Mixing through oscillations and pulsations - A guide to achieving process enhancements in the chemical and process industries

In this article we review the concepts and key developments of mixing enhancement through pulsation and oscillation. We focus on more recent research using oscillations in baffled tubes or columns, which generate discrete vortices as distinct from the more random type of flow produced by the well-established pulsed plate and reciprocating plate column devices. The scope of this review ranges from the basic chemical engineering concepts and key findings from recent research projects, including heat/mass transfer and residence time distribution (RTD); to applications and case studies involving specific reactions, e.g. polymerization and process intensification. We hope that this review will enable the reader to identify additional potential and perhaps an unexpectedly wide range of applications for the oscillatory baffled flow technology.