Schudwerking

Schudwerking is a term used in Dutch-language process technology and laboratory practice to describe a method of promoting mixing, dispersion, or mass transfer by applying controlled oscillatory motion to a container or sample. The word derives from schud (to shake) and werking (operation). In practice, schudwerking encompasses any agitation achieved primarily by shaking rather than stirring or pumping.

Typical equipment includes orbital and linear shakers, vibro-shakers, and shaking tables. Orbital shakers move in a circular plane; linear shakers move back and forth. In industrial contexts, shaking mechanisms may be integrated into incubators, fermentation setups, and coating tests.

Operational parameters include frequency (revolutions per minute or Hz), amplitude (millimetres), and duration. These are chosen based on the fluid’s viscosity, particulate content, and the desired level of mixing or suspension; higher amplitude and frequency increase shear and energy input.

Applications: preparing suspensions or dissolving solids, resuspending pellets in fermentation or cell culture, accelerating extraction procedures, and performing coating or adhesion tests where gentle mixing is required.

Advantages and limitations: schudwerking can provide uniform mixing with relatively low shear compared with aggressive stirring, is suitable for shear-sensitive materials, and allows easy control of motion. Limitations include limited effectiveness for highly viscous fluids, potential for air incorporation, and noise or vibration transfer to surroundings.

See also: agitation, shaker (equipment), mixing, mass transfer.