(739b) North American Mixing Forum Award Lecture: Integrating Process Engineering, Mixing and Equipment Design

One definition of mixing is the application of mechanical energy to produce a fluid dynamic effect which achieves a desired process result. In engineering a processing system (i.e. a vessel with mixing) other aspects of the system govern the nature of the input energy in achieving the objective. The fluid dynamics are changed by the internal vessel geometry, baffling, location of the feeds/outlets and other factors that influence the design. Other energy inputs such as the momentum in a liquid feed, gas/vapor feed or the evolution of vapor create other effects. The presence of solids and other phases can dampen the fluid dynamic effect. This paper will explore the integration of these factors, the mixing equipment design as well as other process constraints to process engineer and create a complete system for various process functions such as reactors, crystallizers, etc.