FlexMixer Next Generation Disposable Mixing System

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FlexMixerNext Generation Disposable Mixing
System

• By ILC Dover

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ILC Dover Overview

• You may not know ILC, but youve almost certainly
  seen our work
• Weve made all of NASAs space suits since
  project Apollo and are deeply involved in space
  exploration initiatives today.
• The airbags used to cushion the rover landings on
  Mars were all designed and manufactured by us.
• Weve made well over 1 million gas masks for the
  US Army.
• Almost all the airships/blimps you see at major
  sporting events are ours.

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PRODUCT LINES
Over 57 Years of Design Manufacturing Experience
Space
Lighter-Than-Air
Personal Protection
Medical
Engineered Inflatables
Pharmaceutical
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FlexMixerTM

• System consists of a disposable bellows and an
  electro-mechanical actuator.
• An integral perforated diaphragm in the mixing
  bellows is moved up and down by a simple low-cost
  external non-invasive mechanism to provide
  reliable, efficient, and complete mixing.

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FlexMixer Fluid Flow
Septum movingdown
Fluid jets
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Septum movingup
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A Better Approach
FlexMixers unique translating septum produces
flow jets that eliminate dead zones associated
with traditional tank mixing
FlexMixer flow profiles as septum translates
through vessel
Particle distribution and fluid velocity in
stirred vessels experimental results and
CFD-simulationsAngst, R. (1) Kraume, M. (1)
Ritter, J.
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Disposable Vessel Design
Interface can support contained powder addition
Designed to support sensor probes
Vessel molded from LLDPE monolithic structure USP
Class VI compliant film Currently tested for
500,000 cycles testing still in process
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Initial Mixing Trials
1 M NaCl Solution _at_16C (53 liters)


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90
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Conductivity,
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0.0
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Time, min
Aggressive Mixing
Gentle Stirring
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Viscous Mixing
1.5 CMC Solution
8k cpoise
24 Liters
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Conductivity,
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Time, min
3.5 l Salt Soln Add
4/7/04
4.5" strk, 110 spm
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Empirical Data/Modeling
Laser anemometry used to determine velocity
profiles, strain rates, and vorticity.
Subsequently used to validate computational fluid
dynamic (CFD) models
Laser Anemometry
CFD Contour
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CFD Mixing Analysis

• CFD employed to optimize septum geometry and
  mixing efficiency

Diaphragm near bottom moving down
Diaphragm near top moving up
Diaphragm at midpoint moving down
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Applications

• Viscous solutions
• Mixes via convective mixing
• All fluid passes through mixing septum
• Return stroke in opposite direction
• Provides frequent blending/folding required to
  mix viscous solutions
• Powder hydration
• Shear zones carried throughout vessel
• Jets come in contact with powder at top and
  bottom of vessel
• Septum can be programmed to rise above liquid
  surface and pull powder into the liquid
• Suspensions
• Jets lift particles off the bottom and easily
  maintains them in solution
• Foaming solutions
• Potential to eliminate head over liquid can
  eliminate foaming
• Conversely head can be maintained to provide
  effective gas-liquid transfer

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Product Benefits

• Delivers Processing Capability Not Available
  Today
• Extremely Fast, Complete Mixing
• Effectively Mixes Wide Range of Viscosities and
  Densities
• 1 to 400,000 Centipoise
• Eliminates Need for Cleaning/Sterilization
• Saving Valuable Time and Money
• No Internal Impeller or Actuator
• Scalable to Fit Process Needs
• 20 liter to 10,000 liter vessel volumes (10 liter
  to 5,000 liter working volumes)

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Summary

• Next generation mixing system
• Disposable bellows delivers high performance
  mixing for a broad range of challenges
• Hard to wet powder to liquid mixing
• Viscous solutions
• Design offers potential to be a processing
  platform

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Looking for More Info?
View a video of the product in action at
www.ilcdover.com Contact info Doug
Durney E-mail durned_at_ilcdover.com Phone
302-335-3911 x260