Process Intensification with Static Mixers

Static mixers have become established throughout the chemical process industries in numerous operations, including blending, phase contacting, chemical reaction, and heat transfer.  Their low cost, small size, and lack of moving parts, as well as other performance characteristics, make their use advantageous in many instances.  Over time, numerous designs have been developed to provide enhanced performance in a widening array of applications, such that static mixers should be routinely considered for process intensification of mixing-sensitive operations. This article explains how static mixers work, describes various types of static mixing elements, and discusses how static mixers can be used in laminar- and turbulent-flow applications.