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Effect of holdup on equilibrium drop sizes in an agitated tank

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6287314
Equilibrium drop sizes are calculated for a dispersed liquid phase (i.e., oil in water) in an agitated tank under conditions of non-negligible holdup. The unsteady pressure forces across a drop necessary to break it against the resistance of surface tension are estimated assuming a locally isotropic turbulent field. A coalescence frequency based on binary drop collisions is equated to the breakup frequency to yield a semi-empirical relation that gives the increase in drop size with holdup over the zero holdup value. The relation explains some divergences among reported experimental results and correlates all data from similarly stabilized systems.
Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (USA). Fluid Mechanics Lab.
OSTI ID:
6287314
Report Number(s):
AD-766919; Pub-73-8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English