Emulsions are a type of thick, viscous fluid that is extremely difficult to handle. Emulsion pumps are typically pump designs with special construction and materials to ensure effective handling of this type of fluid.
In this article, Thái Khương shares information about pump types used for pumping emulsions. Stay with us!
What Is an Emulsion?
An emulsion is a mixture of two liquids that are normally immiscible — in other words, a mixture of two liquids that cannot be blended together. By definition, an emulsion contains small particles of one liquid suspended in another. Chemically, they are colloids in which both phases are liquid. They typically appear milky white, and the suspended matter may have a colloidal nature.
A classic example of an emulsion is oil and water when slowly mixed under vigorous stirring. However, when stirring stops, the two liquids separate and the emulsion breaks down. This is an example of an unstable emulsion.
Stable emulsions can be formed from two immiscible liquids through the use of an emulsifier. These emulsions do not separate after changes in conditions such as temperature or over time.
Some familiar types of emulsions are milk (a dispersion of fat droplets in an aqueous solution) and butter (a dispersion of aqueous solution droplets in fat).
Properties of Emulsions
There are two fundamental properties of emulsions:
Viscosity
When you mix oil and water, the resulting emulsion typically has a higher viscosity than each individual component prior to emulsification. This effect is produced by the interaction of molecules within the emulsion. For example, mayonnaise is more viscous than oil and lemon juice. Most emulsions are shear-thinning fluids, meaning that viscosity decreases when they are agitated vigorously.
Color
The transparency and color of an emulsion depend on the size of the dispersed droplets. The smaller they are, the whiter the emulsion appears. This is due to how droplet size affects light reflection.
How to Pump Emulsions?
As discussed above, emulsions are thick fluids with high viscosity. Therefore, pump types such as centrifugal pumps are generally unable to handle this type of fluid. So what should be done?
Fortunately, there are many other pump technologies available to choose from. Pump equipment developed specifically for handling these fluids includes:
- Flexible impeller pump
- Screw pump
- Gear pump
Depending on the specific application and installation environment, we select the most appropriate pump technology in terms of both performance and investment cost. To better understand this, let us look at some real-world applications.
Emulsion Pumping
Emulsion pumping is a very common application across many industrial manufacturing sectors. Let us discuss this topic in detail, with some typical applications found in emulsion pumping processes:
Mining Emulsion Pumping
In mining and mineral extraction operations, high-power pumps are consistently deployed. In addition, for tunnel and passage clearing, projects typically use specialized screw pumps to convey emulsion explosives to the blasting zones.
For this duty, the screw pump is a reliable choice due to its ability to convey emulsion explosives and operate in harsh environments.
Based on the principle of smooth, pulsation-free and shear-free conveyance, the stator and rotor together form cavities through which the medium is transported, creating a steady pressure transfer without any impulse forces or shear forces. Second, this technology allows the transport of pre-filled materials, such as emulsions. The rotor-stator length has been specially shortened for this application: normally, a longer pump body is used to increase pump pressure, which is precisely what must be avoided here.
The pump is set in motion using a hydraulic drive connected to a vehicle engine, such as the engine of a transport truck. This design is space-saving and practical since electricity is often unavailable or only available to a limited extent in most construction and mining areas. From an explosion-proof standpoint, the use of this type of drive has been ensured to minimize the generation of electrical sparks as much as possible.
Food Emulsion Pumping
Food emulsion pumping involves conveying juices and fruit liquids from the initial stage to other processing and treatment stages.
For this application, hopper-fed screw pumps or flexible impeller pumps are consistently selected to ensure the efficiency of the processing operation.
Industrial Emulsion Pumping
For emulsions from latex processing, water-based paints, or industrial adhesives, flexible impeller pumps made from non-corrosive, low-adhesion materials have been widely used in factories manufacturing these products.
Other emulsion pumping applications you may be familiar with include:
Food industry: Ice cream, Cheese, Mayonnaise, Salad dressing, Soft drinks, Fruit jelly, Tomato sauce, Oil, Syrup, Chocolate, etc.
Personal care chemicals: Gel, Hair dye, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Facial moisturizer, Cosmetics, etc.
Pharmaceuticals: Nutritional liquids, Medical ointments, Biological products, etc.
This brief article covers emulsion pump types commonly encountered in processing and manufacturing plants. Thái Khương is an authorized distributor of pump types including screw pumps, flexible impeller pumps, and gear pumps for industrial emulsion pumping applications. Pump products come from well-known global brands such as Nova Rotors, Tuthill, OMAC…
If you are looking for information or need consultation on emulsion pump solutions, please contact Thái Khương directly for advice and product supply!
