The impact of mass transfer and interfacial expansion rate on droplet size in membrane emulsification processes

The extent of the influence of the dispersed phase flux on dynamic interfacial tension was quantified using a dimensionless parameter, the mass transfer expansion ratio (MER). The MER can be used to predict the effect of increasing the depletion of surfactant on the relative final droplet size in membrane emulsification. This new insight into the role mass transfer and surface expansion play in membrane emulsification allows us to now predict à priori the final droplet size that would form for a particular set of conditions, and can lead to better process design methods in the future.