Turbulent Droplet Breakage in a von Kármán Flow Cell

Breakage of dispersed phase liquid droplets immersed in a second immiscible continuous liquid phase is a common phenomenon in the production of petrochemicals, polymers, metals, foods, and pharmaceuticals. It is also vital for environmental management, such as cleaning up oil spills and leaking underground storage tanks. Although several mathematical models have been developed to describe droplet breakage in agitated liquid emulsions, the applicability of these models is limited by the fact that they incorporate multiple fitting parameters that must be determined empirically for specified fluid pairs and flow conditions. Here, a semi-empirical equation has been developed fo determinng the fitting parameters for two well-known breakage models without the need to perform experiments. This equation was derived using dimensional analysis and a hypothesis regarding breakage probability based upon competition between disruptive and restorative stresses on droplets. The data used for model validation was obtained from both previously published experiments of droplet breakage in stirred tanks and also experiments performed in a von Karman box designed to produce homogeneous turbulence. The model shows a high degree of fit with the experimental data from both sources.