Pulverisation of emulsions with supercritical CO2

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Weidner
• Subject Area: Mechanical Process Engineering
• Term: from 2009 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 122695060

A carbon dioxide assisted high pressure spraying process introduces the possibility for a simultaneous abrupt freezing and pulverization of emulsions with and without emulsifiers. Depending on the process parameters such as spray pressure, spray temperature and specific amount of gas (carbon dioxide) used, as well as the materials used, powder particles with sizes ranging from one to several hundred micrometres are produced. Depending on the process conditions, the previously emulsified substance is either gathered centrally in liquid form or finely dispersed in the particles. The project aim is to investigate and give an understanding of the basics of the carbon dioxide assisted spraying of emulsions and its modelling. For this purpose, firstly the thermo- and fluid-dynamic properties of the selected model emulsions (tristearin/water and polyethylene glycol/rapeseed oil, with and without emulsifier) are determined. Subsequently, the spraying process is observed in a flat jet model nozzle with Particle Image Velocimetry. Using the results from these observations combined with the knowledge gained from producing solid emulsions, a better material data based model for emulsion particle formation with a carbon dioxide assisted process is to be developed.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1423: Process-Spray: Functionalised Solid Particles from Spray Processes - From Powder Property Demands to Tailored Spray Processes and Feed Control
• Participating Person: Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Kilzer