When a turbine agitator is rotating in a circular mixing tank without baffles, the result is more one of stirring, not truly mixing. The volume in the tank will swirl around and around vigerously, but there may not be much of an exchange from top to bottom in the vessel. To make matters worse, you will likely see the formation fo a vortex, potentially drawing unwanted air into your product.

With the addition fo baffles the motion in the vessel is converted from horizontal rotation to a vertical pumping flow regime, with vigorous exchange from top to bottom of the tank.

When Are Baffles Required?

•With vertical, on center mixer mounting mixing low viscosity fluids where the Reynolds number is in the turbulent range

•Any time you are suspending solids

When Are Baffles Not Necessary?

•When your fluid is highly viscous

Are There Alternatives to Baffles?

Yes. As seen in the video below, off center vertical mounting eliminates swirling and provides better top to bottom exchange. Off center angle mounting may approach the efficiency of baffled tank mixing, but also may call for a more robust mixer design.

How Do I Know How Many and What Size Baffles Are Required?

When we design your mixer for quotation we will include the recommended number of baffles and the size and number of mounting points required.

Typically three baffles are sufficient but some applications may require four.