Flocculation of dispersed phase droplets in water-in-oil emulsions: Experiment and mathematical simulation |
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Authors: | M Yu Koroleva I O Leoshkevich E V Yurtov |
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Institution: | (1) St. Lawrence Reactors Ltd., Missisauga, Ontario, Canada; |
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Abstract: | The sedimentation stability of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions is shown to drastically rise at dispersed phase fractions of higher
than 0.25–0.30. According to electron microscopy data, in W/O emulsions, dispersed phase droplets can form both globular flocs
and network structures, with the latter prevailing in sedimentation-stable emulsions. The fractal dimensions are determined
for different types of flocs. The aggregation of dispersed phase droplets is mathematically simulated according to the models
of the diffusion-limited cluster aggregation and Brownian dynamics. Both models are shown to predict the formation of aggregates
with structures similar to flocs observed in micrographs. The value of the percolation threshold calculated for aggregates
within the framework of the Brownian dynamics model coincides with the fraction of the dispersed phase in W/O emulsions at
which the network structures begin to be formed. |
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Keywords: | |
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