Rotating Disc Contactor
also known as RDC
A rotating disc contactor is a vertical column divided by stator rings into compartments, each containing a disc mounted on a central rotating shaft. The discs shear the dispersed phase into fine droplets while the compartments limit axial back-mixing. Rotational speed is the main operating variable and controls both droplet size and throughput.
Why it matters in practice
Because agitation is externally adjustable, an RDC allows the droplet size and hence the interfacial area to be tuned without changing the chemistry — valuable when a feed composition drifts. The cost is that axial mixing and the correlation between speed, HETS and flooding must be established empirically for each system.
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Equipment referenced in this entry
Related terms
Reference entry GL-ROTATING-DISC-CONTACTOR. Definitions on this page describe engineering practice in hydrometallurgical process design; they are not a substitute for test work on your own material.