3D FINITE-ELEMENT SIMULATION OF FLUID-FLOW THROUGH A SMX STATIC MIXER

Static mixers do not need an introduction anymore since they now cover a wide range of industrial applications. However, despite these numer ous uses, the principle of action or in simple words, the way they wor k, is still to demonstrate. This paper presents an example of useful i nformation that can be extracted from simulations results. It is also discussed why local values of power and shear at various points in the mixer are the only true useful information in the understanding of a mixer's performance. It is then concluded that computational fluid dyn amics software will tend to become essential for this investigation si nce experiments can hardly provide precise and versatile means of loca l measurements with such complex geometries as the ones povided by sta tic mixers. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.