Fluid mixing apparatus

A fluid mixing apparatus for mixing a first fluid and a second fluid while passing the two fluids therethrough, the fluid mixing apparatus comprising:

• a flow passage for passing the first fluid therethrough;
• a swirl-generating stator including a plurality of vanes radially placed around a central axis in the flow passage for the first fluid such that a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of vanes is transverse to the first fluid flow and a radially outer end of at least one of the plurality of vanes is fixed to a wall of the flow passage for the first fluid, the wall being a surface of the flow passage aligned essentially parallel to the central axis of the flow passage, the swirl-generating stator being arranged to cause the passing first fluid as a whole to swirl in a circumferential direction around the central axis of the flow passage for the first fluid;
• a plurality of openings formed on the wall of the flow passage for the first fluid, the plurality of openings being positioned at flow delamination areas of the first fluid formed along downstream surfaces of the swirl-generating stator when the first fluid passes through the swirl-generating stator;
• and
• a second fluid supplying means for supplying the second fluid to the flow delamination areas of the first fluid through the plurality of openings,
• wherein a virtual plane perpendicular to a radial direction of one of the radially placed vanes includes
• a first point, the first point being defined where a line defined by an upstream surface of the vane intersects a line perpendicular to the central axis direction which includes a point at the most downstream position in the central axis direction of a downstream surface of the vane,
• a second point located a most upstream position in the central axis direction of the upstream surface of the vane,
• a third point, the third point being defined where a line in the central axis direction from the second point intersects a line in a swirl direction perpendicular to the central axis direction from the first point, and
• a fourth point, the fourth point being defined by where a line in the central axis direction from the first point intersects a line from the third point in a direction parallel to the line defined by the upstream surface of the vane, and
• wherein the flow delamination area is the area defined by the first, second third and fourth points, the point at the most downstream position in the central axis direction of the downstream surface of the vane, and the downstream surface of the vane.