Determination of the interfacial area of a continuous integrated mixer/separator (CINC) using a chemical reaction method

The effect of the liquid flow rates (18–100 mL/min) and rotor frequency (30–60 Hz) on the interfacial area of a liquid–liquid system in a CINC-V02 continuous integrated mixer/separator have been studied using a chemical reaction method. Typical specific interfacial areas were in the range of 3.2 × 102 to 1.3 × 104 m2 m−3 liquid volume, which is comparable with those for a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). A pronounced maximum in the interfacial area with respect to the rotor frequency was found at about 45 Hz. The interfacial area increased considerably at higher aqueous phase flow rates whereas the organic phase flow rate had no significant effect. The experimental data were modelled using an empirical model. Good agreement between experiments and model was observed.