Investigation of Mass Transfer Coefficient under Jetting Conditions in a Liquid-Liquid Extraction System

Abstract

<em>In this research mass transfer coefficient under jetting regime in different directions (from dispersed to continuous and continuous to dispersed phase) has been studied using an experimental setup. n-Butanol-succinic acid-water with low interfacial tension has been selected as experimental chemical system. The effects of various parameters such as jet velocity, nozzle diameter and the height of the continuous phase above the nozzle, on mass transfer coefficient have been investigated. A correlation has also been derived in order to predict the mass transfer coefficient as a function of physical properties of both phases and aforementioned parameters. Based on the experimental results, mass transfer coefficient increases with an increase in the nozzle diameter and jet velocity, while increasing the height of the continuous phase above the nozzle decreases the mass transfer coefficient. These results may reveal the importance of mass transfer during the jet formation and breakage.</em>