Method and statistical micromixer for mixing at least two liquids

• US 20040125689A1
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Institute für Mikrotechnik Mainz GmbH
• Original Assignee: Institute für Mikrotechnik Mainz GmbH
• Inventors: Ehrfeld, Wolfgang, Hardt, Steffen
• Application Number:
  US10/476,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125689A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/165.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2025/914 Tangential flow, i.e. flow spiraling in a tangential direction in a flat plane or belt-like area
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/30 Injector mixers mixing by creating vortex flow B01F25/10
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3011 using a sheathing stream of a fluid surrounding a central stream of a different fluid, e.g. for reducing the cross-section of the central stream or to produce droplets from the central stream
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3012 Interdigital streams, e.g. lamellae
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3017 Mixing chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3039 with mixing achieved by diffusion between layers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/304 the mixing being performed in a mixing chamber where the products are brought into contact
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3045 using turbulence on microscale
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0093 Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00783 Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00889 Mixing micromixers B01F33/30

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for mixing at least two fluids, wherein the fluids are introduced as adjacent fluid lamellae into a swirl chamber, forming a fluid spiral flowing inward. Removal of the resulting mixture is carried out from the center of the fluid spiral. The static micromixer has a mixing chamber in the form of a swirl chamber (6), in which the inlet channels (15a, b, 16a, b) discharge in such a way that the fluid lamellae enter in the form of fluid jets forming a fluid spiral (50) flowing inward. At least one outlet (25) is fluidically connected to the swirl chamber (6) for removing the resulting mixture.

Claims

1. Method for mixing at least two fluids comprising the following steps:

Introducing the fluids as adjacent fluid lamellae into a swirl chamber while forming an inwardly flowing fluid spiral,

Discharging the resulting mixture from the center of the fluid spiral.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the fluids are each introduced separately into the swirl chamber as individual fluid lamellae in one plane.

3. Method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the fluids are each introduced separately into the swirl chamber as individual fluid lamellae in a plurality of planes.

4. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one fluid is introduced into the swirl chamber as at least two fluid lamellae.

5. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two fluids, respectively, are introduced into the swirl chamber as at least two fluid lamellae spatially alternating such that alternate adjacent fluid lamellae of the two fluids are formed in the fluid spiral.

6. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the swirl chamber in the one or more planes of the fluid spirals being formed has a substantially round or oval shape.

7. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an additional fluid, e.g. an additional fluid containing an agent that stabilizes the mixture, is introduced into the fluids or into the swirl chamber.

8. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluids are focused prior to being introduced into the swirl chamber.

9. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluids are introduced into the swirl chamber as fluid lamellae at an acute angle or preferably tangentially.

22. Use of the method and/or the static micromixer as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims for reacting at least two substances, wherein both substances are contained in an introduced fluid or a first substance is contained in a first fluid and a second substance in an additional introduced fluid.

23. Use of the method and/or the static micromixer as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims for producing a gas/liquid dispersion, wherein at least one introduced fluid contains a gas or a gas mixture and at least one additional introduced fluid contains a liquid, a liquid mixture, a solution, a dispersion or an emulsion.

10. Static micromixer for mixing at least two fluids having at least two inlet channels for separately introducing the fluids as fluid lamellae and having a mixing chamber into which the inlet channels discharge,

characterized in that

the mixing chamber is a swirl chamber (6) into which the inlet channels (15a, b, 16a, b) discharge such that the fluid lamellae enter as fluid jets while forming an inwardly flowing fluid spiral (50), and at least one outlet (25) is fluidically connected with the swirl chamber (6) for removing the resulting mixture.

11. Static micromixer as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that at least two inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and/or (16a, 16b, . . . ) arranged around the swirl chamber (6) in one plane are provided for introducing the fluids.

12. Static micromixer as claimed in claim 10 to 11, characterized in that the inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and (16a, 16b, . . . ) and/or the swirl chamber (6) have the same depth.

13. Static micromixer as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that at least two inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and/or (16a, 16b, . . . ) arranged around the swirl chamber (6) in different planes are provided for introducing the fluids.

14. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the swirl chamber (6) has a substantially round or oval cross section in one or more planes.

15. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the swirl chamber (6) has a substantially cylindrical form.

16. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and/or (16a, 16b, . . . ) have a cross section tapering in the direction of the swirl chamber (6).

17. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that one or more outlets (25) discharge below and/or above a central area of the swirl chamber (6).

18. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that one or more inlet channels for introducing an additional fluid, e.g. a fluid containing an agent that stabilizes the mixture, discharge into the inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and/or (16a, 16b, . . . ) or into the swirl chamber (6).

19. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that the inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and/or (16a, 16b, . . . ) discharge into the swirl chamber (6) at an acute angle or preferably tangentially.

20. Static micromixer as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 19, characterized in that the fluid guide structures, such as the inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and (16a, 16b, . . . ), the swirl chamber (6) and the inlets (23, 23′

, 24, 24′

) are recesses and/or openings formed in plates (26, 29, 20) which are made of a material that is sufficiently inert to the fluids to be mixed, and these open structures are sealed by stacking these plates (26, 29, 20) and by at least one cover plate and/or bottom plate (21, 22) connected with the plate stack to form a fluid-tight seal, wherein the cover plate (21) and/or the bottom plate (22) have at least one inlet (23, 24) for the two fluids and/or at least one outlet (25) for the resulting mixture.

21. Static micromixer as claimed in claim 20, characterized by a perforated plate (29), which is arranged between a mixing plate (20) having inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and (16a, 16b, . . . ) as well as a swirl chamber (6) and a distributor plate (26) and is connected therewith so as to be fluid-tight for separately introducing the fluids from the at least one inlet (23′

, 24′

) in the distributor plate (26) via holes (27a, 27b, . . . , 28a, 28b) provided in the perforated plate (29) into the inlet channels (15a, 15b, . . . ) and/or (16a, 16b, . . . ) in the mixing plate (20).