Demulsification of kerosene/water emulsion in the transparent asymmetric plate-type micro-channel

Abstract

Asymmetric plate-type micro-channels (APM) have one hydrophobic wall and one hydrophilic wall. By flowing through APM, a kerosene-in-water emulsion can be de-emulsified in one second. To date, however, the demulsification process in the APM is still a black box. In order to observe the demulsification process directly, transparent asymmetric plate-type micro-channels (TAPM) were fabricated with two surface-modified glass plates. Emulsions with oil contents of 10%, 30%, and 50% were pumped through TAPM with heights of 39.2 μm and 159.5 μm. The movement and coalescence of oil droplets (the dispersed phase of a kerosene-in-water emulsion) in the TAPM were observed directly with an optical microscope. By analyzing videos and photographs, it was found that the demulsification process included three steps: oil droplets flowed against and were adsorbed on the hydrophobic wall, then oil droplets coalesced to form larger droplets, whereupon the oil phase was separated. The experimental results showed that the demulsification efficiency was approximately proportional to the oil content (30-50%) of the emulsions and increased when the micro-channel height was reduced.