CFD simulation and experimental investigation of the copper solvent extraction in a pilot plant pulsed packed column in Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex

Abstract

Present work deals with the development of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for investigate the extraction of copper from leach solution with the Lix84-I. The model is based on Eulerian–Eulerian two phase equations in conjunction with the realizable k-e model for turbulence. Population balance modeling (PBM) is used to describe the dynamics of the time and space variation of droplet sizes in the column. The PBM equation is solved using the class method. The mass transfer is the important parameters which can improve the performance of pulsed column and changes widely with the variation in the droplet number density. Valid empirical correlations were implemented to the CFD model for mass transfer coefficients by user defined functions. To validate the model, the results of CFD model and experimental measurements were compared and there was a good agreement between them. The effects of flow rates and intensity of pulsation on the yield of copper extraction and entrainment of the organic phase were studied. The results shown that increasing the phase ratio (the flow rate of organic phase/aqueous phase) from 0.5 to 1.75, caused yield of copper extraction from leach solution increased from 31 to 91%. The organic entrainment increased with increasing the pulse intensity and phase flow rates. Additionally, the results show that the performance of the pulsed packed column for copper extraction is reasonable.