Table 2.
Alginate fluid properties used in the calculation of the critical capillary numbers for each alginate concentration in this flow system at T = 25°C
| Alginate concentration (%) | Alginate viscosity (Pa·s) | Calculated average fluid velocity in the channel (m/s) | Critical capillary numbera , b |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 0.01 | 0.66 ± 0.18 | 0.08 ± 0.02 |
| 1.5 | 0.04 | 0.41 ± 0.04 | 0.39 ± 0.04 |
| 2.5 | 0.20 | 0.11 ± 0.02 | 0.51 ± 0.08 |
a
The dispersed phase critical capillary number (Cad ) was calculated by Cad = ηd U/γ , where η d is the dispersed phase viscosity, U is the velocity of the dispersed phase through the microchannel when first transition was observed, and γ is the equilibrium interfacial tension between the dispersed and continuous phases.41
b
The interfacial tension value used for the critical capillary number calculation was obtained from the literature for a similar Novec/water system: 43 mN/m.42