HEAT TRANSFER IN PARTIALLY MISCIBLE TERNARY SYSTEMS

In the study of mass transfer between partially miscible liquids, temperature perturbations have been found to have an important effect in the generation of interfacial activity. Micro- and macro-generated interfacial convection usually occurs in combination with one another even in fairly simple heat or mass transfer events. These combinations are responsible for the enhancement of mass transfer rates. In an effort to acquire a better understanding of the heat transfer effects in ternary liquid-liquid systems, temperature difference profiles were measured when contacting two partially miscible phases. A vertical and a rotational transfer cell were designed to contact the partially miscible phases without inducing external disturbances. Five thermocouples were immersed in the bottom liquid phase at predetermined positions below the interface. In order to understand the influence of the convection generated, the vertical cell was designed to hinder convection in one phase, while the rotational cell permits convection in both phases. The experimental results showed larger temperature differences in the rotational cell after the contact of the phases. Also, systems which were initially unsaturated presented larger heat effects than those in which the partially miscible solvents were initially saturated. Several parameters indicating the importance of heat effects in the ternary systems studied are reported.