Continuous separation of aqueous entrainment from tri-n-butyl-phosphate by electric fields

The effectiveness of pulsed electric fields in separating simulated aqueous entrainments from the PUREX process has been investigated. For this, a laboratory scale electric separator operating in the continuous mode has been developed which is better suited in practical application than a batch mode entrainment separator investigated previously. In preliminary experiments the effectiveness of the process was already demonstrated with a batch mode electric separator. Influences were studied which are exerted by the parameters field strength (0 to 210 kV/m), electrode insulation, maximum field strength and type of electric switch, pulse frequency (DC, 1 to 30 Hz), mean residence time of the dispersion (1.1 to 5.4minutes), electrode gap (1, 2 and 4 cm), initial entrainment concentration (0.35 to 1.36% (wt)), and mean droplet diameter (40 to 67 μm). With the optimum parameters determined in the experiments separation efficiencies of up to 90 % have been achieved.