Experimental study on drop breakup time and breakup rate with drop swarms in a stirred tank

The direct experimental data for breakup parameters of drop breakup time, multiple breakage, and breakup rate are urgently required to understand drop breakup phenomena. In this regard, drop breakup experiments were carried out in a stirred tank using a high-speed online camera. The influences of the rotating speed, interfacial tension, and drop viscosity on the above breakup parameters were then quantitatively investigated. An mechanism correlation for the breakup time is proposed and is further verified by comparing with the results of Solsvik and Jakobsen (Chem Eng Sci, 2015;131:219-234). The percentage of multiple breakage comparing to binary breakup was statistically counted. The results indicated that the dimensionless drop diameter η = d/d_max can be adopted to characterize the proportion of binary breakup. Finally, the breakup rate was experimentally measured and the breakup probability was calculated using the inverse method.