Bimodal drop size distributions during the early stages of shear induced coalescence

Drop sizes and drop size distributions were determined by means of an optical shear cell in combination with an optical microscope for the systems polyisobutylene/poly(dimethylsiloxane) [I] and poly(dimethyl-co-methylphenylsiloxane)/poly(dimethylsiloxane) [II] at low concentrations of the suspended phases and at different constant shear rates ranging from 10 to 0.5 s−1. After pre-shearing the two-phase mixtures [I: 50 s−1; II: 100 s−1] for the purpose of producing small drop radii, the shear rate was abruptly reduced to the preselected value and coalescence was studied as a function of time. In all cases one approaches dead end drop radii, i.e. breakup is absent. The drop size distributions are for sufficiently long shearing always unimodal, but within the early stages of coalescence they are in some cases bimodal; the shape of the different peaks is invariably Gaussian. The results are discussed by means of Elmendorp diagrams and interpreted in terms of collision frequencies and collision efficiencies.