(272c) Droplet Behavior in a Taylor Vortex

Typical applications of Taylor-Couette device include chemical reaction, filtration, extraction and cell cultivation, in which the dispersed phase may appear in the form of droplets sometimes, and therefore the understanding of the droplet behavior in the vortex flow is important for optimizing the performance of this type of devices. In this study, the droplet of aqueous phase was introduced into a Taylor-Couette device with an oleic continues phase.  An aspect ratio (Γ) of 6 and a radius ratio (η) of 0.67 for the Taylor-Couette device were applied. The droplet  motion was captured by a high speed camera. It was found that the droplet behavior is mainly determined by the Reynolds number of the Taylor-Couette  flow and the  interfacial tension between the two fluids. The droplet with high surface tension   displays a dancing behavior in low Reynolds number region and breaks into small droplet in high Reynolds number region. However, the droplet with low surface tension is only stable in high Reynolds number regime and breaks  after the Reynolds number is reduced.