Raschig Super-Ring Operating Characteristics in Unpulsed Liquid-Liquid Extraction Columns

Raschig Super-Rings are well-established in the field of rectification and absorption. Instead, the efficiency of these packings in liquid-liquid extraction was not investigated till now. The application of Raschig Super-Ring No.0.3 and Raschig Super-Ring No.1 packings in unpulsed liquid-liquid extraction columns of diameters DN 80 and DN 150 is investigated with respect to flooding point and efficiency. As a comparative study, 15-mm and 25-mm Pall-Ring packings are used. The hydrodynamic studies indicate that the Raschig Super-Ring offers a 9-10% higher load capacity compared to the Pall-Rings. In addition, the mass transport investigations performed using the test system toluene/acetone/water reveal that the height of transfer units (HTU) for the Raschig Super-Ring No.0.3 is higher than for the comparable 15-mm Pall-Ring. On average, the achieved difference of the HTU unit is 0.26m.