HYDRODYNAMICS OF A NON-AQUEOUS SYSTEM IN A PACKED LIQUID EXTRACTION COLUMN

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Abstract
Dispersed phase holdup, flood point and droplet size data have been obtained for the effectively non-aqueous system Sulfolane-heptane in a 75 mm diameter column packed with random Raschig rings. The holdup results showed distinctly different behaviour from that of aqueous systems, giving a characteristic velocity plot that was concave upwards, indicating an increasing droplet velocity at higher holdup values. The flood-points were correspondingly higher than would be predicted for an aqueous system. These results were explained in terms of a droplet “chain flow”, which would lead to a reduced drag force. A modified correlation for holdup is proposed which incorporates the Morton number and gives a good fit both to the present data and to those for aqueous systems.
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