The influence of some structural parameters on wall slip phenomena during t
he flow of oil-in-water model emulsions has been investigated using geometr
ies with smooth and rough surfaces. A wall slip phenomenon has been quantif
ied as the relative difference between the areas under the flow curves obta
ined using geometries with both types of surfaces. Experimental results dem
onstrate that wall slip effects phenomena vanish as the disperse phase frac
tion, the emulsifier content, or the agitation speed applied during the emu
lsification process increase. These influences have been related to changes
in both droplet size and interparticle interactions. In addition to this,
the shear stress range in which wall slip is more important coincides with
the region at which a shear-induced deflocculation process occurs. In this
region, low reproducible values of the flow curve were obtained by using ge
ometries with smooth surfaces. (C) 2001 Academic Press.