Drop-Based Modelling of Extraction Equipment

Design of equipment for solvent extraction is a challenging task, because the details of drop interaction depend strongly on trace components. This is one reason, why equipment design in solvent-extraction cannot solely rely on equilibrium information. An approach is presented, which is based on drop-based simulations, which allows to characterize the equipment performance with all details. The models parameters characterizing the specific system behavior are obtained by fitting to experimental results in dedicated lab-scale experiments. These are then the basis for simulation of drop-behavior in the different types of equipment, in which a sufficient number of individual drops are regarded, which are followed during their lifetime in the equipment. For gravity settlers and for extraction columns these approaches are presented together with results on drop behavior. The lab-scale experiments and the validation experiments in extraction equipment on pilot-plant scale lead to significant new insights into the details of drop processes.