Isolated mixing regions and mixing enhancement in a high-viscosity laminar stirred tank

Laminar mixing in the stirred tank is widely encountered in chemical and biological industries.Isolated mixing regions(IMRs)usually exist when the fluid medium has high viscosity,which are not conducive to mixing.In this work,the researches on IMRs,enhancement of laminar mixing and the phenomenon of particle clustering within IMRs are reviewed.For most studies,the aim is to destroy IMRs and improve the chaotic mixing.To this end,the mechanism of chaotic mixing and the structure of IMRs were well investigated.The methods developed to destroy IMRs include off-centered agitation,dynamic mixing protocol,special designs of impellers,baffles,etc.In addition,the methods to characterize the shape and size of IMRs as well as mixing effect by experiments and simulations are summarized.However,IMRs are not always nuisance,and it may be necessary in some situations.Finally,the present engineering applications are summarized,and the prospect of the future application is predicted.For example,particle clustering will form in the co-existing system of chaotic mixing and IMRs,which can be used for solid–liquid separation and recovery of particles from high viscosity fluid.