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Mixer-Settler Unit

1940
Unité de mélange-décantation vintage pour l'extraction liquide-liquide en génie chimique.

(Image générée à titre d'illustration uniquement)

A mixer-settler is a standard industrial apparatus for liquid-liquid extraction. It comprises a mixing chamber, where an impeller disperses the two immiscible phases to facilitate mass transfer, followed by a settling chamber, where the phases separate via gravity. These units are often arranged in series to form a multi-stage counter-current cascade for high-efficiency separations.

The mixer-settler is a cornerstone of industrial liquid-liquid extraction due to its simple design, reliability, and scalability. Each unit functions as a discrete equilibrium stage. In the mixer, a motor-driven impeller provides the energy to break up the dispersed phase into fine droplets, creating a large interfacial area essential for rapid mass transfer of the solute. The design of the impeller and the mixing intensity are critical; insufficient mixing leads to slow extraction, while excessive mixing can create a stable emulsion that is difficult to separate in the settler.

After mixing, the dispersion flows into the much larger, quiescent settler. Here, under the influence of gravity, the droplets of the dispersed phase coalesce and separate into a distinct layer from the continuous phase. The performance of the settler depends on the density difference between the phases, their interfacial tension, and the viscosity of the continuous phase. Weirs are typically used at the outlet of the settler to control the interface level and separately discharge the light (extract) and heavy (raffinate) phases. For complex separations requiring many theoretical stages, multiple mixer-settler units are connected in a counter-current arrangement. In this setup, the feed solution and the extraction solvent flow in opposite directions through the cascade, maximizing the concentration driving force and overall separation efficiency. Despite their large footprint and significant liquid inventory, mixer-settlers remain popular for processes with slow kinetics and high throughput requirements.

UNESCO Nomenclature: 3305
- Génie chimique

Taper

Dispositif physique

Perturbation

Incrémentale

Usage

Utilisation généralisée

Précurseurs

  • basic laboratory separating funnel
  • industrial mixing tanks and settling ponds
  • understanding of fluid dynamics and droplet coalescence
  • development of multi-stage processing concepts from distillation

Applications

  • large-scale copper extraction in the mining industry
  • nuclear fuel reprocessing (e.g., in the PUREX process)
  • production of phosphoric acid
  • petrochemical industry for separating aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons
  • large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing

Brevets:

NA

Idées d'innovations potentielles

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Related to : mélangeur-décanteur, extraction liquide-liquide, génie chimique, cascade à contre-courant, transfert de masse, séparation de phases, hydrométallurgie, procédé PUREX, équipement industriel, roue.

Contexte historique

Mixer-Settler Unit

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(si la date est inconnue ou non pertinente, par exemple « mécanique des fluides », une estimation arrondie de son émergence notable est fournie)

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