Centrifugal Extractor Phase Segmentation and Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing centrifugal extraction methods suffer from unsatisfactory separation performance due to backflow and short-circuit currents, which deteriorate the separation efficiency and prevent the achievement of a stationary state.
Innovation Solution
A centrifugal extractor with a cascade of chambers using two separate channels for the heavy and light phases, equipped with valves to prevent backflow, and a control system to manage cycle times, ensuring that each phase flows only in its intended direction, allowing for a counterflow principle that avoids turbulence and backflushing, thereby enabling efficient separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single channel connects subsequent chambers in a centrifugal extractor, then the device structure is simple, but backflow and short-circuit currents occur that deteriorate separation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The single channel is segmented into two separate channels: a first channel for the heavy phase and a second channel for the light phase. This segmentation prevents backflow and short-circuit currents by providing dedicated flow paths for each phase, thereby improving separation performance while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Valves are introduced as intermediary components in the channels to control and prevent backflow. These valves act as mediators that regulate phase flow directions, ensuring that the heavy phase flows only through the first channel and the light phase flows only through the second channel, thus eliminating harmful backflow effects.
2Productivity
If both heavy phase and light phase are pumped simultaneously in countercurrent, then separation is enhanced, but backflow occurs that prevents achieving a stationary state
Solution Approach 1:
The pumping operation is implemented periodically rather than continuously simultaneously. The control device alternates between pumping the heavy phase through the first channel and pumping the light phase through the second channel. This periodic action allows the system to achieve a stationary state within each cycle while maintaining high separation efficiency through the countercurrent pumping mechanism.
3Manufacturing precision
If the mobile phase is changed in the chamber cascade, then different components are discharged at different times, but the already enriched phase in the channel is pumped back reducing separation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The channel system is segmented into separate first and second channels for heavy and light phases respectively. When the mobile phase is changed, each phase flows only through its designated channel, preventing the pumped-back phase from carrying away the enriched components. This segmentation preserves the enriched phase and maintains high separation performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration achieves good separation performance by preventing backflow and short-circuit currents, allowing for effective separation of components with minimal turbulence, resulting in improved efficiency and selectivity of the centrifugal extraction process.
Implementation Method 1
a chromatography rotor with a cascade of chambers is provided, which is rotated so that the heavy phase and the light phase of the chambers, which are subsequently connected to one another via a channel, are exposed to a centrifugal field. The heavy phase settles radially on the outside, while the light phase settles radially on the inside.
Implementation Method 2
a sample which has components which are soluble in a heavy phase and in a light phase with different levels of solubility can be separated in terms of time using discontinuous centrifugal distribution chromatography (CPC) according to the principle of chromatography
Data Source
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AI summary
One aspect of the invention relates to an extractor for centrifugal partition extraction, having: a chamber cascade arranged in the circumferential direction of a designated centrifugal field, for receiving a heavy phase and a light phase, the chamber cascade having at least a first chamber and at least a second chamber; a first pump device connected to the chamber cascade, for pumping the heavy phase through the chamber cascade along a first circumferential direction; a second pump device connected to the chamber cascade, for pumping the light phase through the chamber cascade along a second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction; a first channel connected to the first chamber and the second chamber, for discharging the heavy phase from the first chamber and for feeding the heavy phase into the second chamber; a second channel connected to the second chamber and the first chamber, for discharging the light phase from the second chamber and for feeding the light phase into the first chamber; and a control device for operating the first pump device and the second pump device. The control device is designed such that, in ordinary operation, either the first pump device is operated with a first cycle time (t1) or the second pump device is operated with a second cycle time (t2), and the first cycle time (t1) and the second cycle time (t2) are selected such that substantially only the heavy phase flows completely through the first channel and substantially only the light phase flows completely through the second channel. Due to the substantially alternating brief pumping operation in the first and second channels, a counter-current principle can be achieved for the extractor without risking a back-flow of the phases contrary to the intended flow direction, thus enabling a good separation performance in the centrifugal extraction.