A novel mixing device (Soft Elastic Reactor – SER) that induces mixing by vibration of the tank wall is presented and characterized using dimensional analysis. This type of mixing system, which does not have an agitator inside the tank, is interesting for specific mixing applications, although it is still seldom used due to the lack of knowledge about how it works. First, the set of dimensionless numbers governing the mixing time of the SER was established. Then, the shapes of mixing curves and the onset of different mixing regimes as a function of the fluid property (i.e., viscosity) and operating conditions (i.e., penetration depth and vibration frequency) were experimentally obtained. Results showed that a constant number of beatings is required to achieve the desired degree of homogeneity under a laminar regime, while a sharp decrease in the number of strikes can be observed when the laminar regime is over. The shape of the mixing curves for the SER was compared to those of conventional mixers in which agitation is ensured by the revolution around a vertical axis of a centered agitator. Similarities between the mixing curves are discussed: it appears that regardless of the mixer type, the key parameter governing the desired degree of homogeneity is the number of excitation cycles, i.e., either the number of agitator revolutions for classical mixers or the number of strikes for the SER.

中文翻译：

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新型软弹性反应器内液体的均质化：通过尺寸分析揭示混合行为

介绍了一种通过罐壁振动引起混合的新型混合装置（软弹性反应器 - SER），并使用尺寸分析对其进行了表征。这种在罐内没有搅拌器的混合系统对于特定的混合应用很有趣，尽管由于缺乏对其工作原理的了解，它仍然很少使用。首先，建立了控制 SER 混合时间的一组无量纲数。然后，通过实验获得混合曲线的形状和作为流体性质（即粘度）和操作条件（即渗透深度和振动频率）的函数的不同混合方案的开始。结果表明，在层流状态下，需要恒定次数的拍打才能达到所需的均匀度，而当层流状态结束时，可以观察到撞击次数急剧减少。SER 的混合曲线形状与传统混合器的形状进行了比较，在传统混合器中，通过围绕中心搅拌器的垂直轴旋转来确保搅拌。讨论了混合曲线之间的相似性：似乎无论混合器类型如何，控制所需均匀度的关键参数是激发周期数，即经典混合器的搅拌器转数或撞击次数SER。