufacture of mousses
With static mixers, the droplet break-up time in disper-
• Manufacture of creams
sion processes depends mainly on the nature of the
break up.The break-up time tz is influenced by the viscos- • Dispersion during extraction processes
ity ratio and the dosing technology. A large initial drop-
let size can have negative impacts on the droplet spec-
trum, especially in conjunction with a high viscosity ratio
, leading to a longer droplet break-up time and / or a
longer mixer. Special dosing modules with a flow meas-
urement function, a pump and a special injection nozzle
have been developed for CSE-X mixers for this reason.

Typical applications
Within the practical limits, static mixers for dispersion
and emulsification are suited for the following applica-
tions
• Mixing of partially soluble liquids (miscibility gap)
• Contacting and heating of polymer prior to
flash evaporation (water, nitrogen, etc.)

11
Laminar mixing applications www.fluitec.ch

Fluitec melt mixers Fluitec fibre modules

For many years now, static mixers have been used to CSE-X/4 mixer for the man-made fibre industry
homogenise polymer melts, ideally in combination with A homogeneous melt upstream of the spinnerets is one
melt pumps. Reduced pulsations and improved thermal of the key requirements for the production of high qual-
homogeneity are leading to a significantly higher qual- ity man-made fibres. The novel CSE-XC/4 fibre modules
ity of the melt and much higher contouring accuracy of developed to tackle this problem are setting new bench-
the final products. marks in the industry. The new fibre modules combine
high mixing efficiency with a very small pressure drop.
The new Fluitec CSE-XB/4 and CSE-XC/6 melt mixers are Compared to the helical mixers which are traditionally
short, with a length of just 2D to 4D, and have a much used in the manufacture of man-made fibres, the new
smaller pressure drop than conventional melt mixers CSE-X/4 mixing element reduces the pressure drop by
despite their very high mixing efficiency. The extra-rigid around 30 to 40% for the same mixing performance.
design enables high-viscosity polymers to be processed Even with significantly better performance, the pressure
at high throughputs. The compact and rugged construc- drop is still around 15 to 20% smaller. Furthermore, this
tion allows operating pressures of up to 500 bar and mixer reduces possible deposits on the wall areas to a
pressure drops of 100 bar. minimum, so that there is no longer any need for com-
plex soldering. The CSE-X/4 mixer unites a very narrow
The homogeneous melt temperature, constant dis- residence time range with excellent self-cleanability.
charge volume and homogeneous viscosity distribution
which can be achieved using a Fluitec melt mixer are im-
mediately evident. The staining quality is simultaneous-
ly improved, so that the costs for dye are reduced by up
to 25%. Thanks to the homogeneous melt, it is possible
to reduce the melt temperature, leading to further quali-
ty improvements in the extruded product.

Simulation visualising «incorporation of the surface layer» with a CSE-

XC/4 mixer across 4 elements. The diagram clearly shows that most of
the surface layer (red at the mixer inlet) has been renewed after 3D; it has
been completely removed after 4D. The wall area is flushed much more
efficiently with the CSE-XC/4 than with conventional static mixers because
the bars at the tube wall are open.

Melt mixers in sleeve design

Cut views of epoxy resin mixtures produced under comparable condi-

tions. The section on the left is of a CSE-X/8 mixture after L/D = 3. The mid-
dle section was obtained using a helical mixer after six mixing elements
Melt pump with the new CSE-XC/6 melt mixer (L/D = 9.6). The section on the left shows a CSE-XC/4 mixture after L/D = 4.

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www.fluitec.ch Static mixers for turbulent flow

High-tech, energy efficient and affordable The VORTIX and VORTIX-T in-line mixers can be made
from either metal materials or plastic (PP, PE, PVDF or
The Fluitec «Aquamix» and «VORTIX» mixers are now- PVC).
adays standard solutions for use in the turbulent flow
regime.

Static mixers can significantly reduce the time required

for mixing processes when the flow through the tube
is turbulent. Special mixing elements are used here to
form the vortex. Mixing and homogenisation take place
in the downstream mixer tube. Two mixer designs have
become established during the last few years: the Aq-
uamix slide-in mixer for installation in existing tubes
and the VORTIX housing-type mixer, which can be sup-
plied in several different versions and materials (metal
or plastic).

CFD calculation of a VORTIX turbulent mixer

5% blue additive is dosed upstream of an Aquamix (Re = 18000)

Aquamix slide-in mixer

The Aquamix is the latest addition to the slide-in mix-
er family (clamped between two flanges of a pipe). The
CSE-F® and CSE-B® mixers, the Aquamix’s predeces-
sors developed by Fluitec back in 1997 in close cooper-
ation with Zurich University of Applied Sciences, were VORTIX-T made from PP
among the first commercially available static mixers to
be clamped between two flanges in this way. The CSE-F
and CSE-B are only rarely used today, however, because Mixing performance and pressure drop
the Aquamix is more compact, more efficient and above
all cheaper. The Aquamix produces several defined vor- The high mixing performance of the Aquamix and the
texes and therefore mixes rapidly with only a small pres- VORTIX is based on two contrarily rotating vortexes.
sure drop.The mixer can be clamped very easily between These vortexes stretch over the whole cross-sectional
two pipe flanges. With its compact design, the Aquamix area and ensure excellent mixing efficiency. Homoge-
can be used in almost any piping system. neity is normally expressed by the coefficient of varia-
tion (refer to page 5 for an explanation). A coefficient of
variation < 0.05 is assessed as homogeneous. Full per-
VORTIX in-line mixer formance of the mixer is achieved at flow velocities > 0.3
m s-1.
The desire for a static mixer with a low energy consump-
tion and consistently good mixing performance led to In the Aquamix, the additive is dosed before the flange
the development of the VORTIX in-line mixer.Two stand- connection. For low additive concentrations of < 5%, the
ard versions of the VORTIX are available: the compact injection nozzle must be mounted concentrically. Other-
VORTIX with a very small pressure drop and the slightly wise, a normalT-piece can be fitted at a distance of 2 to 5D
longer VORTIX-T for more complex mixing processes. (diameters of the tube) upstream of the mixer.

The additive is introduced into the VORTIX mixer via the

side port. This port is arranged such that the additive is
optimally incorporated throughout the mixer. The injec-

13
Static mixers for turbulent flow www.fluitec.ch

tion nozzle must be precisely adjusted to the amount of

additive in order to achieve optimum mixing results.

σ
10
X
5 Reynolds-Number > 15‘000
Concentration X 0.01 - 0.05
Sample size 0.033 D
Ratio of viscosity < 10
1
0.5
VORTIX
VORTIX-T
Aquamix
0.1
0.05

0.01
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
L
Relative Length
D

Coefficient of variation for a typical turbulent mixture

The representation of the coefficient of variation as a

function of the relative mixing length shows that meas-
uring points such as temperature sensors or pH probes
must be installed at a minimum distance of 10D from the
mixing element.

500

Density = 1000 kg m-3

Viscosity = 1 mPas

Aquamix
VORTIX-T
VORTIX
100
dp (mbar)

50

10
0.5 1 1.5 2 3 4
w (m s-1)
Pressure drop

The Aquamix and VORTIX were developed as static mix-

ers with a small pressure drop, so that the piping can
now be designed for velocities of up to 4 m s-1.

14
www.fluitec.ch Static mixers for turbulent flow

Liquid gasification with unknown here and like kL is itself a function of the mate-
static mixers rial and process-specific parameters. Both parameters
are difficult to quantify in practice, which is why, as the
Mass transfer product, they usually represent the target variable dur-
In liquid gasification processes, the mass transfer is in- ing the mass transfer.
fluenced on the one hand by the system’s coalescence
behaviour and on the other by Henry’s law. Today, it is above all the CSE-X and CSE-V geometries
With static mixers, high gas transfer rates are achieved which are used for dispersion processes and thus for liq-
not only by the concentration gradient, which is normal- uid gasification.
ly fixed, and by intensive contacting of the two phases
but also by the formation of small gas bubbles with a
large specific interfacial area.

Equation 10 

The expression kLa is a combination of two factors:

• kL = mass transfer limiting resistance
due to the liquid film
• a = specific interfacial area (A/V) of the gas
which is introduced

The two-film model

According to the two film model, the much lower mass
transfer resistance in the gas film kG is negligible (refer CSE-V mixing elements
to the diagram below). Henry’s law states that the con-
centration ci of a dissolved gas is proportional to its par- The ideal length of the static mixer depends on the op-
tial pressure pi in the gas phase [equation 13]. This rela- erating pressure, the temperature, the installation posi-
tionship is described using the Henry’s law constant Hi, tion, the phase component of the gas to be dissolved and
which is substance-specific: the desired concentration.

Equation 11  It is determined by means of the following function:

Equation 10 
gas / liquid
interface

gas liquid

pi c*
Hi p*i
Hi

δG δL c(t)

Representation of the concentration gradient around a gas / liquid inter-

face according to the two-film theory and Henry’s law

The gas transfer rate is in direct proportion to the mass

transfer coefficient due to the liquid film kL, the specif-
ic interfacial area a and the concentration difference
Δc = c* - cL. Whereas Δc may be influenced by physical
parameters such as pressure, temperature and con-
centration, the term kLa is a result of the hydrodynam-
ics caused by the reactor used. The term a is generally

15
Food and pharmaceutical industries www.fluitec.ch

Fluitec mixers made of stainless steel or Hastelloy have The following tube fittings can be used together with Flu-
been used throughout the process industry for many itec mixers:
years. Fluitec specialises in high quality mixing ele-
• Dairy fittings acc. to DIN 11851
ments, which is why we are able to meet even the very
high – and highly individual – quality requirements for • Clamp fittings (Tri-clamp)
static mixers in sterile processes or food industry appli-
• BioConnect couplings (Neumo)
cations without any problems.
• BBS couplings
• Aseptic tube connections (Südmo)
High on hygiene, low on maintenance
• Small flange connections acc. to DIN 11850
Fluitec CSE-W, CSE-X and Aquamix mixers destined for
• Other fittings on request
the food and pharmaceutical industries can be manu-
factured with electropolished surfaces and the required
tube fittings, so that they are suitable for use in sterile en- Increased quality requirements
vironments. However, the requirements relating to the
quality of the mixer tend to vary from one application to After selecting the type of connection, the next step is to
another and are influenced by factors like process safe- define the welding method and the surface treatment. A
ty, quality assurance, GMP, CIP / SIP, economic efficien- great many requirements have to be satisfied here. How-
cy, etc. ever, the overarching regulation is the Pressure Equip-
ment Directive (PED) 2014/68/EU.
Since both CSE-W and CSE-X mixers provide excellent
self-cleanability, absolute sterility with no dead spots is The housings can be either orbitally or manually weld-
guaranteed provided the apparatus can be emptied and ed.Thanks to our in-house laser welding line, we are in a
the welds are expertly made. position to weld mixing elements with a diameter of just
4.6 mm.

Both mixing elements and housings can be supplied

with mechanically polished or electropolished surfaces.
Ra < 0.8 mm is the norm for surface roughnesses; finer
surfaces can be achieved using special manufacturing
processes.

We employ 1.4571, 1.4404, 1.4435, 1.4435 BN2 or other

high-alloy materials. The ferrite content, surface rough-
ness and various other parameters can be measured and
documented for quality assurance purposes.

Aquamix for food applications

CSE-X/4 for sterile applications CSE-W mixer (DN10) with electropolished surfaces, a Tri-clamp fitting and
a ferrite content of < 0.5% in the welds

16
www.fluitec.ch Dosing technology

Dosing technology for static mixers Optimised injection nozzle

The dosing technology for static mixers ensures the con- The mixing quality is determined by the position and ge-
trolled and simultaneous incorporation of the additive ometry of the injection nozzle regardless of the flow re-
and main streams into a static mixer. Since static mix- gime. It is generally best to dose the additive concentri-
ers are generally designed with only low back-mixing, cally, directly upstream of the static mixer. If this is not
the components have to be dosed constantly over time. possible, the mixing efficiency of anything between two
and four mixing elements is wasted.
The following aspects must be taken into account when Critical vacuum zones, which firstly result in dead spots
planning a static mixing system: and secondly influence the additive stream, may be cre-
ated depending on the flow. Fluitec has been using tran-
• It must be possible to monitor the additive and main
sient CFD calculations to investigate the injection noz-
streams.
zles for static mixers since 2001.
• The mixing quality is influenced by the position and
geometry of the injection nozzle. The injection nozzle has been optimised in several ways
during this period:
• Pulsations impact on mixing quality and suitable
measures must be implemented to control them. • Concentric dosing of the additive stream
• An efficient cleaning concept is especially important • Fewer dead spots
in static mixing systems.The properties of the fluids to
• Use of the vacuum zone for controlled pre-distribution
be mixed must be considered along with the mixer’s
of the additive streams
installation position.
• Use of additional plates as mechanical protection for
the static mixer

Additives Metering pump

Injection nozzle

Polymer melt

Fluitec LV dosing of polymers

Transient calculation of an injection nozzle Injection nozzle for polymer mixers with mechanical protection against
polymer plugging

17
Fluitec mixing + reaction solutions AG, 8413 Neftenbach Formular 11-90001; Rev. 1

Inquiry data sheet Fluitec Static Mixer

Contact: Inquiry:
Company: Phone: Project / Inquiry-Nr:
Name: Fax: Inquiry requested until:
Street: E-Mail:
ZIP/Town: Country: Only budget quotation: Yes No

Process Data:
Unit: Main stream Side stream 1 Side stream 2 Side stream 3
Name fluid: [-]
Flow minimal: [m3 h-1]
Flow normal: [m3 h-1]
Flow maximal: [m3 h-1]
Density: [kg m-3]
Viscosity: [mPas]
Temperature: [°C]

Classification fluid: 1:gaseous 2:liquid 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

(acc. 2014/68/EU) h:hazardous n:not hazardous h n h n h n h n

Are the fluids mixable? Yes No è Surface tension: mN m-1 Maximal droplet size: mm

Homogeneity as standard deviation in realation to mean value [σ√X]: < %

Maximal allowed pressure drop: bar (Description of the mixture)

Mechanical Data: Notice:

Planned nominal diameter of the pipe DN Different possible: Yes No Standard configuration

Design code: AD2000 ASME

Connections: Flange EN1092 Flange ANSI Thread connection Free tube end

Injection nozzle: No Yes è Flange Thread connection Free tube end

Mixing elements: Not removable Removable Only elements, no housing

Material: 316 L / 316 Ti 304 / 304 L 1.4435 Hastelloy C22

Duplex 2205 904 L PE / PP Carbon steel / PTFE

Mixing pipe: Max. allowed pressure: bar Max. allowed temperature: °C

Heating jacket: No Yes è Max. allowed pressure: bar Max. allowed temperature: °C

Increased Requirements: (for example for food- and pharma-industry)

Surfaces: No specifications Ra<1.6 μm Ra< μm Electropolished

Mixing elements: No specifications Gap free, as possible Edges rounded

Remarks: Documentation: (if required)

Drawing / Parts list List of material certificates

Welding specifications Fabrication control plan

18
www.fluitec.ch Other Fluitec products

Mixing / Heat In-line Reaction

Transfer Technology
Unique mixer / heat exchanger combinations Modular reaction systems from milli to maxi

Systems www.fluitec.ch
DeNOx systems, mixing and dosing systems Further information on our website

19
Switzerland
Fluitec
mixing + reaction solutions AG
Seuzachstrasse 40
CH – 8413 Neftenbach
Switzerland

T + 41 52 305 00 40
F + 41 52 305 00 44

Germany
Fluitec
mixing + reaction solutions AG
Engineering Office Germany
Neue Roßstrasse 17
DE – 10179 Berlin

T + 49-3092-109 670
F + 49-3092-103 505

info@fluitec.ch
www.fluitec.ch

2018