Experimental Determination of Continuous Phase Overall Mass Transfer Coefficients Case Study: Kühni Extraction Column

Experimental data obtained in a pilot-scale Kühni liquid-liquid extraction column were used to obtain. In this study, volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients were measured and correlated under different operating variables in a 113 mm diameter Kühni column. Both mass transfer directions are considered in the experiments. The effect of operating parameters on the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients has been investigated. According to obtained results, mass transfer performance is strongly dependent on rotor speed and mass transfer direction, although only slightly dependent on phase flow rates. A novel empirical correlation is developed for prediction of overall continuous phase Sherwood number based on dispersed phase holdup, Reynolds number and mass transfer direction. The proposed correlations based on dimensionless numbers can be considered as a useful tool for the possible scale up of the Kühni column.