Electric field-driven, magnetically-stabilized ferro-emulsion phase contactor

A phase contactor, comprising:

• a column for transporting a dispersed phase and a continuous phase in counter-current, said column including an emulsification and coalescence region and a dispersed phase collection region;
• a source of dispersed phase liquid material containing ferromagnetic particles;
• an element for introducing into said emulsification and coalescence region initial droplets of the dispersed phase liquid material to a counter-current of the continuous phase;
• means for applying a high intensity pulsed electric field to the initial droplets in said emulsification and coalescence region so as to shatter the initial droplets into a ferromagnetic emulsion comprising many smaller daughter droplets having a greater combined total surface area than that of the initial droplets, the daughter droplets coalescing into larger reformed droplets which travel through the continuous phase to said dispersed phase collection region;
• and
• means for applying a magnetic field to said emulsification and coalescence region to control the position of the ferromagnetic emulsion, whereby coalescence and phase separation are enhanced.

A phase contactor system comprising:

• a source of dispersed phase liquid material;
• a source of continuous phase material;
• a source of ferromagnetic particles;
• a mixer having inputs connected to said dispersed phase liquid material source and to said ferromagnetic particle source for forming a mixture of dispersed phase liquid material and ferromagnetic particles;
• a counter-current phase contactor including:
• a column having an intermediate emulsification and coalescence region, a dispersed phase collection region located in one direction with respect to said emulsification and coalescence region, and a continuous phase collection region located in an opposite direction with respect to said emulsification and coalescence region,
• means connected to said continuous phase material source for establishing a flow of continuous phase material through said intermediate emulsification and coalescence region to said continuous phase collection region,
• means connected to said mixer for introducing into said emulsification and coalescence region initial droplets of the mixture,
• means for applying a high intensity pulsed electric field to the initial droplets in said emulsification and coalescence region so as to shatter the initial droplets into a ferromagnetic emulsion comprising many smaller daughter droplets having a greater combined total surface area than that of the initial droplets, the daughter droplets coalescing into larger reformed droplets which travel through the continuous phase to said dispersed phase collection region, and
• means for applying a magnetic field to said emulsification and coalescence region to control the position of the ferromagnetic emulsion, whereby coalescence and phase separation are enhanced;
• and
• a separator connected to said dispersed phase collection region for separating ferromagnetic particles from dispersed phase liquid material.