Drop Breakup in Stirred-Tank Contactors. Part III: Correlations for Mean Size and Drop Size Distribution.

Abstract

In Part II, the extent to which dispersed-phase viscosity and interfacial tension influence equilibrium mean drop size and drop size distribution was determined for dilute suspensions produced in baffled cylindrical tanks of standard geometry equipped with six-blade Rushton turbines. Low to moderate viscosity dispersed- phase systems behaved similarly in that Sauter mean diameter could be correlated using the mechanistic arguments of Part I, and drop sizes, normalized with respect to D_32, could be correlated by a normal distribution in volume. Limited moderate viscosity data were reported in Part I but were not used to develop the correlations of Part II. The objective of this study is to combine the low to moderate viscosity data of Parts I and II with those obtained by other investigators to obtain correlations of broader utility, and to extend these via mechanistic arguments so that they apply to nondilute systems.