Modeling the effect of drop charge on coalescence in turbulent liquid-liquid dispersions

In this work, a mechanistic model of drop coalescence based upon a stochast ic film-drainage analysis is developed. The coalescence model accounts for previously considered factors, such as turbulence intensity, drop size, and drop deformability, while additionally describing the dual effects of drop surface potential and system electrolyte concentration. Model results indi cate that electrostatic repulsion may strongly inhibit small drop coalescen ce, as well as coalescence between larger deformable drops. Comparison of m odel predictions to data from several transient coalescence experiments sho ws good agreement in most cases.