The Effect of rotor speeds and flow rates on the flow pattern in an annular centrifugal extractor

Kunii, Kanako*; Misumi, Ryuta*; Nishi, Kazuhiko*; Kaminoyama, Meguru*; Hirano, Hiroyasu ; Ogino, Hideki; Sano, Yuichi   

The flow patterns at 1750 and 3500 rpm of a rotor speed were compared each other. In both cases, the liquid is flowing along a rotational direction of the rotor in the region surrounded by two vanes on the vessel bottom and the vessel wall, and then the liquid goes into the separation zone in the rotor. At lower speed, the mean velocities are roughly proportional to flow rates. At higher speed, the liquid is separated into two regions in the height direction, that is, one of them is near the vanes and another is around a lower side of the rotor. The mean velocities around the vessel bottom are not proportional to flow rates. The reason is inferred that the liquid fed in the vessel takes a shortcut and goes into the rotor instead of passing through between two vanes.