Patent ID: 6848823

Claim:
A method of mixing fluid comprising: isolating a fluid to be mixed in a container; providing a mixing structure comprising a shaft, a support mounted to said shaft for rotation therewith, said shaft extending along an axis, a number of vanes mounted for rotation with said support and extending outwardly from said support, said vanes having a length and a width, said length greater than said width, said vanes having an inner edge and an outer edge, said vanes having a top end and a bottom end, said top ends of said vanes arranged in a generally circular configuration and said bottom ends of said vanes arranged in a generally circular configuration, said vanes generally defining at least a portion of an interior area of said mixing device, at least a portion of said inner edges of said vanes along the lengths thereof generally facing inwardly towards said axis, said vanes spaced apart from one another and defining openings there between through which fluid may flow, at least a portion of one or more of said openings generally radially aligned with said axis; connecting said shaft to a rotary drive device; positioning said structure in said container containing fluid to be mixed; rotating said mixing structure within said fluid within said container by rotating said shaft with said rotary drive device; drawing fluid from an area exterior to said mixing structure into said interior area of said mixing structure; moving fluid drawn into said interior area towards said inner edges of said vanes at a high velocity; expelling said fluid from said interior area of said mixing structure to said area exterior thereof through said vanes; shearing said fluid as it impacts said inner edges of said vanes and passes through said openings between said vanes, dispersing particles which may be present in said fluid.