Optical measurements are performed with an inline measurement technique in laboratory and pilot plant columns to obtain information about the droplet swarm at specific locations as a function of process parameters, e. g., time, energy input, and throughput. The column simulation tool LLECMOD was extended to packed and pulsed columns with the possibility of a free choice of the dispersed phase and mass transfer direction. The CFD simulation provides the basis for 3D simulation of hydrodynamics in stirred extraction columns. A one-group population balance model allows a determination of the changing droplet size with little additional CPU time. An enhanced visualization of the column data in 3D space allows fast and targeted analysis of the apparatus behavior.