1) Liquid-Liquid Extraction with Immiscible Liquids: 180 kg/h of a liquid feed enters an extraction column with 98% paraffin oil and 2% ethyl alcohol at room temperature and pressure. Liquid absorbent is 100% water. Required recovery (extraction) of ethyl alcohol from paraffin oil is 97%.
Given that paraffin oil and water are immiscible with each other and the extraction column operates in a counter current fashion. Assume isothermal and isobaric conditions and that only ethyl alcohol is absorbed.
Equilibrium relation between mass fractions of ethyl alcohol in water and paraffin oil is given by Xwater = 1.7544 * Xparaffin oil.
(a) Find minimum amount of water required.
(b) If you have 1.5 times minimum water amount, how many equilibrium stages are required?