Separation of liquid-liquid dispersions in a laboratory mixer-settler

Abstract

Separation mechanism in a single stage horizontal type rectangular gravity settler was investigated by experimental determination of the coalescence rate of the dispersed liquid and the separation rate of the two phases for the systems of kerosene-in-water and water-in-kerosene, at various levels in agitator speed and flow rate of the dispersed liquids. The experimental results showed that the settling time decreased, while the separation profile became steeper as the agitator speed decreased in batch operations. In continuous operations, as the dispersed phase flow rate and the agitator speed increased the separation time and wedge length of the settler increased. Correlation of both batch and continuous operation results indicated that larger settlers are required for systems with longer batch separation time and higher dispersed liquid drop input rate.