The Influence of Cam Geometry and Operating Conditions on Chaotic Mixing of Viscous Fluids in a Twin Cam Mixer

Smooth particle hydrodynamica (SPH) simulations were used to better understand the mixing performance of a class of two-dimensional Twin Cam mixers. The chaotic manifolds of the flow are used to describe the mixing and to identify isolated regions. For an equilateral triangle cam geometry, a figure-eight manifold structure traps a layer of fluid against the cam boundaries. Changes in the differential rotation and phase offsets between the cams results in modest improvements in the mixing rate across the manifold barrier. Reducing the apex angle of the triangle changes the manifold structure and allows the trapped layer of fluid to mix more effectively with the rest of the domain. This article shows that examining the chaotic manifolds within a typical industrial mixer can provide valuable insight into both the transient and long-term mixing processes, leading to a more focused exploration of possible mixer configurations and to practical improvements in mixing efficiency. (C) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 57: 581-598, 2011