Rheology of hydrate forming emulsions.
Results are reported on an experimental study of the rheology of hydrate-forming water-in-oil emulsions. Density-matched concentrated emulsions were quenched by reducing the temperature and an irreversible transition was observed where the viscosity increased dramatically. The hydrate-forming emulsions have characteristic times for abrupt viscosity change dependent only on the temperature, reflecting the importance of the effect of subcooling. Mechanical transition of hydrate-free water-in-oil emulsions may require longer times and depends on the shear rate, occurring more rapidly at higher rates but with significant scatter which is characterized through a probabilistic analysis. This rate dependence together with dependence on subcooling reflects the importance of hydrodynamic forces to bring drops or particles together.
Levich Institute, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA.
Jorge
J
Peixinho
Prasad U
PU
Karanjkar
Jae W
JW
Lee
Jeffrey F
JF
Morris