Development Scale Liquid-Liquid/Gas-Liquid Separators

Features

Important Features:

• Bench top to plant scale
  Our devices are well-characterized and directly scalable from lab to pilot to production.
• Separate emulsions with ease
  Instead of using agitation to form microdroplets, we improve mixing by using a flow pattern that has a large surface area, thus avoiding emulsions that generally cause separation issues. Existing emulsions tend to break as they encounter the membrane.
• Independent of density
  The operating principle behind the technology is based on a liquid’s wettable nature, so it works with any liquid-liquid system regardless of their density difference.
• Excellent chemical compatibility
  Machined in materials with excellent chemical resistance, Zaiput separators work with a wide range of organic solvents, in acidic and basic solutions.
• Easy usage and maintenance
  Plug and play functionality at all scales.
• Continuous operation for batch/flow chemistry
  Our devices can be easily used and integrated within either a batch process or a continuous one.

Other Advantages:

• Cost effective
  Our devices come at a lower price than competing technologies. Our devices also reduce your operating costs thanks to minimal maintenance and highly efficient performance.
• Minimal internal volume
  Our devices eliminate the need for moving or coalescing parts, and also have a drastically reduced dead volume.
• Green technology
  Our devices have excellent separation performance and high extraction efficiency, reducing solvent consumption. They are  suitable for any chemical process, from bulk to high-value chemical industries.
• Pressure rating
  The metal shell design allows Zaiput separators to be used inline with a pressurized process (up to 290 psi/ 2 MPa).
• Inherently safe
  No electricity is required, no headspace and minimal internal volume.
• Multistage
  Suitable for use in a multi-stage extraction setup, in cross-current or counter-current

How It Works

If the video does not play properly, click here to see our demo.

Zaiput Flow Technologies’ patented separators provide continuous separation of an immiscible phase (liquid-liquid or gas-liquid) by leveraging differences in wetting properties of the liquids onto a porous membrane.

• • When a stream composed of two phases (for example: an aqueous liquid and an organic liquid or a gas and a liquid) enters the separator, one phase will have an affinity for the membrane and fill the pores (this is referred to as the “wetting” phase), and the other phase will be repelled and will not fill the pores (this is referred to as the “non-wetting” phase).
  • Once the membrane pores are filled with the wetting phase, a pressure differential is applied between the two sides of the membrane. This pressure differential is finely adjusted by Zaiput’s patented internal pressure controller to apply just enough pressure to “push” the wetting phase without forcing the non-wetting phase through the pores (see figure below). The separator is designed to maintain a constant pressure differential across the designated flow rates even when conditions are fluctuating. As a result, the separator can be used as a “plug-and-play”, modular unit.
  • A key aspect of the technology is that it exploits differences in wettability and surface forces to accomplish the separation; as a result, the device can separate liquids with the same density and emulsions with continuous operation.

Applications

Advantages

Separation of Emulsions

membrane separation can be done with either a hydrophilic or hydrophobic membrane

• Emulsions and rag layers typically take long periods of time to gravity separate leading to plant inefficiencies.
• Zaiput’s separator allows for easy emulsion separation by removing the matrix fluid and forcing the emulsion to coalesce.
• Since separation is density independent, even the most challenging emulsions can be separated with ease.

Small Footprint

membrane-based liquid liquid separators require a much smaller footprint

• Zaiput’s liquid liquid separators requires a very small footprint compared to traditional batch separation processes since a storage/separatory tank is not required.
• Zaiput’s membrane separators can be easily stored on a cart or in a lab chemical hood, and one unit can be used for multiple reactors.

Process Integration

• Zaiput’s liquid-liquid separation technology can be easily integrated and used downstream or in-line to separate a biphasic stream.

Faster Separations and Better Reactor Availability

• Zaiput’s phase separators allow continuous separation, which could speed up the overall process.
• The separation can be done faster compared to a typical batch process, and extraction can be done in line, allowing for more available reactor space for reactants, thus increasing output.

Small Internal Volume

• Zaiput’s phase separators allow continuous separation, which could speed up the overall process.
• The separation can be done faster compared to a typical batch process, and extraction can be done in line, allowing for more available reactor space for reactants, thus increasing output.

Lack of Headspace

• Zaiput’s phase separators do not have any headspace which is present in separatory funnels or tanks.
• Depending on the chemistry in use, headspace might cause safety concerns. Our membrane separators resolve this issue and simplify air sensitive separations and extractions.

Quick Quench and Separation

• Very useful when the reaction stream needs to undergo a rapid quench, due to the presence of an unstable compound.

Membranes

A variety of membranes for your Zaiput separator are available to optimize phase separation performance and throughput. Membranes are available in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, they are low cost and easy to replace.

Membrane selection process:

The key parameters for identifying a suitable membrane for phase separation are the interfacial tension between the two phases and the viscosity of the permeating phase (this has an effect on throughput of the device).

In general, the lower the interfacial tension, the smaller the pore size needs to be. However, smaller pore size reduces the maximum viscosity that can be accommodated by the membrane.

Separators

• SEP-10
• SEP-200-SS (Stainless steel 316)
• SEP-200-HS (Hastelloy C276)
• SEP-200-FP (Perflourinated Polymers)
• SEP-3000-SS (Stainless steel 316)
• SEP-3000-HS (Hastelloy C276)

Membranes

• A variety of membranes both PTFE Hydrophobic and PTFE Hydrophilic are available in different pore sizes to optimize your separation.
• Membranes are low – cost and easy to maintain.

>> Membrane Sampler Package : MEM-10 (available on request for larger devices) – 7 packs of 10 membranes
>> Quick Start Package option : START-10 ( membrane samples MEM-10 + replacement diaphragm)
>> Specific membrane ordering info:

Contact us for the latest membrane offering

For general applications, we recommend reviewing the information in the Membrane Selection Guide.

If you have any questions, contact us at support@zaiput.com

Literature

Scientific articles featuring our separators:

Specifications

Flow Chemistry – Laboratory Scale

	Part Number	SEP-10
	Width x Depth x Height	77 mm (3.03 inch) x 29 mm (1.14 inch) x 71 mm (2.79 inch)
	Max Pressure	2 MPa (290 psi)
	Ports	1/4 – 28 flat bottom
	Wetted parts	Perfluorinated polymers (ETFA, PFA)
	Total Flow Rate	0-10 ml/min
	Max Temperature	90 ℃
	Internal Volume	~0.5ml
	Max Gas Flow Rate	~100 sccm

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Flow Chemistry – Pilot Scale

	Part Number	SEP—200 (SS/HS/FP)
	Width x Depth x Height	206 mm (8.11 inch) x 26 mm (1.02 inch) x 196 mm (7.71 inch)
	Max Pressure	2 MPa (290 psi)
	Ports	Swagelok for ¼‘’ OD
	Wetted parts	Model HS: Hastelloy C 276, PTFE, PFA, FFKM Model SS: SS 316, PTFE, PFA, FFKM Model FP: ETFE, PTFE, PFA, FFKM
	Total Flow Rate	20-200 ml/min
	Max Temperature	130 ℃ for HS & SS, 90 ℃ for FP
	Internal Volume	~35ml
	Max Gas Flow Rate	~1000 sccm

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Flow Chemistry – Production Scale

	Part Number	SEP—3000 (HS/SS)
	Width x Depth x Height	460 mm (18.0 inch) x 150 mm (6.0 inch) x 607 mm (23.9 inch)
	Max Pressure	1 MPa Standard – 2 MPa (290 psi) available upon request
	Ports	Swagelok 1/2’’ OD
	Wetted parts	Model HS: Hastelloy C 276, PTFE, PFA, FFKM Model SS: SS316, PTFE, PFA, FFKM
	Total Flow Rate	200-3000 ml/min
	Max Temperature	130 ℃
	Internal Volume	~350ml
	Max Gas Flow Rate	~10000 sccm

For larger scales separators click on this link:

 PRODUCTION SCALE SEPARATORS AND EXTRACTION PLATFORMS

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Ordering Information

FAQ

FAQs about Zaiput separators