A predictive multiscale numerical framework for emulsion flow

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The pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries have undertaken substantial efforts to create stable liquid-liquid emulsions that satisfy customers with the unique properties of their products (e.g., bioavailability, texture, and taste). At the same time, the oil sands industry has worked to develop efficient methods to separate leftover bitumen and water as a way of reducing the accumulation of tailings ponds, which have a negative impact on everyone in the Athabasca River watershed. The common challenge for each industry is insufficient understanding of the complex nature of the interaction of two immiscible liquids, which leads to the formation and annihilation of drops. The distribution of drop sizes, as a function of liquid properties and flow conditions, defines the emulsion characteristics, including its stability, viscosity, and rheology. To control the properties of the emulsion product, a reliable prediction of the drop size distribution is essential.