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Highlights: [•] Solvent extraction of uranium from uranyl nitrate solution in microbore tubes. [•] Effects of contact time and O/A ratio on stage efficiency and KLa. [•] Effect of microbore tube diameter on stage efficiency and KLa. [•] Effect of method of varying contact time on stage efficiency and KLa. [•] Simulations to visualize liquid–liquid flow patterns at microfluidic junction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Liquid–liquid extraction experiments have been carried out in two different types of microchannels using water (Zn) D2EHPA+dodecane system, a standard reactive extraction system recommended for evaluation of liquid–liquid extraction equipment. The microchannels used in the experiments are a t-junction serpentine microchannel and a split and recombine microchannel. Effects of O/A ratio and residence time on overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient have been studied and an attempt has been made to explain the experimental trends with the help of liquid–liquid flow patterns observed by using a high speed image acquisition system. Correlations relating overall volumetric mass transfer coefficients to O/A ratio and velocity are reported for both the microchannels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]