A MODEL FOR MASS TRANSFER IN A COALESCING DISPERSION

Mass transfer between the two phases of a liquid-liquid dispersion is affected by drop coalescence and breakup. When all the droplets have the same residence time, a proper description of the drop population requires a trivariate distribution function. The distribution, dependent on the residence time of the dispersion, is written in terms of the size of a drop, amount of solute in a drop, and drop age. Population balances for a homogeneous, batch stirred tank and a steady-state, laminar flow spray column are developed. These equations are solved for the average solute concentration in the dispersed phase as a function of two dimensionless groups: where D is a diffusion coefficient, Θ a residence time, the initial average drop size, and ωi a drop interaction frequency. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.