Turbulent drop breakup in a simplified high-pressure homogenizer geometry: A comparison of experimental high-speed visualization and numerical experiments based on DNS and interface tracking

The breakup of drops is investigated in a scale-up model mimicking the flow in an emulsification device i.e., high-pressure homogenizer (HPH). The breakup phenomenon is investigated through experimental and numerical approaches. Both approaches have their own limitations, but together, one could have reliable conclusions on general and some specific questions about the breakup of drops in an industrially relevant emulsification device. Generally, similar behavior is observed for the breakup morphologies of the experimental and numerical drops. Furthermore, both approaches show good agreement in terms of breakup positions. Some differences are observed as well. The potential sources of these discrepancies are discussed in detail. The successful validation of the numerical results by the experimental framework paves the road for further analysis of the flow structures contributing to the breakup of the drops, using the high-resolution data obtained from the direct numerical simulation, which is unprecedented in an industrially relevant emulsification environment.