Experimental investigation on an efficient continuous liquid-solid separator with particle automatic recovery and anti-damage

Abstract

Traditional liquid-solid separation technology has significant limitations in regulating particle morphology, increasing particle size, and realizing perfusion process because of low solid content, insufficient handling capacity, poor separation accuracy, and discontinuity. Therefore, a continuous liquid-solid separator (CLSS) with circulation settlement, microporous filtration, solid recycling, and extraction separation is proposed to achieve in-situ liquid-solid separation for efficient and continuous reaction in the multiphase reactor. Three typical solid materials (i.e., cathode material, aluminum hydroxide, and brown corundum) with different physical properties were employed to investigate the effects of operating parameters (i.e., solid feeding concentration, clear liquid handling capacity, and running time) on the slurry flow regime and separation performance. It is found that the defined slurry circulation and separation performance are affected by the coupling of particle properties and operating parameters. The filter intercepts almost 100 % of solid particles, achieving particle recycling and increasing solid concentration. The particle recovery concentration of the separator can reach more than 3 times the feeding concentration, enriching particle concentration more than 50 wt.%. The beneficial supergravity separation is promoted as the particle size increases, decreasing the particle axial diffusion along the separation zone. The mechanisms of slurry directional flow and solid-liquid separation in the CLSS are revealed through force analysis, which enhances particle retention and separation performance. The CLSS can transform some intermittent reactions into continuous ones, reducing production costs and improving product quality and safety, shedding new light on upgrading various industries, such as biological fermentation, solid catalysis, and reaction crystallization.