Annular Centrifugal Extractor with Solid Separation Part to Separate Solid Particles Present in Solvent Extraction Fluid and a Process for the Same

A method to separate solid particles present in solvent extraction fluid, the method comprising the following steps:

• i). allowing a heavy phase of material with or without solid particles and a light phase of material with or without solid particles to enter through an annular extractor (ACE) via a heavy phase feed pipe and a light phase feed pipe in between a stationary bowl and rotating bowls;
• ii). mixing of both the heavy phase and the light phase vigorously in an annular region by shear force/skin friction due to high-speed rotation of an inner bowl when turbulent liquid-liquid dispersion promotes the mass transfer between the two phases;
• iii). flowing down of the mixed phase dispersion with solid particles by gravity in the annular region and to enter inside a first of the rotating bowls through an orifice via a bottom baffle;
• iv). allowing dispersion with solid particles entering inside the first of the rotating bowls to deflect towards the wall of the first of the rotating bowls by a deflecting baffle enhancing the centrifugal sedimentation of solid particles;
• v). allowing the dispersion with solid particles to flow from bottom to top inside the first of the rotating bowls to confine inside the chambers by vertical baffles;
• vi). allowing the first of the rotating bowls to impart a rigid body rotation to the dispersion with solid particles to create vertically cylindrical free surface of liquid to become co-axial with the axis of rotation because of high centrifugal acceleration ‘a’;
• vii). allowing the solid particles to enter at the bottom and to get separated as it moves upwards;
• viii). allowing the dispersion being free from solid particles to enter inside a second of the rotating bowls through an orifice;
• ix). enhancing the centrifugal separation of heavy and light phases by deflecting the dispersion towards the wall of the second of the rotating bowls;
• x). allowing the dispersed phase to flow from bottom to top inside the second of the rotating bowls and to be confined inside the chambers by vertical baffles;
• xi). allowing the second of the rotating bowls to impart a rigid body rotation to the liquid creating vertically cylindrical free surface of liquid to become co-axial with an axis of rotation because of the high centrifugal acceleration ‘a’;
• xii). allowing the dispersion to enter at the bottom and to get separated as it moves upwards;
• xiii). allowing the separated lighter phase to flow over a light phase weir for being thrown out into a lighter phase collection chamber located at the stationary bowl;
• xiv). allowing the separated heavy phase to flow over a heavy phase weir via under flow for being thrown out into heavy phase collection chambers located above lighter phase collection chamber in the stationary bowl;
• xv). allowing both the heavy phase and the light phase to come out and flow in to adjacent stages through a heavy phase outlet and a light phase outlet, respectively;
• and
• xvi). decoupling the first of the rotating bowls from the second of the rotating bowls and arranging the solid particle to be collected and dispersed for further processing or solid waste management facility.