%0 Journal Article
%T Computational Fluid Dynamics of Two-Opposed-Jet Microextractor
%A Pritam V. Hule
%A B. N. Murthy
%A Channamallikarjun S. Mathpati
%J International Journal of Chemical Engineering
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/264184
%X Liquid-liquid extraction is an important unit operation in chemical engineering. The conventional designs such as mixer settler have lower-energy efficiency as the input energy is dissipated everywhere. Experimental studies have proved that the novel designs such as two-opposed-jet contacting device (TOJCD) microextractor allow energy to be dissipated close to the interface, and major part of energy is used for drop breakup and enhancement of surface renewal rates. It is very difficult to estimate the local variation of energy dissipation ( ) using experiments. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to obtain at different rotating speed of the top disc and nozzle velocity. In this work, performance analysis of TOJCD microextractor has been carried out using Reynolds stress model. The overall value was found in the range of 50 to 400£¿W/kg and shear rate in the range of 100000£¿1/s. A semiempirical correlation for is proposed, and parity plot with experimental data has been plotted. 1. Introduction Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) is an important unit operation in chemical engineering. Typical applications of the LLE are in metal extraction, aromatics nitration and sulfonation, polymer processing, waste water treatment as well as food and petroleum industries. LLE is a mass transfer operation in which a liquid solution (the feed) is contacted with an immiscible or nearly immiscible liquid (solvent) that exhibits preferential affinity or selectivity towards one or more of the components in the feed. Two streams result from this contact: the extract, which is the solvent-rich solution containing the desired extracted solute, and the raffinate, the residual feed solution containing little solute. The conventional designs such as mixer settler often have lower energy efficiency as the input energy is dissipated everywhere in the extractor. The transfer of solute from one phase to another is controlled by diffusion across the interface and often rate limiting. The process can be intensified and energy efficiency can be improved by novel designs such as two-opposed-jet contact device [1, 2], annular centrifugal extractors [3], impinging jet contactors [4], pulsed sieve plate extraction columns [5], and so forth. Experimental studies have proved that these novel designs offer higher energy efficiency. High energy dissipation and shear rates are used for breakup and enhancement of surface renewal rates. However, it is very difficult to estimate the local variation of energy dissipation using experiments. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be used in
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijce/2012/264184/