Fluid mixer with rotating baffles

Claim 1

A FLUID MIXING APPARATUS COMPRISING: AN AXIALLY ELONGATED VESSEL, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE, AXIALLY SPACED ANNULAR STATOR BAFFLES FIXED WITHIN SAID VESSEL, HAVING OPPOSED FACES AND CENTRAL OPENINGS, AND DEFINING A SERIES OF COMPARTMENTS WHICH ARE IN CONSECUTIVE COMMUNICATION THROUGH SAID OPENINGS, MEANS FOR ADMITTING A FLUID TO THE VESSEL AT ONE END OF THE SERIES AND FOR DISCHARGING THE FLUID AT THE OTHER END OF THE SERIES, AND A ROTOR INCLUDING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENINGS WITH AMPLE RADIAL CLEARANCES WITH RESPECT TO THE STATOR BAFFLES FOR THE FREE PASSAGE OF FLUID THROUGH SAID OPENINGS AND CARRYING FAST FOR ROTATION THEREWITH A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY FLAT ROTOR BAFFLES, EACH ROTOR BAFFLE BEING SITUATED ALONE IN ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS IN AXIALLY SPACED RELATION TO THE STATOR BAFFLES, OPPOSITE FACES OF THE ROTOR BAFFLES BEING IN PROXIMITY TO THE FACES OF ADJACENT STATOR BAFFLES AND COOPERATING THEREWITH TO FORM MIXING ZONES, SAID ROTOR BAFFLES BEING ARRANGED IN PAIRS IN ADJOINING COMPARTMENTS, THE BAFFLES OF THE SAME PAIR BEING DISPLACED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM THE MIDPOINTS WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPARTMENTS, WHEREBY THE AXIAL INTERVALS BETWEEN SAID ROTOR BAFFLES AND THE STATOR BAFFLES ARE VARIED RECURRENTLY, TO INTERPOSE A MIXING ZONE HAVING LOW MIXING INTENSITY BETWEEN MIXING ZONES HAVING HIGH MIXING INTENSITIES, THEREBY LIMITING BACK-MIXING.