ULTRASONIC CHARACTERIZATION OF EMULSIONS AND SUSPENSIONS

Ultrasonics is finding increasing use as a tool for characterising emulsions and suspensions. It can be used to study particle size, disperse phase volume fraction, phase transitions, phase inversions, particle interaction, particle compressibilities and creaming/sedimentation profiles. In this paper some techniques for carrying out ultrasonic measurements are described, the theories needed to convert measurements into the relevant physical properties of emulsions and suspensions are presented and a number of typical applications of the technique are illustrated.