EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF DROP COALESCENCE

AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN IMMISCIBLE LIQUIDS

IOANA - LAURA OMOCEA - PhD Student, Reorom Laboratory, Hydraulics Department, Politehnica
University of Bucharest, Romania, e-mail: ioana.omocea@yahoo.com
CLAUDIU PTRASCU - Student, Reorom Laboratory, Hydraulics Department, Politehnica University of
Bucharest, Romania
NICOLETA - OCTAVIA TNASE Assistant, PhD, Reorom Laboratory, Hydraulics Department,
Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania
Abstract: We report here experimental investigation of total coalescence phenomenon for a
single water drop on an oil-water interface. Experimental setup is simple, a glass tank with
cross section of 100x100 mm, with a layer of water and a layer of oil above. We created drops
of water in oil from a needle with flat tip. Drop created falls through the oil layer, settles gently
onto the interface, rests there the time necessary for its drainage, then coalescence with the
water beneath. Drop's fluid forms a vortex ring when collapses. We acquired photos at 250 fps
with Photron Fastcam SA1 and a microscopic objective, 10X Computar Macro, of the
coalescence phenomenon and the vortex ring generated due to this phenomenon.
Keywords: interfacial tension, vortex, film drainage, thin film