Controlling factors on droplets uniformity in membrane emulsification: Experiment and modeling analysis

The membrane emulsification process is attracting great interest in many industrial fields. For optimization and scaling up of the emulsification process, controlling the emulsion uniformity using monitoring process and membrane parameters is especially important. In this study, the effects of phase physical property (viscosity, interfacial tension), and operation conditions (trans-membrane pressure shear stress), on droplet size distribution of an oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion were systemically investigated by membrane emulsification experiments with a cross-flowing continuous phase. Inspired by the idea that droplet spontaneous formation is one of the most important mechanisms to form a uniform emulsion, a simple model based on torque balance equations by describing the variable force torques on droplet formation process was proposed to predict experimental tendencies. The experiment phenomena showed a good coincidence with model prediction. The following experiment conditions were found to facilitate the production of uniform droplets: (1) low cross-flow velocity of the continuous phase, (2) low transmembrane pressure, (3) high viscosity of the dispersed phase, and (4) an emulsifier with great ability and rapid rate to decrease interfacial tension.