Mass transfer of volatile organic carbons through aqueous foams

A model is developed to study diffusive mass transfer of hydrocarbon vapor through a flexible foam blanket. The model accounts for the diffusion of hydrocarbon vapor through gas-phase and liquid lamellae, the combined gravity and capillary drainage from the plateau border, the thinning of foam lamellae caused by the forces of capillary suction, London-van der Waals attraction, and electrostatic double-layer repulsion, and foam collapse. Uniform bubble size is assumed, and hence, interbubble gas diffusion arising out of variation in bubble sizes alone is not incorporated into the model. A high-stability aqueous foam formulation that remains stable in the presence of oil (hexane) at foam-oil contact was developed using surfactants, stabilizers, and viscosifiers. Emission of hexane vapor through the foam was measured. The model predicts that the initially taller foam columns collapse faster. Their mass-transfer resistance is higher before the onset of collapse but not very different from that of the shorter foam columns at long times. If the solubility and diffusivity of the hexane gas in the foam liquid are unaffected, the foams with higher viscosities persist longer and provide greater diffusive mass-transfer resistance. Foam bubble size does not significantly impact the mass-transfer resistance of the foam column before the onset of foam collapse. However, the foams with smaller bubbles collapse earlier, and their ability to act as a mass-transfer barrier to the diffusing hydrocarbon vapor diminishes rapidly. The experimental results compared reasonably with the model for varying initial foam heights and bubble sizes.