Effect of Dispersed Phase Viscosity on Emulsification in Turbulence Flow

Systematic experimental study has been performed to examine the effects of dispersed phase viscosity on emulsification in turbulence flow. It is found that the volume drop size distributions widen as dispersed phase viscosity increased; at lower dispersed phase viscosity, both Sauter mean diameter and the maximum stable diameter increase with the viscosity, while at higher dispersed phase viscosity, Sauter mean diameter and the maximum stable diameter decreasing and increasing, respectively. It has also been found that linear relation between the Sauter mean diameter and the maximum stable drop diameter is still valid for the emulsions which show a bimodal volume distribution, and the proportional constant decreases as dispersed phase viscosity increases.