In this issue of Chemical Engineering and Technology, selected papers are published that were presented at the 11 th Conference on Mixing held in Bamberg, Germany on October 15Β±18, 2003. The European Mixing Conferences, organized by the Working Party on Mixing of the European Federation of Chemical Engineers (EFCE), are held every three years which has proven to be a suitable time frame to obtain new results and to reflect new demands and trends in mixing. The conferences circulate from country to country and are organized by the national representatives of the Working Group. The next conference will take place in Italy in 2006.
The aim of the European Conference on Mixing is to bring together scientists and engineers working in the field of fluid mixing and multiphase contacting processes carried out in stirred vessels and static mixers. Although by covering all classical fields of mixing problems the frame of the conference is a rather traditional one, due to the need for a more detailed insight into flow phenomena and processes and for improved design and operation methods a strong development in mixing research still takes place. Since the first meeting in 1974, the conferences have turned out to be an excellent centre for disseminating the advances of scientific work in the field of mixing and their application in process industries. They also represent a platform for discussion and a meeting point for researchers and people involved in mixing not only from Europe.
The selection of papers in this issue is based on an extended refereeing process. All 9 sections of the conference are represented by at least one paper. In a plenary discussion, trends and further needs in mixing R&D were discussed between representatives from industrial appliers, mixing companies, and universities. The viewpoints of these representatives and the results of that discussion are presented, too.
The chairman of the Working Party on Mixing Prof. Pavel Ditl (Czech Technical University Prague) and the chairman of the organizing committee of the 11 th Conference Prof. Matthias Kraume (Technische UniversitΓ€t Berlin) wish to express their gratitude to all attendants, all members of the scientific committee, and the organising committee. We would especially like to thank all contributors and the editors of this issue for their strong cooperation which made the availability of selected papers possible for everybody interested in the field of mixing within a short time after the conference.
M. Kraume