The fragmentation of oil drops in emulsions by a high-pressure homogenizer

The action of a high-pressure, radial-flow homogenizer in breaking up the internal phase of oil drops in a coarse emulsion is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The characteristics of the flow of a dilute aqueous emulsion through a poppet type of homogenizing valve are examined. Consideration is given to criteria for determining whether forces of an inertial kind or those of viscous shear primary control the dispersion process. The indications are that viscous stresses operating at the inlet to the valve slit are dominant, especially when the viscosity of the dispersed phase is high. A correlation of drop size with the operating variables and physical parameters is derived and shown to be in accord with experiment.

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