Hydrodynamic Simulation of Liquid-Liquid Extraction Drops and the Effect of Mass Transfer on the Hydrodynamics

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Computer Aided Process Engineering Center, School of Chemical Oil and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

2 School of Chemical Oil and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Hydrodynamic and mass transfer simulations of toluene rising drops have been investigated. The VOF-PLIC method with surface tension model of CSS was applied. Drops have been simulated in the three regimes of spherical, circulating, and oscillating regimes. Simulation results agreed well with existing experimental data with the average relative error of 3.63 percent. The current hydrodynamic model predicted the oscillating regime for the drop diameter of 4.4 mm and 3.5 mm drops were identified as the drops with maximum velocity. These findings agreed well with existing experimental data. In the next step of simulations, mass transfer equation was supplemented into the simulations investigating mass transfer effect on the velocity of 2 mm toluene drops. All of the properties of drops were assumed constant except surface tension coefficient. Simulation results showed that, with the assumption of concentration dependent surface tension coefficient, terminal velocity relative error was about 2 percent, while without considering of that, relative error increased to 83 percent. Streamlines, drop shapes, axial velocity, and terminal velocity were also reported.
 

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Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Petroleum Research
Volume 28, 1-97 - Serial Number 98
March and April 2018
Pages 47-60

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