(182a) Theoretical Modeling of Mixing Quality and Axial Hold-up Distribution for Liquid-Liquid System in Agitated Flow Mixers
AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety
2019
2019 Spring Meeting and 15th Global Congress on Process Safety
Process Development Division
Modeling Tools and Techniques for Process R&D II
Wednesday, April 3, 2019 - 1:30pm to 1:55pm
New theoretical based models to describe the mixing quality and the local dispersed phase hold-up distributions in the axial direction of a continuous flow mixer have been developed and applied to predict the experimental results. The models relate the mixing index and axial hold-up distributions to a Peclet Number, the average dispersed phase hold-up, the input flow rates and the physical properties of the dispersion. The developed models offer a new understanding of the nature of the mixing process in continuous mixers with two liquid-liquid immiscible phases in flow. Experimental work was performed to measure the mixing index and to measure axial dispersed phase hold-up distribution using Laser Transmission Technique (LTT) in a mixer setup. The experimental results were used in validating the models. The experimental and the predicted data agreed well for a wide range of impeller speeds/flow ratios. Theoretical formulae to describe the local hold-up distributions in the axial direction for only one of the two phases in batch and in flow operation processes have also been developed.