Determination of drop size distributions in a continuous mixer

In the present study, the size distribution, F-0(v), of organic drops produced in a continuous-mixing vessel has been determined experimentally for various conditions. The organic phase used was a 1:1 mixture of a salicylaldoxime (LIX 860N-IC) and a ketoxime (LIX 64-IC) in an aliphatic diluent (Escaid 103). The aqueous phase was a copper sulfate solution. The results indicated that an increase in stirring speed, extractant concentration, and pH produced smaller drops. The effect of the stirring speed was the most significant, decreasing the average volume of drops by 57 % for a change from 300 to 400 rpm. On the contrary, an increase in the dispersed phase fraction, copper sulfate concentration, and retention time produced larger drops. Changes in temperature from 23 to 30 degreesC did not affect significantly the drop sizes. In all cases, the experimental drop size distributions could be accurately represented by a lognormal distribution.