Single drop breakage in a reciprocating plate column

Abstract Single drop breakage was investigated in a lab-scale reciprocating plate column. A high-speed camera was used to capture the drop breakage process and drop interactions with the plate. Image processing was completed to collect information on breakage location, breakage probability, breakage time and number of daughter drops under different operating conditions. The flow structure near the reciprocating plate was calculated using a computational fluid dynamics simulation with a moving reference frame. Two breakage mechanisms were observed experimentally, those mainly due to shear stress and those due to plate wettability. Spatial and temporal analysis was completed for the numerical shear stress distribution, and were compared to the breakage locations observed in the experiments. Breakage probability results showed that drops were more likely to breakup at higher reciprocating intensities, for lower interfacial tension systems and for a plate with fewer holes. Initial breakage time was measured but consistent values were not obtained. The number of daughter drops was influenced by the operating conditions and higher energies added to the system, resulting in the formation of more fragments. Finally, a correlation for breakage probability and an estimate of the critical Weber number were proposed.