Experimental Assessment of Emulsion Stability

Bottle (or beaker or jar) tests are commonly used to evaluate emulsifier and demulsifier performances. Samples of the emulsion components and the emulsifier to be tested, or of an existing emulsion and the demulsifier to be tested, are mixed in bottles, beakers or jars in a specified way, and then let them stand for a specified period of time. Depending on the process being tested or developed, other additives (e.g. diluents) may be added, the temperature may be varied or the samples may be centrifuged. After a defined period of time, the stabilized or destabilized emulsions are examined. In the stabilizing of emulsions, one looks for a stable. 

Bottle/jar tests do have limitations. It can be difficult to reproduce the actual process temperature, pressure and flow conditions, so in some cases the results may not scale up to actual operational conditions. Mikula and Munoz [32] show the differences in jar test performance that can result from wall effects alone. 

Beyond the bottle/jars tests and their acceleration by centrifugation, other methods have been applied to the study of emulsion stability including [81-83] 

An important aspect of emulsion characterization is composition. The oil is frequently a simple hydrocarbon liquid, lipid or crude oil. The relative amounts of oil and water are almost always important in emulsion applications, but not exclusively. In many application areas, the presence and concentration of solid particles and other dissolved components are also very important. A number of standard 

2) Lipids are long-chain fatty acids or closely related compounds, such as palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, ricinoleic and arachidic acids. Some lipids are also surfactants. 

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