Enrichment in axial direction of aqueous foam in continuous foam separation

Abstract: Estimation of overhead production enrichment in continuous foam separation was conducted with a surfactant: sodium n-dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) and soluble proteins: ovalbumin (OA) and hemoglobin (HB). Axial profiles of the volumetric flow rate and the concentration of the collapsed foam liquid within the column were measured, and the enrichment ratio and the liquid holdup in axial direction were determined experimentally. The proposed model was fitted to the experimental results obtained with various experimental conditions (superficial gas velocity, feed concentration and pH) and was in reasonable agreement with the experimental data by using the least square regression. The present model makes it possible to estimate the foamate concentration at a desired foam height. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]