Coalescence residence time

Any refractory material that does not decompose or vaporize can be used for melt spraying. Particles do not coalesce within the spray. The temperature of the particles and the extent to which they melt depend on the flame temperature, which can be controlled by the fueLoxidizer ratio or electrical input, gas flow rate, residence time of the particle in the heat zone, the particle-size distribution of the powders, and the melting point and thermal conductivity of the particle. Quenching rates are very high, and the time required for the molten particle to soHdify after impingement is typically to... 

Both types of coalescence can be important in the foam separations characterized by low gas flow rate, such as batchwise ion flotation producing a scum-bearing froth of comparatively long residence time. On the other hand, with the relatively higher gas flow rate of foam fractionation, the residence time may be too short for the first type to be important, and if the foam is sufficiently stable, even the second type of coalescence may be unimportant. 

Bubble coalescence may considerably influence holdup, residence-time distribution, and other properties of bubble-columns. Reference is made to the review by Jackson and to a recent study by Calderbank et al. (Cl). 

The results of Massimilla et al., 0stergaard, and Adlington and Thompson are in substantial agreement on the fact that gas-liquid fluidized beds are characterized by higher rates of bubble coalescence and, as a consequence, lower gas-liquid interfacial areas than those observed in equivalent gas-liquid systems with no solid particles present. This supports the observations of gas absorption rate by Massimilla et al. It may be assumed that the absorption rate depends upon the interfacial area, the gas residence-time, and a mass-transfer coefficient. The last of these factors is probably higher in a gas-liquid fluidized bed because the bubble Reynolds number is higher, but the interfacial area is lower and the gas residence-time is also lower, as will be further discussed in Section V,E,3. 

Decanters are used to separate liquids where there is a sufficient difference in density between the liquids for the droplets to settle readily. Decanters are essentially tanks which give sufficient residence time for the droplets of the dispersed phase to rise (or settle) to the interface between the phases and coalesce. In an operating decanter there will be three distinct zones or bands clear heavy liquid separating dispersed liquid (the dispersion zone) and clear light liquid. 

The settler. In this unit, gravitational settling frequently occurs and, in addition, coalescence of droplets must take place. Baffles are fitted at the inlet in order to aid distribution. The rates of sedimentation and coalescence increase with drop size, and therefore excessive agitation resulting in the formation of very small drops should be avoided. The height of the dispersion band ZB is influenced by the throughput since a minimum residence time is required for coalescence to occur. This height Zb is related to the dispersed and continuous phase superficial velocities, //,/ and uc by ... 

The types of equipment used, which range from stirred tanks and mixer-settlers to centrifugal contactors and various types of columns, affect both capital and operating costs [9]. In the decision to build a plant, the choice of the most suitable contactor for the specific situation is most important. In some systems, because of the chemistry and mass transfer rates involved, several alternative designs of contacting equipment are available. In the selection of a contactor, one must consider the capacity and stage requirements solvent type and residence time phase flow ratio physical properties direction of mass transfer phase dispersion and coalescence holdup kinetics equilibrium presence of solids overall performance and maintenance as a function of contactor complexity. This may appear very complicated, but with some experience, the choice is relatively simple. 

As drops of this dispersed phase collect near the separation interface, they will flocculate into a closely packed mass which can best be described by the term liquid-liquid foam. Each drop is surrounded by a thin film of the continuous phase. The film between two adjacent drops can rupture and the two combine by coalescence in the foam layer. Only those drops near the general phase boundary can coalesce into the general drop phase layer. The residence time in the flocculation zone can be many minutes, and considerable mass transfer may occur there. 

However with stirring and coalescence and breakup, both effects tend to mix the contents of the bubbles or drops, and this situation should be handled using the CSTR mass balance equation. As you might expect, for a real drop or bubble reactor the residence time distribution might not be given accurately by either of these limits, and it might be necessary to measure the RDT to correctly describe the flow pattern in the discontinuous phase. 

Figure 12-12 Sketches of possible flow patterns of bubbles rising through a liquid phase in a bubble column. Stirring of the continuous phase will cause the residence time distribution to be broadened, and coalescence and breakup of drops will cause mixing between bubbles. Both of these effects cause the residence time distribution in the bubble phase to approach that of a CSTR. For falling drops in a spray tower, the situation is similar but now the drops fall instead of rising in the reactor.

Simulated pipe coalescence at temperatures above 40n C combined with demulsifier Injection is beneficial for the dehydration performance (Table ), giving residual water-in-oll after 30 minutes settling time of less than U. No pipe coalescence can be expected at 20° C. In an uninsulated flowline, the temperature (Fig. 4) will rapidly decrease to below 20° C, and the residence time in the hotter section of the flowllne will not be sufficient for effective coalescence. 

A minimum residence time of 10 to 30 minutes should be provided to assure that surges do not upset the system and to provide for some coalescence. As discussed previously, potential benefits of providing more residence time probably will not be cost efficient beyond this point. Skimmers with large residence times require baffles to attempt to distribute flow and eliminate short-circuiting. Tracer studies have shown dial skniimei tanks, even those with carefully designed spreaders and baffles, exhibit poor flow behavior and short-circuiting This is probably due to density and temper-atuie differences, deposition of solids, corrosion of spreaders. etc... 

The residence-time concept is commonly misunderstood. The residence time is defined here as the downcomer volume divided by the liquid flow-rate. Typically, it is said that a liquid-residence time is required to allow adequate disengagement of vapour. Generally, two mechanisms are at work in a downcomer to provide the separation of vapour from liquid. The more obvious one is the relative velocity of the phases. If the downward velocity of the liquid exceeds the bubble-rise velocity, it does not matter how much residence time is provided, separation will not occur. This is true unless there is coalescence (the second mechanism), which there always is, to some extent. Coalescence is time dependent and therefore a residence-time criterion has some relevance. 

A common basis for the design of settlers is an assumed droplet size of 150 ftm, which is the basis of the standard API design method for oil-water separators. Stokes law is applied to find the settling time. In open vessels, residence times of 30-60 min or superficial velocities of 0.5-1.5ft/min commonly are provided. Longitudinal baffles can cut the residence time to 5-10 min. Coalescence with packing or wire mesh or electrically cut these... 

When, however, an extraction, or an extraction combined with a chemical reaction, is carried out between two phases in a continuous stirred tank reactor in which there is no interaction occurring between the dispersed particles (complete segregation), the dispersed particles will have different concentrations because of the spread in residence time. Any kind of interaction between the dispersed particles (e.g., by diffusion or by continuous coalescing and redispersion) then tends to eliminate these concentration differences. 

The local aspects of liquid-liquid two-phase flow in RE has been the focus of CFD analysis by different research groups (123-126). In principle, all aspects concerning single-phase flow phenomena (residence time distribution, impeller discharge flow rate, etc.) can be tackled, even with complex geometries. However, the two-phase CFD is still a challenge, and the droplet interactions (breakup and coalescence) and mass transfer are not implemented in commercially available codes. Thus these issues constitute an open area for further research and development (127). 

---