Impact of interfacial characteristics on foam structure: study on model fluids and at pilot scale

Foams represent an important area of research because of their relevance to many industrial processes. In continuous foaming operations, foaming ability depends on the process parameters and the characteristics of the raw materials used for foamed products. The effects of fluid viscosity and equilibrium surface tension on foam structure have been studied extensively. Furthermore, as surface active agents diffuse to the interface, they can modify other interface properties through their adsorption, such as interfacial rheology and surface tension kinetics. In order to better understand how these two interfacial properties influence foam structuring, we formulated model foaming solutions with different interface viscoelasticity levels and adsorption rates, but all with the same equilibrium surface tension and viscosity. The solutions were made up of a surface active agent and glucose syrup, so as to maintain a Newtonian behaviour. Five surface active agents were used: Whey Protein Isolate (WPI), sodium caseinate, saponin, cetyl phosphate and Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS), at concentrations ranging from 0.1% to 1%. Their molecular characteristics, and their interaction with the glucose syrup, made it possible to obtain a range of interface viscoelasticities and surface tension kinetics for these model solutions. The solutions were whipped in a continuously-operating industrial foaming device in order to control process parameters such as shearing and overrun, and to ensure that the experiment was representative of industrial production. The structure of the foams thus obtained foams was then determined by characterising bubble size using image analysis. For all the model solutions, both the viscoelastic moduli and apparent diffusion coefficient were linked to foam structure. The results showed that both high interface viscoelasticity and rapid diffusion kinetics induced a foam structure containing small bubbles. Both effects, as well as the impact of the shearing rate, through the rotor speed, were then integrated in a predictive model for bubble size.