GB2028159A - Solid phase transport in series fluidised bed reactors - Google Patents
Solid phase transport in series fluidised bed reactors Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2028159A GB2028159A GB7928565A GB7928565A GB2028159A GB 2028159 A GB2028159 A GB 2028159A GB 7928565 A GB7928565 A GB 7928565A GB 7928565 A GB7928565 A GB 7928565A GB 2028159 A GB2028159 A GB 2028159A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- fluidised bed
- stage
- particulate solid
- column
- tube
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 239000007790 solid phase Substances 0.000 title 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 43
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000005342 ion exchange Methods 0.000 claims abstract 2
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 26
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910052770 Uranium Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 7
- JFALSRSLKYAFGM-UHFFFAOYSA-N uranium(0) Chemical compound [U] JFALSRSLKYAFGM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract description 7
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000012071 phase Substances 0.000 description 18
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 10
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 10
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005243 fluidization Methods 0.000 description 2
- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- NWUYHJFMYQTDRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 1,2-bis(ethenyl)benzene;1-ethenyl-2-ethylbenzene;styrene Chemical compound C=CC1=CC=CC=C1.CCC1=CC=CC=C1C=C.C=CC1=CC=CC=C1C=C NWUYHJFMYQTDRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000003456 ion exchange resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003303 ion-exchange polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000007791 liquid phase Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002156 mixing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012508 resin bead Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003756 stirring Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J8/00—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes
- B01J8/18—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with fluidised particles
- B01J8/24—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with fluidised particles according to "fluidised-bed" technique
- B01J8/26—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with fluidised particles according to "fluidised-bed" technique with two or more fluidised beds, e.g. reactor and regeneration installations
- B01J8/28—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with fluidised particles according to "fluidised-bed" technique with two or more fluidised beds, e.g. reactor and regeneration installations the one above the other
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J47/00—Ion-exchange processes in general; Apparatus therefor
- B01J47/10—Ion-exchange processes in general; Apparatus therefor with moving ion-exchange material; with ion-exchange material in suspension or in fluidised-bed form
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01J8/00—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes
- B01J8/18—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with fluidised particles
- B01J8/20—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with fluidised particles with liquid as a fluidising medium
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C22B60/00—Obtaining metals of atomic number 87 or higher, i.e. radioactive metals
- C22B60/02—Obtaining thorium, uranium, or other actinides
- C22B60/0204—Obtaining thorium, uranium, or other actinides obtaining uranium
- C22B60/0217—Obtaining thorium, uranium, or other actinides obtaining uranium by wet processes
- C22B60/0252—Obtaining thorium, uranium, or other actinides obtaining uranium by wet processes treatment or purification of solutions or of liquors or of slurries
- C22B60/0265—Obtaining thorium, uranium, or other actinides obtaining uranium by wet processes treatment or purification of solutions or of liquors or of slurries extraction by solid resins
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
- Y02P10/20—Recycling
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Geology (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Devices And Processes Conducted In The Presence Of Fluids And Solid Particles (AREA)
Abstract
In a multistage counter-current fluidised bed column, fluidised bed material is recycled within each stage and a fraction is continuously withdrawn to the next lower stage at a rate dependent only on the rate of removal of the fluidised bed material from the base of the column. It has a particular application to the ion exchange treatment of liquids containing suspended solids, for example leach solutions from uranium ores. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Improvements in or relating to a process and apparatus for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase, in particular a liquid which may contain suspended solids. It finds a specific application in the recovery of uranium from leach solutions produced in the processing of uranium ores.
One of the preferred methods of extracting uranium from leach solutions is by contacting with an ion exchange resin. For leach solutions containing suspended solids, this has been done by stirring together the solution and the resin, separating the resin, adding more resin to the solution, and repeating the operation until all the uranium in the solution has been absorbed. The separated resin fractions are then treated to recover the uranium.
Recently this method has been modified by the introduction of multistage counter current fluidised bed columns in which a vertical column is separated into stages by horizontal perforated plates which restrain the free mixing of resin and leach solution in the whole column, and the resin in each stage is fluidised by upward flow of leach solution. Thus, in UK Patent Specification No. 1,070,251 there is described a column of this type in which upward flow of leach solution is continued until the resin is loaded to the desired level, upward flow is then stopped and, after a period of no flow in which the resin in each stage settles on to the perforated plates, flow in the column is reversed causing the resin bed in each stage to be transferred to the stage below. The cycle is then repeated.It is however a disadvantage that discontinuous counter current flow of resin and solution requires complex column operation. There is also a loss of stage efficiency when the flow is reversed.
The present invention consists in a process for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase in multistage fluidised bed column, which process comprises maintaining a fluidised bed of the particulate solid in a part only of each stage by continuous upward flow of the fluid phase through the column, continuously recycling particulate solid from each fluidised bed back to the same fluidised bed or another bed in the same stage, and continuously transferring a fraction of the particulate solid from each fluidised bed to recycling particulate solid in the next lower stage.
The invention also consists in a multistage counter current fluidised bed column in which each stage has means for continuous internal recycling of the fluidised bed material through a fluidised bed in that stage and means for transferring a fraction of the fluidised bed material continuously to the next lower stage.
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompany diagrammatic drawing which is a side view in section.
In the drawing is shown a column 1 with three stages A, B, C each containing a fluidised bed with means for internal recycling of the fluidised bed material. A conical base 2 holds the fluidised bed material in each stage and has a central plate (not shown) with one or more holes to provide a fluidising jet 3.
Mounted above each jet is a vertical tube 4 which defines the fluidised bed in each stage, positioned to give a preselected gap 5 between the base of the tube 4 and the conical base 2. Between the tube 4 and the wall of the column 1 is a transfer tube 6 with a flared top 7. The tube 6 has its flared top 7 at the same level at the top of the tube 4 and extends downwards through the conical base 2 to a level slightly below the top of the tube 4 in the next lower stage. A feed hopper 8, with a vertical bottom tube 9 extending into the top stage A of the column 1 to a level slightly below the top of the tube 4 in that stage, supplies fluidised bed material to the column. The bottom transfer tube 6 is angled after it passes through the lowest conical base 2 to extend through the side wall of the column 1 and provide an offtake for the fluidised bed material, controlled by a valve 10.For a fluid phase an inlet 11 is provided at the base of the column 1 and an outlet 1 2 at the top of the column. To keep the column 1 as compact as possible there may be fitted, as shown, a small deflector plate 1 3 between the top of the tubes 4 and the jets 3 above them.
in operation of the column fluid phase is passed up through the column from the inlet 11 to the outlet 12, its velocity being increased at the jets 3. Particulate solid in the form of resin beads, for example, is fed from the hopper 8 counter currently to the fluid phase, passing first to the annulus between the wall of the column 1 and the tube 4 in the top stage A of the column, then from the bottom of the annulus through the gap 5 where it encounters the fluid phase flowing up through the jet 3. The velocity of the fluid phase fluidises the particulate solid up the tube 4 but on leaving the tube 4 the velocity of the fluid phase reduces and the particulate solid is defluidised and settles back into the annulus from which it is recycled.A fraction of the particulate solid however is collected by the flared top 7 of the transfer tube 6 and passes down to the annulus of the next lower stage where the cycle is repeated.
At start up of the column the valve 10 is closed and the flow of particulate solid from the feed hopper tube 9 and from the transfer tubes 6 is unrestricted until the level of particulate solid in each tube 4 reaches the level of the respective transfer tube 6. The particulate solid then stops flowing downwards and is continuously recycled by the upward flowing liquid phase. The valve 10 is now opened and the level of particulate solid in the annulus of the bottom stage C starts to fall. This creates a gap between the particulate solid in the annulus and the bottom of the transfer tube 6 from the stage B above, allowing more particulate solid to flow down the tube 6 from stage B. This effect passes up from stage to stage and when it reaches the top stage more particulate solid is allowed to flow from the feed hopper 8.The rate of flow of particulate solid down the column 1 is thus controlled by the extent to which the valve 10 is opened.
The column may contain as many stages as desired, only three being shown in the drawing for simplicity. For columns of large diameter several separate conical bases with associated tubes 4 may be used at each stage, preferably with a separate transfer tube 6 for each fluidised bed.
The column may be used for the extraction of ions from the fluid phase into the particulate solid and for the extraction of ions from the particulate solid into the fluid phase.
Contact between the particulate solid and the fluid phase occurs principally in the tubes 4. The gap 5 may however be adjusted so that part of the fluid phase flows up through each annulus between the tubes 4 and the wall of the column 1, counter currently to the falling particulate solid. The proportion of the fluid phase flowing up the annulus can be matched to the loading characteristics of the particulate solid being used. The conditions of fluid transport up the tubes 4 and zero or incipient fluidisation in the annulus of each stage have both been found to be tolerant to considerable variations of fluid phase flow rates without instabilities arising. The stability of the fluidising conditions minimises damage to the particulate solid and is therefore an advantage of the invention.It is a further advantage of the invention that, with the particulate solid in both the tubes 4 and the annulus in each stage in continuous motion, the column is not subject to blockage when the fluid phase contains suspended solids.
Moreover control of the column is simple since the rate of flow of solids from stage to stage in the downward direction is automatically self-adjusting, depends only on the rate at which the solids are removed from the bottom stage and is independent of the rate of fluid phase flow once fluidisation is established. it is yet another advantage of the invention that, by arranging for the fluidised bed at each stage to be formed in a relatively long tube, the particles in the bed are in a highly fluidised state well into the transport regime, with the effect that the system is insensitive to variations in the size, density or shape of the particles over a considerable range in any case. It is therefore particularly suitable for the processing of liquids which contain suspended solids, for example, leach solutions from the treatment of uranium-bearing materials.
Claims (8)
1. A process for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase in a multistage fluidised bed column, in which process a fluidised bed of the particulate solid is maintained in part only of each stage by continuous upward flow of the fluid phase through the column, particulate solid from each fluidised bed is continuously recycled back to the same fluidised bed or another bed in the same stage and a fraction of the particulate solid from each fluidised bed is continuously transferred to recycling particulate solid in the next lower stage.
2. A process for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase as claimed in claim 1 wherein the particulate solid is an ion exchange material.
3. A process for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fluid phase is a liquid containing suspended solids.
4. A process for contacting a particulate solid with a fluid phase as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fluid phase is a leach solution from the treatment of uraniumbearing material.
5. A multistage counter-current fluidised bed column in which each stage has means for continuous internal recycling of the fluidised bed material through a fluidised bed in that stage and means for transferring a fraction of the fluidised bed material continuously to the next lower stage.
6. A multistage counter-current fluidised bed column as claimed in claim 5 wherein each stage comprises a conical base member for holding fluidised bed material in that stage, a fluidising jet defined by the conical base member, a first tube disposed above the fluidising jet and with its lower end clear of the conical base member to provide a fluidised bed in that stage, and a second tube having its upper end level with the upper end of the first tube extending through the conical base member to below the level of the first tube in the next lower stage for collecting fluidised bed material ejected from the first tube and transferring it to the next lower stage.
7. A multistage counter-current fluidised bed column as claimed in claim 6 wherein a deflector plate for fluidised bed material ejected from the first tube is disposed between the top cf the first tube and the fluidising jet of the stage above it.
8. A multistage counter-current fluidised bed column constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7928565A GB2028159B (en) | 1978-08-24 | 1979-08-16 | Solid phase transport in series fluidised bed reactors |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7834479 | 1978-08-24 | ||
| GB7928565A GB2028159B (en) | 1978-08-24 | 1979-08-16 | Solid phase transport in series fluidised bed reactors |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB2028159A true GB2028159A (en) | 1980-03-05 |
| GB2028159B GB2028159B (en) | 1983-04-27 |
Family
ID=26268651
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7928565A Expired GB2028159B (en) | 1978-08-24 | 1979-08-16 | Solid phase transport in series fluidised bed reactors |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2028159B (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1993024669A3 (en) * | 1992-05-29 | 1994-02-03 | Du Pont | Continuous ore reaction process |
| US5490976A (en) * | 1991-08-26 | 1996-02-13 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Continuous ore reaction process by fluidizing |
| US10894999B2 (en) * | 2015-09-29 | 2021-01-19 | Outotec (Finland) Oy | Process and apparatus for producing uranium or a rare earth element |
-
1979
- 1979-08-16 GB GB7928565A patent/GB2028159B/en not_active Expired
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5490976A (en) * | 1991-08-26 | 1996-02-13 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Continuous ore reaction process by fluidizing |
| WO1993024669A3 (en) * | 1992-05-29 | 1994-02-03 | Du Pont | Continuous ore reaction process |
| AU684462B2 (en) * | 1992-05-29 | 1997-12-18 | E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Continuous ore reaction process |
| US10894999B2 (en) * | 2015-09-29 | 2021-01-19 | Outotec (Finland) Oy | Process and apparatus for producing uranium or a rare earth element |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2028159B (en) | 1983-04-27 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |