Droplet transport and coalescence kinetics in emulsions subjected to acoustic fields

Abstract

A method to aid the separation of the oil phase from aqueous emulsions using a low-intensity, resonant ultrasonic field has recently been developed. The density and compressibility difference between the dispersed and continuous phases within the emulsion results in a net force on the oil drops that pushes them toward the pressure antinodes of the standing-wave field, where coalescence subsequently occurs. A trajectory model is developed to predict the relative motion of drops subjected to the acoustic field. Such trajectories are sensitive to the physical properties and relative size of interacting drops, the initial configuration of the drops, and acoustic field parameters. Model predictions are validated by comparing experimentally observed trajectories with those predicted by the model. The modeling approach is then extended to determine the temporal evolution of the size of the region surrounding a target drop cleared by coalescence as a function of physical and acoustic field parameters. These results form the basis of a population balance model that attempts to track the size-evolution of a drop population coalescing under the influence of an acoustic field.