Estimating Breakup Frequencies in Industrial Emulsification Devices: The Challenge of Inferring Local Frequencies from Global Methods

Experimental methods to study the breakup frequency in industrial devices are increasingly important. Since production-scale often inaccessible single-drop experiments, frequencies for these can only be studied with “global methods”; i.e., estimated from analyzing emulsification-experiment data. However, how much said about local (e.g., needed modelling) global estimates? This question is discussed based on insights a numerical validation procedure where set compared estimates. It concluded that provide valid estimate of as long dissipation rate turbulent kinetic energy fairly homogenous throughout device (although residence-time-correction, suggested this contribution, flow not uniform device). For more realistic case an inhomogeneous frequency, underestimates (at volume-averaged energy). relative error between and estimates approximately constant when comparing conditions. suggest still valuable studying scale across operating conditions, geometries fluid properties.