Homogeneous mixture

With any process in the chemical industry or technology industry, we look forward to generating the appropriate interaction between materials so that they will progress through the process according to our purpose.

Our deep understanding of mixing shows us that we could make things homogeneous to generate a homogeneous mixture. And it is clear that this is okay when required. We’ve discussed many times what will happen when generating a homogeneous mixture is not required, but sometimes we confuse ourselves and try to provide a more homogeneous method when the process requires a less homogeneous method. For further reading on this topic, you can read our other articles on this website.

Here, I want to discuss another point of view. What is a homogeneous mixture? Since flow dynamics is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, we need to define what is homogeneous for us. This is critical because understanding the level of homogeneity will generate for us an understanding of the process and will explain the results that we get from our process.

The process can be controlled by mainly two kinds of homogeneous levels. The first is macro homogeneity. Macro homogeneity, from the intuitive point of view, is when we generate fluids elements that move, or structural laminas like those we did in the laminate rating, for instance. These laminas and fluid elements are moving into the tank. If we are able to distribute these eddies homogeneously in the tank, we will reach macro homogeneity, macro mixing time. The macro mixing time is the time required to generate homogeneity in the macro levels. The meaning of this is that ± deviation of 1-5% non-homogeneity will be enough in the entire tool; it is 5% in the mixing software, it is 1% non-homogeneity, but in general it will be the criteria for homogeneity from the macro point of view.

But what happens in the micro point of view—if we go deep into the levels of microns? So, if instead of 1 meter we read 1 micrometer, we will identify that these micrometers may be Material A or Material B, and the AB will be only one material, homogeneous, or two materials. What will be the time required to generate the micro mixing inside these ABs? This time to generate homogeneity is considered the micro mixing time and is a function of the physical properties of the medium, density, and viscosity, as well as the energy we provide to generate the size of the AB. And inside the size of the AB, we progress with the molecular diffusivity that we’re talking about. So, the size of the AB is a function of the energy that we’re generating and the micro mixing time required to generate homogeneity in the level of microns.

So, what is homogeneous? Now, this is a good question, the answer to which depends on what the process is. If the process is a very fast reaction, of course we need to go deeply into the micro mixing; we need to generate a smaller, high energy. And we need to be aware that for every reaction or for every interaction, the mechanism to put one material in front the other one is coming through the flow, through the generation of these very small fluid elements. This will always happen. So, we have no capability to have a pure chemical kinetic because we always need to put one material close to the other. And the fluid mechanics is not controlling the connection at the molecular level. It is not in micrometers; rather, we’re talking about angstroms. We’re talking about some other lesser order of magnitude, and of course, it is not the description of the flow that we’re able to generate in any mixing process. This concept is so important, and we will now be releasing a model that explains the behavior of the reactions that happen under the mixing connection between the materials. The model is VisiMix-Care and explains exactly the point that we will always have an influence of the flow. The flow may be so efficient in comparison to the velocity of the reaction that it becomes irrelevant, but we need to detect it and consider that it is always happening. According to physics, moving materials in space will take time. The question is, What is the realistic time and realistic time comparison with the process time, chemical reaction time, dissolution time, and transfer between two measures of time? This is the point that should be clear to us in our mission as the company: that we provide management with our point of view about the influence of equipment—of the flow in process results.