Extractor Settling Zone Solids Entrainment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solvent extraction processes face challenges in maximizing extract recovery while minimizing solvent loss, often resulting in decreased efficiency when increasing feedstock flow rate due to insufficient residence time and intermixing issues between the solvent and feedstock.
Innovation Solution
The extractor design features a housing with multiple bed decks and a settling zone, allowing for increased residence time and effective intermixing of solids material with countercurrent solvent flow, preventing solids from discharging with the solvent through the solvent outlet, thereby enhancing extraction efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If feedstock flow rate through the extractor is increased, then productivity is improved, but extract recovery decreases due to insufficient residence time and improper intermixing
Solution Approach 1:
The extractor is divided into multiple extraction stages with multiple bed decks arranged vertically. Each stage provides a separate extraction zone, allowing the feedstock to be processed in discrete steps. This segmentation enables better control of residence time at each stage while maintaining high overall throughput, resolving the contradiction between productivity and extract recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a horizontal extraction configuration to a vertical multi-deck arrangement. Feedstock is conveyed horizontally across multiple vertically stacked bed decks, with drop zones creating vertical separation between stages. This dimensional change increases the extraction path length and residence time without increasing the horizontal footprint, allowing higher feedstock flow rates while maintaining adequate contact time for complete extraction.
2Productivity
If feedstock flow rate through the extractor is increased, then productivity is improved, but intermixing between solvent and feedstock becomes improper
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction process is segmented into multiple stages, each with dedicated intermixing zones. The feedstock is divided into portions that are processed sequentially across different bed decks, allowing controlled solvent contact at each stage. This prevents overcrowding and ensures proper intermixing even at high feedstock flow rates.
Solution Approach 2:
Drop zones are introduced as intermediary spaces between bed decks where feedstock temporarily resides during transfer. These drop zones act as buffer regions that facilitate thorough solvent-feedstock intermixing before the material moves to the next extraction stage, ensuring complete contact regardless of overall feedstock flow rate.
3Reliability
If bed deck length is increased to improve extraction efficiency, then extract recovery is improved, but device complexity and solvent discharge problems increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the horizontal length of individual bed decks, the invention stacks multiple shorter bed decks vertically. This transforms the extraction path from a single long horizontal sequence to a multi-level vertical arrangement, achieving the same total extraction length while reducing the complexity of each individual deck and improving solvent discharge efficiency.
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 increases the efficiency of the extraction process by allowing extended contact time and improved mixing, leading to higher extract recovery and reduced solvent loss, optimizing the economic efficiency of the extraction operation.
Implementation Method 1
the extractor may contain one bed deck positioned at a vertically elevated position relative to another bed deck, thereby defining a drop zone where the solids material passing through the extractor drops under the force of gravity from the vertically elevated bed deck to a lower bed deck
Implementation Method 2
the settling zone may provide increased space and residence time for solids material falling through the drop zone that become entrained in countercurrent solvent flow to drop out of the solvent flow under the force of gravity
Data Source
AI summary
An extractor may have a housing that maintains a solvent pool in which solids material being processed is immersed during operation. One or more bed decks can be positioned inside of the housing to provide multiple extraction stages. In some examples, the bed decks are arranged to provide one bed deck positioned at a vertically elevated position relative to another bed deck, thereby providing a drop zone where the solids material passing through the machine drops from the vertically elevated bed deck to a lower bed deck. To reduce the amount of solids material passing through the drop zone that becomes entrained in the solvent, the exactor can be configured with a settling zone. In some examples, the settling zone is formed by truncating the length of the vertically elevated bed deck, providing increased space and residence time for the solids material to fall out of suspension.