Extraction of Uranium Nitrate with 30% (v/v) Tributyl Phosphate in Kerosene in a Pilot Annular Pulsed Disc-and-Doughnut Column—Part II: Axial Mixing and Mass Transfer Performance.

Mass transfer experiments were carried out in an annular pulsed disc-and-doughnut column (APDDC) using 30% (v/v) TBP-kerosene + uranium nitrate + nitric acid + water system (uranium nitrate system) for both extraction and stripping processes. Parameters in the axial dispersion model (ADM) and plug-flow model (PFM), namely, the axial dispersion coefficient of the continuous phase and the number of mass transfer units, were regressed by correlating the respective model with the experimental concentration profile. The mass transfer coefficient is calculated, and new correlations are developed to predict the axial mixing coefficient of the continuous phase and the volumetric mass transfer coefficient. The height of a transfer unit is also calculated. The influence of axial mixing on mass transfer performance for the uranium nitrate system is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]