GB718192A - A method of and apparatus for bringing into contact with each other and subsequentlyseparating liquids in two phases - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0718192/IV (b)/1> <PICT:0718192/IV (b)/2> In a method for the purification of crude solutions of the ester-salts known under the Registered Trade Mark "Teepol" with gasoline, which liquids when brought into contact form at their interface, a third phase consisting of impurities, the two liquids are brought into contact with each other in a contact zone throughout which one of the phases is continuous and the other is dispersed therein and through which the flow of liquid is sufficiently strong to prevent deposition and accumulation or impurities, and the dispersed liquid is caused to flow without, or with only a weak, flow of the continuous phase to a settler in which the drops of the dispersed phase coalesce without having to pass through the third phase. As shown in Fig. 1, a light continuous phase is fed into a stirred reaction zone 1 at 2 and is discharged at 3, whilst the heavy to-be dispersed phase is introduced at 4, and drops thereof with some of the light phase are discharged at 6 and conducted to a settler 7. The heavy phase enters the settler from 6 by way of a flat nozzle at the level of the interface, which level is kept practically constant by means of a controlling device, not shown. The heavy phase is discharged at 8 whilst the excess light phase is returned to the extraction zone through a pipe 9. Fig. 2 shows an arrangement for use when the light phase is the dispersed phase. The drops of the light phase at the top of the reactor 1 are caused to pass by the action of a sloping plate 10 directly to the interface between the phases in the settler 7, the heavy phase returning to the reactor 1 via a pipe 14. The plate 10 may be replaced by a cone-shaped partition, or the uprising drops of light phase may be interrupted by a horizontal plate and conveyed from the underside thereof to the phase interface in a separator before they can combine to form a continuous phase. Specifications 659,241, 679,891 and 717,237, [all in Group III], are referred to.ALSO:<PICT:0718192/III/1> <PICT:0718192/III/2> In a method of bringing into contact with each other and subsequently separating liquids in two phases, which liquids when brought into contact form at their interface, a third phase consisting of impurities, the two liquids are brought into contact with each other in a contact zone throughout which one of the phases is continuous and the other is dispersed therein and through which the flow of liquid is sufficiently strong to prevent deposition and accumulation of impurities, and the dispersed liquid is caused to flow without, or with only a weak, flow of the continuous phase to a settler in which the drops of the dispersed phase coalesce without having to pass through the third phase. As shown in Fig. 1, a light continuous phase is fed into a stirred reaction zone 1 at 2 and is discharged at 3, whilst the heavy to be dispersed phase is introduced at 4, and drops thereof with some of the light phase are discharged at 6 and conducted to a settler 7. The heavy phase enters the settler from 6 by way of a flat nozzle at the level of the interface which level is kept practically constant by means of a controlling device (not shown). The heavy phase is discharged at 8 whilst the excess light phase is returned to the extraction zone through a pipe 9. Fig. 2 shows an arrangement for use when the light phase is the dispersed phase. The drops of the light phase at the top of the reactor 1 are caused to pass by the action of a sloping plate 10 directly to the interface between the phases in the settler 7, the heavy phase returning to the reactor 1 via a pipe 14. The plate 10 may be replaced by a cone-shaped partition, or the uprising drops of light phase may be interrupted by a horizontal plate and conveyed from the underside thereof to the phase interface in a separator before they can combine to form a continuous phase. The process may be applied to the extraction of lemon or orange oil, which causes the separation of slimy substances; the extraction of the ester salts known under the Registered Trade Mark "Teepo" with gasoline which produces a slimy layer containing iron compounds; the extraction of lubricating oil distillates with furfural in which small quantities of asphalt frequently separate; and in the polymerisation of vinyl chloride by bringing it into contact with an aqueous phase which may give rise to a third phase containing impurities and/or a part of the polyvinyl chloride formed. Specifications 659,241, 679,891 and 717,237 are referred to.