Liquid-Liquid Mass Transfer Coefficient Determination Educational Pilot Plant

Introduction

The Liquid-Liquid Mass Transfer Coefficient Determination Educational Unit Operations Pilot Plant is a specialized, bench-scale laboratory system designed for undergraduate and graduate engineering education. It provides students with practical, hands-on experience in investigating solute mass transfer mechanisms between two immiscible liquid phases. By enabling precise control over phase boundary conditions, temperature, and agitation speeds, the unit allows for the direct determination of mass transfer coefficients and the observation of concentration variations over time, bridging the gap between theoretical transport equations and physical reality.

To ensure this system aligns with specific pedagogical goals, laboratory space constraints, and safety guidelines, LABPARK offers comprehensive customization services. Both the hardware components and the software interface can be tailored to meet unique laboratory requirements, experimental protocols, or institutional standards.

Key Pedagogical Functions and Advantages

• Independent Agitation Control: Features separate, variable-speed drives for both the upper and lower liquid phases, allowing students to study how independent phase turbulence affects the overall mass transfer rate.
• Defined Interface Area: Utilizes a contactor vessel design that maintains a constant, known interfacial area, simplifying the mathematical modeling of the mass transfer process for students.
• Isothermal Testing Conditions: Equipped with a high-precision constant-temperature circulating bath to eliminate temperature-induced variations in viscosity, diffusivity, and solubility.
• Engineering-Scale Process Flow: Exposes students to realistic liquid-liquid process flows, sampling techniques, and analytical routines common in industrial unit operations.
• Compact, Skid-Mounted Design: Built on a robust aluminum frame with lockable casters, allowing the unit to be easily relocated and integrated into existing laboratory spaces.

Technical Specifications and Experimental Scope

Curriculum Alignment and Academic Integration

This pilot plant is designed to integrate into the laboratory curricula of several engineering disciplines, including Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science, and Food Engineering. It acts as a physical counterpart to lecture-based instruction, allowing students to verify transport equations using empirical data.

The experimental capabilities of this unit directly support the core concepts found in standard engineering textbooks, such as:

• Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering: Supports practical coursework on liquid-liquid extraction processes, the validation of mass transfer theories (such as the double-film theory), and the calculation of overall mass transfer coefficients.
• Transport Processes and Unit Operations: Aligns with topics covering molecular diffusion in liquids, convective mass transfer coefficients, and the evaluation of concentration gradients across fluid boundaries.
• Chemical Engineering Design: Assists students in understanding the foundational scale-up principles, stage efficiencies, and thermodynamic behaviors necessary for designing industrial extraction columns.

By using this unit, students gain a deeper understanding of how abstract transport phenomena relate to practical equipment design and industrial-scale operations.

Flexible Customization and Engineering Support

Recognizing that every university laboratory has distinct space limitations, utility availability, and curricular focus, LABPARK offers tailored modification options for this unit. Our engineering team can customize the hardware (such as vessel volumes, material selections, and sensor integrations) as well as the software control systems (including data acquisition options, digital interfaces, and PLC integration) to ensure the pilot plant fits your instructional and safety requirements.

About LABPARK

LABPARK has been dedicated to serving the global higher education sector for over 20 years, focusing on delivering advanced laboratory solutions across six key fields: chemistry, chemical engineering, biotechnology, food engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, and environmental engineering. With a commitment to engineering quality and educational utility, the company holds 209 technical patents and has established successful partnerships with more than 289 universities and colleges worldwide.

Supported by a modern 49,000-square-meter manufacturing and R&D base, LABPARK integrates industrial-grade components with student-friendly interfaces. We ensure that our educational pilot plants meet rigorous academic standards, helping institutions train the next generation of engineers and researchers.

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