Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.57, No.5, 1630-1644, 2018
Hydrodynamics and Mass Transfer Characteristics of Asymmetric Rotary Agitated Columns
In the present study, hydrodynamics of laboratory scale asymmetric rotating impeller column (ARIC) and asymmetric rotating disk column (ARDC) have been studied. Effect of physical properties and operating parameters on drop size, dispersed phase holdup and axial mixing have been investigated. Correlations for prediction of mean drop size and holdup have been developed, in terms of power consumption per unit volume. The average absolute value of relative error (AARE) values in the prediction of drop size and holdup using these correlations are 18% and 14%, respectively. Furthermore, the hydrodynamic characteristics of ARIC have been compared with that of ARDC. Mass transfer performance of ARIC for the extraction of metal ions from phosphoric acid has been investigated. Effect of impeller speed on percentage extraction and continuous phase overall mass transfer coefficient has been examined. This work provides an insight into the performance of asymmetric rotary agitated extraction columns, useful in the design of such columns.