Liquid—liquid mass transfer in systems agitated by submerged jets

Abstract

Mass transfer across a plane interface has been investigated for liquid—liquid systems, with the liquid phases agitated by vertically opposed, submerged jets, one in each phase. Mass transfer coefficients were determined for the systems ethyl acetate—water and butanol—water, and for the transfer of dissolved helium between water and toluene, and toluene between toluene and water. The latter two solutes provided a wide range of molecular diffusion coefficients. When turbulent eddies penetrated to the interface the mass transfer coefficients were found to be proportional to D 0.5, and could be represented by the Levich-Davies mass transfer model for mass transfer between turbulent liquids. The characteristic turbulence velocities in this model were related to the velocities of the liquids from the jet nozzles, and to the equipment dimensions (e.g. the distances of the jets from the interface, the radius of the vessel and the diameters of the jet nozzles) by an expression based on the hydrodynamic behaviour of jets. For the low interfacial tension system butanol—water, a flat disc had to be placed in the interface at the region of jet impingement, to prevent disruption of the interface, but, even so, only a limited range of jet flow rates could be used. Only at the highest flow rates were turbulent conditions obtained, and most of the experimental mass transfer coefficients for this system were between the values predicted by the Levich-Davies model and the Levich “three-zone” model for boundary layer flow.