Abstract
A three dimensional microchannel reactor with a settler has been designed through high-precision technology. This device is composed of three different plates with channel and base made of stainless and three quartz glasses. Three plates are named as follows; joining plate, reaction plate and separation plate. A three dimensional microchannel reactor has two advantages. One is that this device can separate heavy-phase and light-phase completely by settler. The other is that it can change channel pattern by changing reaction plate. Five channel patterns were made; straight pattern, straight with circle pattern, small wave pattern, notches pattern and big wave pattern. When the extraction of Cu2+ was examined using various channel pattern, the flow condition was observed and extraction rate was compared. The following results were obtained. 1) The microchannel reactor with settler could completely separate heavy-phase and light-phase over a wide flow range of 0.0005-0.012 ml/s. 2) When flow rate was high, a flow condition is not detected clearly in all channel patterns. When flow rate was low, the liquid-liquid interface was observed clearly. The direction of the interface was perpendicular to the flow direction of the liquids. Flow condition of small distance phase was observed in big wave pattern, small wave pattern and notches pattern. 3) Flow condition of small distance phase has a character that extraction rate is fast in big wave pattern.
