Foam rupture by mechanical and vibrational methods

The need to destabilize foams and control their formation arises in many industrial processes. Mechanical foam breakers, mechanical vibration and ultrasonic vibration are examples of physical destructive techniques which do not suffer from the drawbacks associated with the use of chemical antifoams and defoamers. This paper reports on recent studies in this area. Two novel designs of mechanical foam breaker are presented which are superior to traditional foam breakers in controlling unwanted foaming in both bubble columns and stirred vessels. The effectiveness of mechanical and ultrasonic vibrations in destabilizing foams is shown to be governed by vibrational amplitude and frequency, and foam structure. A fundamental understanding of foam destabilization by these physical techniques is crucial to further advancement in the design of efficient and robust foam breakers and the development of enhanced non-invasive vibrational destructive techniques.