Hydraulics and Operation Performance of TCDC-Extractors

Abstract

The Taylor-Couette disc contactor (TCDC) uses the hydrodynamic advantages of the rotating disc contactor (RDC) and Taylor-Couette reactor. Drop size distribution, dispersed phase holdup and residence time distribution (RTD) of the TCDC in 0.1 m and 0.3 m diameter scale were determined. A correlation for the prediction of the Sauer mean diameter was validated experimentally for 0.3-m scale. Analysis of RTD suggests application of the tank-in-series model. The number of vessels in series rises with increasing hydraulic load and decrease with increasing rate of rotation. The axial dispersion coefficient was determined in order to evaluate backmixing.