Books

Handbook of Industrial Mixing, pipeline mixing (including static mixers), rotor-stator mixers,
mechanical aspects of mixing and the role of the mixing
Science and Practice equipment vendor. Specialized equipment for powder blend-
E. L. Paul, V. A. Atiemo-Obeng and S. M. Kresta, Editors,
ing, pulp and paper, petroleum industry and high-viscosity
John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 1,377 pp., $160.00, 2003
mixing are discussed in the respective applications chapters.
Sponsored by the North American
The core mixing design topics of miscible liquid blend-
Mixing Forum (NAMF), the aim
ing, solid/liquid suspension, gas/liquid contacting,
of this Handbook is to provide
liquid/liquid mixing, mixing and chemical reaction, as well
mixing practitioners with a sum-
as heat transfer and mixing, are each covered in detail in one
mary of the current state of mixing
or more dedicated chapters. Liquid blending (which
knowledge, both in terms of funda-
involves mutually soluble streams) in pipeline systems,
mentals and from the perspective
stirred tanks and jet mixed tanks is also discussed in detail.
of industrial practice and experi-
The challenging non-Newtonian and laminar blending areas
ence. It has been written for the
are also covered in-line and in-tank. The solid/liquid suspen-
practicing engineer who needs to
sion chapters include design guidelines for off-bottom sus-
both identify and solve mixing
pension, achieving and maintaining uniform solids
problems. The Handbook compris-
concentration, mass transfer correlations for solids dissolu-
es a compilation of the experience
tion, maintaining discharge slurry composition and avoiding
and findings of industrialists and academics who have, over
nozzle plugging during drainage. The gas/liquid mixing
the last 30 years, been instrumental in the development of
chapter addresses the key objective of maximizing surface
mixing as a discipline. As well as describing the state-of-
area for mass transfer through effective dispersion.
the-art on traditional mixing topics, the Handbook presents
Liquid/liquid mixing is arguably the most difficult and least
methods for recognition of complex mixing problems and
understood mixing problem; its current state-of-art is dis-
alternative mixing designs for critical applications.
cussed with important guidelines emerging. The chapters on
Particular focus is on the scale-up of processes.
mixing and chemical reaction discuss in detail the effects of
The motivation for the Handbook and for the research
scaling-up mixing-sensitive reactions. Design correlations
efforts that it documents are revealed by the following eco-
for stirred-tank heat-transfer coefficients and key heat-trans-
nomic estimates. In 1989, the cost of poor mixing in the
fer concepts are provided in a specific chapter.
U.S. chemical industry was estimated at $1–$10 billion.
The section of the Handbook on industrial applications
Costs of poor mixing in the pharmaceutical industry due to
features chapters on solid/solid mixing fundamentals and
low yield, scale-up, process development and lost opportu-
practice, mixing of highly viscous fluids, polymers and
nity amount to $ 0.5–$1 billion/yr. Therefore, time spent
pastes, mixing in the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals
improving the understanding of mixing and mixing equip-
industries, mixing in the fermentation and cell culture
ment design is potentially profitable.
industries, mixing in the petroleum industry, and mixing in
The Handbook is designed as a reference work, rather
the pulp and paper industries. The special requirements of
than one that should be read from beginning to end. In
mixing in water, wastewater and food industries are not
order to achieve this, it is well structured with copious
explicitly described in the Handbook.
cross-referencing and comprehensive references for sup-
The accompanying CD-ROM, Visual Mixing, assists in
porting literature at the close of each chapter. The
understanding specific mixing issues by using video clips of
Handbook is generally well written and easy to read, hav-
lab experiments or CFD simulations. The most informative
ing been written for the engineer new to mixing, rather than
sections cover circulation in a stirred tank, liquid blending,
the cognoscenti. Many calculation examples are given.
solids suspension and distribution, and droplet break-up.
The Handbook is divided into three broad sections —
In summary, effective mixing is of vital importance in
fundamentals, design and applications. The chapters on
a great many industrial processes. Getting the mixing
fundamental topics should be understood to address diffi-
right impacts the bottom line. This Handbook is the most
cult mixing problems. Three fundamental chapters cover
comprehensive, definitive and up-to-date treatise on
residence-time-distribution theory and modeling, turbulent
industrial mixing available anywhere. It is well written,
mixing theory and laminar mixing theory. Turbulent mix-
structured, illustrated and referenced. My colleagues and I
ing theory is concerned with the range of length and time
at BHR, have already found the Handbook to be our most
scales in the flow and the distribution of energy dissipation.
frequently used mixing reference. It is a “must buy” for
The principal tools used to investigate mixing problems are
all engineers whose work regularly involves mixing or
described in chapters on laboratory mixing experiments
mixing-related problems.
and computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Dr. Michael Dawson,
Design of the wide range of mixing equipment now avail-
BHR Group Ltd., Cranfield, Bedford, U.K.
able is described in chapters on traditional stirred tanks
mdawson@bhrgroup.co.uk
(including baffling, impellers, internals and configurations),

CEP August 2004 www.cepmagazine.org 47