Centrifugal Contactors: Separation of an Aqueous and an Organic Stream in the Rotor Zone (LA‐UR‐05‐7800)

Abstract

A multi‐phase flow code is used to simulate the separation of an aqueous and an organic stream in the rotor zone of an annular centrifugal contactor. Different values for the mixture viscosity and for the initial volume fractions of the components are considered. A simple model for mass transfer of a species between phases is used. Geometrical effects are found to have significant influence on the separation of the two‐phase mixture.

Keywords:

• Separation
• multi‐phase flow
• mixture viscosity
• mass transfer
• numerical simulation

This work was carried out under the auspices of the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy at Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36.