Toroidal drag-ring fluid mixing control system
OwnerShannon Burl Burchettinventor
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Abstract
A toroidal drag-ring fluid mixing system is disclosed for mixing viscous or particulate fluids within bounded containers across diverse chemical, diagnostic, and material formulations. The toroidal drag-ring is dimensioned relative to container geometry and, in some embodiments, fluid properties including density and viscosity, such that agitation induces repeatable and statistically reproducible boundary-layer separation and separation-induced shear turbulence within the container. The annular geometry promotes vortex shedding and chaotic advection to disrupt laminar dead-zones and resuspend settled particulates, while maintaining a substantially continuous exterior free of fluid-retaining cavities to avoid obstruction of internal valves or dip-tubes.
Claims22
A fluid mixing system comprising:
- a bounded container configured to contain a fluid;
- and a rigid toroidal drag-ring configured to move freely within the bounded container during agitation, the toroidal drag-ring comprising an annular body defining a central opening, wherein the toroidal drag-ring has a non-streamlined annular cross-section including a separation-inducing surface region positioned circumferentially about the annular body to initiate boundary-layer separation at a predetermined circumferential location relative to a direction of motion of the toroidal drag-ring during agitation, wherein movement of the toroidal drag-ring through the fluid produces interacting inner-circumference and outer-circumference shear layers that generate separation-induced shear turbulence, wherein the resulting wake structures form a spatially bounded wake envelope that remains confined within the bounded container and repeatedly interacts with container boundaries over successive agitation cycles, wherein the wake envelope is maintained by the annular geometry and separation-inducing surface region of the toroidal drag-ring rather than by surface roughness or bulk fluid displacement alone, and wherein fluid is permitted to pass through the central opening of the toroidal drag-ring to interact with downstream wake structures.
A rigid toroidal drag-ring for fluid agitation, the rigidity including semi-rigid or composite structures maintaining functional geometry under agitation, comprising:
- an annular body having a closed centerline and a continuous exterior surface substantially free of fluid-retaining cavities, the annular body being structurally rigid under agitation-induced loads and configured to promote boundary-layer separation and shear turbulence when moving through viscous fluid.
A method of mixing viscous fluid within a bounded container, comprising:
- agitating a container enclosing viscous fluid and a freely mobile rigid toroidal drag-ring, such that movement of the toroidal drag-ring through the fluid induces boundary-layer separation and separation-induced shear turbulence that disrupts laminar flow regions and resuspends settled particulates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.