[Ferran]

Hi everyone,

I am working in a simulation of membrane emulsification in a mode of operation named steric hindrance, where the created droplets grow until its neighbors and they break up because of the contact with other droplets. The droplets do not merge because there is surfactant in the aqueous phase.

I am using interFoam and, as it does not model the surfactant, the droplets merge with each other instead of push each other. Is there a solution already implemented to inhibit the coalescence of the droplets?


I have attached pictures of the simulation droplets merging and a picture of steric hindrance of membrane emulsification from A.J. Abrahamse, A. van der Padt and R.M. Boom, Analysis of droplet formation and interactions during cross-flow membrane emulsification, Journal of Membrane Science 204 (2002) 125, also included in thesis Membrane emulsification: process principles by Anneke Gijsbertsen-Abrahamse. In the latter picture as not all pores are activated, some droplets grow bigger than others but they are detached by neighbor contact and do not merge.

Thanks in advance!

[gaoxy_star]

Did you solve this problem?