The Taylor-Couette Disc Contactor

The Taylor-Couette disc contactor is a hydrodynamic hybrid of a rotating disc contactor and a Taylor-Couette contactor. For application in reactive bioseparations, this type of liquid-liquid contactor may offer advantageous operation features. This paper summarizes the design characteristics of the Taylor-Couette disc contactor. For hydrodynamic characterization, experimental data of the mean Sauter diameter and dispersed-phase hold-up were compared with results predicted by empirical correlations, which were originally developed for rotating disc contactors. Several correlations were modified for the application on Taylor-Couette disc contactors. Operation characteristics have been deduced from mass-transfer experiments on the pilot-plant scale.