Accurate knowledge of hydrodynamic parameters is of major importance for the performance study of liquid-liquid column extractors. The effects of operating parameters on dispersed phase holdup profiles. drop size distributions, and axial mixing in both phases were investigated in a 127 mm diameter multistage contactor of pilot plant scale for the toluene-water physically equilibrated system. Correlations for the mean holdup, the mean drop size, and the continuous phase backmixing were obtained. A stronger dependence of holdup and drop size on the operating conditions and especially on the agitation speed was observed as compared to previous investigations for the same type of contactor. The axial mixing for the single phase flow was found to follow adequately an existing correlation, while the continuousphase axial mixing in two-phase flows showed some deviations from other existing correlations. Also, flooding criteria. important for the control of the extraction process, were determined based on the shape of the holdup profiles.
~~. ~. ~~ II est trbs important de connaitre exactement les parametres hydrodynamiques pour I'etude de performance des extracteurs B colonne liquide-liquide. Les effets des parametres d'operation sur les profils de rktention de la phase dispersee, les distributions de taille des particules et le melange axial dans les deux phases, ont Cte etudies dans un contacteur pilote multietage de 127 mm de diametre pour le systkme equilibre physiquement toluene-eau. On a obtenu des correlations pour la retention moyenne, la taille moyenne des gouttes et le retromelange en phase continue. On a observe une forte dependance de la retention et de la taille des gouttes par rapport aux conditions d'operation et en particulier par rapport la vitesse d'agitation comparativement i des recherches anterieures pour le mCme type de contacteur. On a trouve que le melange axial pour I'Ccoulement de la phase simple suivait bien une correlation existante, tandis que le melange axial en phase continue dans les Ccoulements diphasiques montrent quelques @carts avec les autres correlations existantes. En outre, on a determine des critt-res d'engorgement, importants pour le contrble du processus d'extraction, en se basant sur la forme des profils de retention.
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