Study on performance of annular centrifugal contactor using a liquid-fast-separation method - 5145

Three types of continuous solvent extraction equipment have been applied in the nuclear industry, namely, mixer-settlers, extraction columns (originally packed and later pulse columns) and centrifugal contactors. Annular centrifugal contactors (ACCs), which use centrifugal force to separate the dispersion of two immiscible liquids with different densities, have many advantages and are favored for both the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and the partitioning of high level liquid waste. Detailed information about the hydraulic and mass-transfer performance is very important for successful design and operation of ACCs. A liquid-fast-separation method was developed to study the hydraulic and mass-transfer performance of ACCs. In this paper, experimental study on the hydraulic performance of a 20 mm long diameter ACC using the liquid-fast-separation method was carried out with the kerosene-water system. The experimental results indicated that the parameters of the liquid hold-up volume and the interface radius could be obtained using the liquid-fast-separation method. Moreover, the effects of the rotor speed, the total flow rate, the flow ratio (a/o), and the diameter of the heavy phase weir on the liquid hold-up volume and the interface radius could also be obtained. These results provide a more complete understanding of fluid flow in ACCs to enable further advancements in their design and operation