Fundamental aspects of rotating disk contactor performance

The principles used in analyzing the performance of rotating disk contactor liquid extraction columns are discussed. The behavior of a swarm of drops in the rotating field is found to be adequately represented in most respects by single-drop dynamics, which leads to tested relations for countercurrent capacity, limiting drop holdup, axial diffusion of the continuous and dispersed phases, and point mass transfer coefficients that are independent of column size effects.