Editing Mixing (process engineering) (section)

==Laboratory mixing==
[[File:Magnetic Stirrer.JPG|200px|left|thumb|A magnetic stirrer]]
At a laboratory scale, mixing is achieved by [[magnetic stirrer]]s or by simple hand-shaking. Sometimes mixing in laboratory vessels is more thorough and occurs faster than is possible industrially. Magnetic stir bars are radial-flow mixers that induce [[rigid body|solid body rotation]] in the fluid being mixed. This is acceptable on a small scale, since the vessels are small and mixing therefore occurs rapidly (short blend time). A variety of stir bar configurations exist, but because of the small size and (typically) low viscosity of the fluid, it is possible to use one configuration for nearly all mixing tasks. The cylindrical stir bar can be used for suspension of solids, as seen in [[iodometry]], deagglomeration (useful for preparation of microbiology [[growth medium]] from powders), and liquid–liquid blending. Another peculiarity of laboratory mixing is that the mixer rests on the bottom of the vessel instead of being suspended near the center. Furthermore, the vessels used for laboratory mixing are typically more widely varied than those used for industrial mixing; for instance, [[Erlenmeyer flask]]s, or [[Florence flask]]s may be used in addition to the more cylindrical [[beaker (glassware)|beaker]].{{Cn|date=March 2025}}