The extensive application of solid-liquid flow in various industries, has made it important to comprehend the hydrodynamics inside different process equipment and optimize their operation. In the present work, solid phase hydrodynamics in a continuous precipitator relevant for plutonium (Pu) reconversion has been investigated numerically. Euler-Euler two-fluid simulations were performed to analyse the performance by varying the solid concentration (5, 10, 15, and 20 g/l), impeller speed (500 and 700 rpm) and overflow outlet height (0.65, 0.75 and 0.85 m). The solid phase behaviour in precipitator is analysed by comparing the solid volume fraction and pressure distributions along the height. To enable easy handling of precipitator inside glove-box, the solid mass, volume rate and pressure distributions through overflow outlet at different height is thoroughly investigated. Further, the effect of solid concentration and rotating speed of impeller on radial velocity distribution is analysed. The results show that overflow of solid phase is dependent on dispersed phase concentration and rotating speed of the impeller. Further, the increase in overflow outlet height increases the overflow time. However, the volume fraction of solid remains constant during the steady operation. The study will be helpful to design a glove-box adaptable precipitator for continuous plutonium reconversion.
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