A Simplified Droplet Breakage Model to Simulate Continuous Emulsification by Hydrodynamic Cavitation

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Liquid-liquid emulsions are vital across industries like healthcare and food.
• Hydrodynamic cavitation presents an efficient method for continuous emulsification.
• Accurate computational models are needed for designing cavitation-based emulsification processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reformulate a simplified droplet breakage model for continuous emulsification simulation.
• To evaluate the model's performance in predicting droplet size distributions (DSD).
• To provide a practical framework for designing and scaling up emulsion systems.

Main Methods:

• Reformulation of a simplified droplet breakage model.
• Application of the model to oil-in-water emulsions produced via vortex-based hydrodynamic cavitation.
• Evaluation using previously published experimental data under varying conditions.

Main Results:

• The model successfully simulated continuous emulsification across various operating conditions and liquid systems.
• Accurate prediction of droplet sizes (1-100 μm) with low root-mean-square error (0.002-0.6 μm).
• The model captured the influence of pressure drop and oil volume fraction.

Conclusions:

• The simplified droplet breakage model offers a generalized and practical approach for simulating continuous emulsification.
• The model demonstrates ease of implementation and low computational expense.
• This framework supports the design and scale-up of next-generation emulsion technologies.