Patent ID: 7621670

Claim:
A fluid mixer, comprising: a flow-interrupting plug having a plurality of holes formed therethrough wherein a remaining portion is closed to fluid flow therethrough, said plug adapted to be fitted in a conduit supporting a fluid flow, said plug extending across a transverse portion of the conduit and sequentially defining, in terms of a direction of said fluid flow, (i) an inlet face, (ii) a plug body, and (iii) an outlet face, said inlet face defining a central circular region and a ring-shaped region surrounding said central circular region, said ring-shaped region including at least some of said remaining portion so-closed to fluid flow, said remaining portion at each radius R of ring shaped region satisfying a radius independent, flow-based relationship A R =a/ ( X R V R b ) where A R is a sum of areas of said remaining portion centered at said radius R, X R is a flow coefficient at said radius R that is equal to (ρK) R where ρ R is a density of a fluid that could flow through the conduit at said radius R and K R is a flow correction factor associated with the fluid that could flow through the conduit at said radius R, V R is a velocity of the fluid that could flow through the conduit at said radius R, b is a constant selected to make at least one process variable, associated with the fluid that is to flow through the conduit, approximately equal at each said radius R, and a is a constant that is equal to (X R A R V R b ) at each said radius R; and a plurality of entry openings defined in said inlet face in correspondence with said plurality of holes, said entry openings defining an open flow area at each said radius R of said ring-shaped region defined as A′ R , wherein A′ R =A Pipe −A R , where A Pipe is the cross-sectional area of the conduit at said plug, wherein, for each of said entry openings at each said radius R where R<M, said open flow area at radius R is greater than that at a radius R Smaller where R Smaller <R, and wherein, for each of said entry openings at each said radius R where R>M, said open flow area at radius R is less than that at a radius R Larger where R Larger >R, and where M is a radius in the range of approximately (0.4)R Pipe to (0.97)R Pipe where R Pipe is the radius of the conduit.