Dispersed Phase Holdup in a Sieve Plate Liquid-Liquid Extraction Column

The efficiency of extraction columns is directly related to the mass transfer between liquid phases (continuous and dispersed), which depend on the interfacial area of contact between them. This in turn has a relation with the distribution of droplet size and the retention of the dispersed phase (holdup) in the interior of the column. In this paper we analyzed the behavior of the holdup in a column with sieve plates, using two different liquid systems (water / n-hexane and water / kerosene. We used a column of 0.04m in diameter, with heights ranging between 0.34 and 0.50m and free area disposing of 19%. Analysis of the influences of operational parameters and geometric in holdup, as well as empirical equations modeled are presented