Liquid-liquid contact device and liquid-liquid contact method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10561963-B2
Application number	US-201716079026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

A liquid-liquid contact device includes: an internal casing surrounding an inner chamber for providing countercurrent contact between a light liquid and a heavy liquid; an external casing surrounding the internal casing so as to form an outer chamber around the internal casing; a light liquid introduction tube guiding the light liquid to the inner chamber; and a heavy liquid introduction tube guiding the heavy liquid to the inner chamber. The internal casing has an upper opening and a lower opening which opens at a location below the upper opening. The external casing has a heavy liquid discharge outlet through which the heavy liquid is allowed to be discharged from the outer chamber, and a light liquid discharge outlet which is disposed above the heavy liquid discharge outlet and through which the light liquid is allowed to be discharged from the outer chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid-liquid contact device which provides countercurrent contact between a light liquid and a heavy liquid which has a larger specific gravity than the light liquid, the liquid-liquid contact device comprising:
an internal casing extending in a vertical direction and surrounding an inner chamber for providing countercurrent contact between the light liquid ascending from below and the heavy liquid descending from above;
an external casing surrounding the internal casing so as to form an outer chamber around the internal casing;
a light liquid introduction tube guiding the light liquid from an outside of the external casing to the inner chamber; and
a heavy liquid introduction tube guiding the heavy liquid from an outside of the external casing to the inner chamber, wherein
the light liquid introduction tube has a light liquid ejection orifice disposed in the inner chamber, the light liquid ejection orifice allowing the light liquid guided by the light liquid introduction tube to be ejected into the inner chamber through the light liquid ejection orifice;
the heavy liquid introduction tube has a heavy liquid ejection orifice disposed in the inner chamber and above the light liquid ejection orifice, the heavy liquid ejection orifice allowing the heavy liquid guided by the heavy liquid introduction tube to be ejected into the inner chamber through the heavy liquid ejection orifice;
the internal casing has an upper opening and a lower opening which opens at a location below the upper opening, the upper opening allowing the light liquid having made the countercurrent contact with the heavy liquid to flow out from the inner chamber to the outer chamber through the upper opening, the lower opening allowing the heavy liquid having made the countercurrent contact with the light liquid to flow out from the inner chamber to the outer chamber through the lower opening;
the external casing has a heavy liquid discharge outlet and a light liquid discharge outlet which is disposed above the heavy liquid discharge outlet, the heavy liquid discharge outlet allowing the heavy liquid to be discharged from the outer chamber through the heavy liquid discharge outlet, the light liquid discharge outlet allowing the light liquid to be discharged from the outer chamber through the light liquid discharge outlet,
the liquid-liquid contact device further comprises a filler that fills the inside of the inner chamber, the heavy liquid ejection orifice being disposed at a position that is above a region filled with the filler and below the upper opening, and the light liquid ejection orifice being disposed at a position that is below the region filled with the filler and above the lower opening.

2. The liquid-liquid contact device according to claim 1 , wherein the light liquid discharge outlet is disposed above the upper opening.

3. The liquid-liquid contact device according to claim 1 , wherein the heavy liquid discharge outlet is disposed below the lower opening.

4. The liquid-liquid contact device according to claim 1 , further comprising a discharge flow rate controlling device which controls at least one of a discharge flow rate of the light liquid discharged from the outer chamber through the light liquid discharge outlet and a discharge flow rate of the heavy liquid discharged from the outer chamber through the heavy liquid discharge outlet so as to maintain a height position of a contact interface between the light liquid and the heavy liquid within a range between the upper opening and the lower opening of the internal casing, the contact interface being formed in the outer chamber.

5. The liquid-liquid contact device according to claim 1 , further comprising an introduction flow rate controlling device which controls at least one of an introduction flow rate of the light liquid introduced into the inner chamber through the light liquid introduction tube and an introduction flow rate of the heavy liquid introduced into the inner chamber through the heavy liquid introduction tube so as to maintain a height position of a contact interface between the light liquid and the heavy liquid within a range between the upper opening and the lower opening of the internal casing, the contact interface being formed in the outer chamber.

6. A liquid-liquid contact method which provides countercurrent contact between a light liquid and a heavy liquid which has a larger specific gravity than the light liquid, the liquid-liquid contact method comprising:
a preparation step of preparing the liquid-liquid contact device according to claim 1 ;
an introduction step of introducing the light liquid into the inner chamber through the light liquid introduction tube and introducing the heavy liquid into the inner chamber through the heavy liquid introduction tube;
a contact step of providing countercurrent contact between the light liquid and the heavy liquid by allowing the light liquid introduced into the inner chamber to ascend and allowing the heavy liquid introduced into the inner chamber to descend;
a discharge step performed after the contact step, the discharge step allowing the light liquid to flow out from the inner chamber to the outer chamber through the upper opening so as to be discharged from the outer chamber through the light liquid discharge outlet, and allowing the heavy liquid to flow out from the inner chamber to the outer chamber through the lower opening so as to be discharged from the outer chamber through the heavy liquid discharge outlet; and
a discharge flow rate controlling step of controlling at least one of a discharge flow rate of the light liquid discharged from the outer chamber through the light liquid discharge outlet and a discharge flow rate of the heavy liquid discharged from the outer chamber through the heavy liquid discharge outlet so as to maintain a height position of a contact interface between the light liquid and the heavy liquid within a range between the upper opening and the lower opening of the internal casing, the contact interface being formed in the outer chamber.

7. A liquid-liquid contact method which provides countercurrent contact between a light liquid and a heavy liquid which has a larger specific gravity than the light liquid, the liquid-liquid contact method comprising:
a preparation step of preparing the liquid-liquid contact device according to claim 1 ;
an introduction step of introducing the light liquid into the inner chamber through the light liquid introduction tube and introducing the heavy liquid into the inner chamber through the heavy liquid introduction tube;
a contact step of providing countercurrent contact between the light liquid and the heavy liquid by allowing the light liquid introduced into the inner chamber to ascend and allowing the heavy liquid introduced into the inner chamber to descend;
a discharge step performed after the contact step, the discharge step allowing the light liquid to flow out from the inner chamber to the outer chamber through the upper opening so as to be discharged from the outer chamber through the light liquid discharge outlet, and allowing the heavy liquid to flow out from the inner chamber to the outer chamber through the lower opening so as to be discharged from the outer chamber through the heavy liquid discharge outlet; and
an introduction flow rate controlling step of controlling at least one of an introduction flow rate of the light liquid introduced into the inner chamber through the light liquid introduction tube and an introduction flow rate of the heavy liquid introduced into the inner chamber through the heavy liquid introduction tube so as to maintain a height position of a contact interface between the light liquid and the heavy liquid within a range between the upper

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuoka Akira
• Noishiki Koji
• Ozono Tomohiro

Classifications

• B01D11/0484

  Controlling means · CPC title

• B01D11/04 Primary

  of solutions which are liquid · CPC title

• B01D2011/002

  Counter-current extraction · CPC title