The Effect of Sodium dodecyl Sulfate on Mean Drop Size in a Horizontal Mixer-Settler Extractor

摘要

The effects of surfactant concentration, impeller speed, and holdup on mean drop diameter, D_(32), during emulsification have been studied in a mixer-settler. Two well-defined regions for the dependence of D_(32) on surfactant concentration were observed. At low surfactant concentrations, D_(32) decreased significantly with an increase in surfactant concentration, whereas D_(32) did not depend on surfactant concentration at high surfactant concentrations. The decreasing rate of change of D_(32) with impeller speed and the increasing rate of change of D_(32) with holdup both decreased when a surfactant was added to the system. Moreover, an empirical correlation has been derived to predict D_(32).