Liquid‐liquid extraction in laminar slug flow

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Abstract
The hydrodynamics of liquid‐liquid slug flow have been studied for several organic components in water, in vertical tubes of diameters between 4.08 and 18.99 mm. Under conditions such that the slug flow is laminar and stable, mass transfer of sparingly soluble organic components (n‐butanol, n‐pentanol and methyl i‐butyl ketone) to water has been measured by observing the shrinkage rates of slugs. The observations are compared with predictions based upon the Higbie penetration model and the calculated velocity profile due to slug flow. It is concluded that the slug flow technique could be useful in studying the rates of reaction‐accompanied extraction.