With the continuous improvement of solvent extraction technology and complete equipment technology, as well as the continuous development of various new extractants, centrifugal solvent extraction technology has become more and more mature. At present, the technology has covered the very small density difference (Δρ < 0.04g/cm3), large viscosity (> 1000cP), containing oligomers, flammable and explosive, strong polarity, difficult to separate and other harsh conditions of the application field, such as rare earth, scattered metals, isotopes, nuclear energy spent fuel, terpolymer waste battery recycling. In the process of improving the extraction efficiency, for these conditions, the extraction stage is often as few as tens of levels, as many as hundreds or even thousands of levels. This puts forward higher requirements for the consistency, adaptability, versatility and stability of the centrifugal extraction system, and also puts forward higher standards for the automatic control and energy consumption of the system.

In the design process of the centrifugal extraction system, the following design process should be carried out according to the process requirements, material components and properties, site conditions, upstream and downstream supporting processes and equipment and other information, referring to the process test or similar conditions of the centrifugal extraction system.

Design inputs should include information on process requirements, material composition, extractant, stripping agent and detergent formulation, operating parameters (such as temperature, comparison, separation factor, etc.), automation requirements and explosion-proof rating. In the design process, the overall layout should be considered comprehensively to ensure the reliability, rationality and compactness of the system, so as to facilitate construction, maintenance and management.

Before the design, it is recommended to use the laboratory small flow centrifugal extractor to conduct process tests on the materials, verify the rationality of the process, and obtain actual operating data, such as separation factor, comparison, flow rate and extraction efficiency. The practical effects of extraction, washing, saponification and stripping were verified by experiments, which provided technical support for industrial scale-up.

In the design of centrifugal extraction system, energy saving and consumption reduction should be considered to improve the comprehensive utilization rate of resources. It is advisable to choose the centrifugal extractor which is sprayed with fluorine material on the upper suspension and steel base, and adopt the multi-stage series countercurrent extraction process.

The maximum flux of the centrifugal extractor in the system should have a margin, and the flux should not exceed 80% of the sum of the flow of the material and extractant (or stripping agent, detergent).

In the system design, it should be considered that when a certain stage of centrifugal extractor fails, the spare centrifugal extractor should be automatically switched without stopping the whole production process, and the countercurrent extraction stage should remain unchanged. Faulty centrifugal extractors can be repaired in situ or removed for repair.

In order to ensure the consistency, adaptability, versatility and stability of each single equipment in the centrifugal extraction system, the quality control of the core equipment centrifugal extraction machine should be strictly implemented, the procedure requirements of the quality management system should be strictly complied with, the reasonable processing technology should be adopted, and the advanced processing and manufacturing technology and equipment should be applied.

For special processing methods, such as welding, should be strictly in accordance with the construction process, the use of appropriate welding parameters and welding tools, and equipped with good fixtures, as far as possible to achieve automatic welding.

For the special flow channels, thin-walled parts and special-shaped parts inside the centrifugal extraction equipment, advanced processing technologies such as additive manufacturing, ESD cold welding, precision casting, and overall plastic forming can be used to ensure the accuracy and quality of the parts.