Analytical Sciences

Size Distribution of Droplets in a Two Liquid-phase Mixture Compared between Liquid Spraying and Mechanical Stirring

Taisuke SHIMOGOUCHI,*1,*2 Hirochika NAGANAWA,*3 Tetsushi NAGANO,*3 Bernd GRAMBOW,*3,*4 and Yuichiro NAGAME*1,*3

*1 Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, Mito, Ibaraki 310-8512, Japan
*2 Asaka Riken Co., Ltd., 47 Aza Maseguchi, Kanaya, Tamura, Koriyama, Fukushima, 963-0725, Japan
*3 Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
*4 SUBATECH (IMT Atlantique, CNRS-IN2P3, University of Nantes), 44307 Nantes, France

A new liquid–liquid extraction method, called the “emulsion flow” method, is expected to realize an ideal liquid–liquid extraction by controlling the emulsion generation and separation using liquid spraying, only by solution sending. In order to understand the mechanism of emulsion control in the emulsion flow method, the size distribution of droplets in two liquid-phase mixtures was compared by using originally designed apparatuses 1) for the case of liquid spraying and 2) for the case of mechanical stirring. We demonstrated that the size distribution of droplets generated near a mixing device (a nozzle for liquid spraying or an impeller head for mechanical stirring) determines the phase-separation property.

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