Generation of microbubble foam using a packed column

A technique for generating microbubble foams from a dilute surfactant solution using a column packed with millimeter sized glass beads is examined. The investigation requires the fabrication of a test unit capable of producing microbubble foam at 40 L/min and design and fabrication of a packed bed device. The work also introduces an improved method for photographing and viewing microbubble foams immediately after they are formed. This method can be used to quantitatively characterize the bubbles in the foam. Microbubble foams with a majority of bubbles less than 90 microns (μ) in diameter and with few bubbles greater than 150 μ were produced with the packed column device. The experimental results indicate that increased shearing forces resulting from increased volumetric flowrate and increased air fraction, enhance the generation of bubbles less than 90 μ in size. Further, stable microbubbles can be produced with surfactant (sodium dodecylebenzenesulfonate) concentrations as low as 200 ppm; and, the use of recycle produces a dramatic decrease in the size of all bubbles produced. Economically, the packed bed technique is superior to the spinning disk technique, the current microbubble foam generation method. This fact is partially due to the absence of an adequate large scale spinning disk device. In application, surfactant costs hamper the feasible use of a packed bed generation device. If, however, an application is used which begins with a surfactant laden solution, then the packed bed method becomes competitive.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemical Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Chemical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1987

Author dc:creator

• Suggs, James Alfred

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-04272010-020313

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/42336