Patent ID: 11865476
Assignee: BATTELLE SAVANNAH RIVER ALLIANCE, LLC
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A method for separating a first material from a second materials comprising:
feeding a first material to a separating zone of a centrifugal contactor;
feeding a second material to the separating zone of the centrifugal contactor;
spinning the first and second materials about a shaft within the centrifugal contactor by use of a plurality of rotor blades that revolve about an axis of the shaft, wherein upon the spinning, the first and second materials separate within the separating zone according to a density gradient across a span in a radial direction, the radial direction being defined by a radius of the shaft;
during the spinning, transmitting a signal from the separating zone to a first end of a communications fiber retained within a hollow core of the shaft; and
analyzing the signal to obtain information about the separation.