Oldshoe-Rushton column in supercritical fluid extraction

The performance of a mechanically agitated Oldshue–Rushton column using carbon dioxide solvent at 10 MPa and 313 K to extract ethanol from aqueous feed was investigated. The overall mass-transfer coefficient K _od a, the height equivalent to a theoretical stage (HETS), dispersed phase holdup, as well as the column capacity data were measured as a function of solvent-to-feed ratio and rotor speed. The values of overall mass transfer coefficient K _od a generally ranged from 0.009 to 0.012 s⁻¹, and the values of the HETS ranged from 0.44 to 0.74 m. The total throughput of the Oldshue–Rushton column without agitation was approximately 68 m³·h⁻¹·m⁻², whereas at 300 rpm the total throughput was approximately 48 m³·h⁻¹·m⁻².