Mixing Systems for Single‐Use

• Published in: Single‐Use Technology in Biopharmaceutical Manufacture pp. 25 - 35
• Main Authors: Werner, Sören, Kraume, Matthias, Eibl, Dieter
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 05.08.2019
• Subjects: biopharmaceuticals; mixing time; mixture quality; power input; residence time distribution; Reynolds number; single‐use bag mixing systems
• ISBN: 1119477832; 9781119477839
• DOI: 10.1002/9781119477891.ch3

This chapter provides a brief introduction to the main engineering aspects of mixing processes and discusses the application of mixing in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals. It also categorizes single‐use bag mixing systems and discusses the design features, working principles, advantages, limitations, and potential applications of commercially available, single‐use bag mixers. The process of mixing constitutes the distribution of solid or fluid elements in a volume in which these elements differ in at least one property. The aim of mixing is the realization of a specific mixing degree and the production of an intermediate or end product. Mixing processes are generally described by statistical parameters such as mixture quality, mixing time, and residence time distribution. Furthermore, the dimensionless Reynolds number and the specific power input are important parameters in determining mixing efficiency. All these parameters are also used for scaling‐up and scaling‐down of mixing processes.