Working Principle and Selection of Emulsifiers

An emulsifier achieves emulsification through the high-speed rotation of the homogenizing head in the main tank. It subjects the materials to shearing, dispersing, stirring, impacting and other physical actions, resulting in a finer and more uniform texture. Oils and water from the emulsifier’s oil tank and water tank fully integrate with the materials to realize the emulsification effect, which is a physical working principle. Emulsifiers are mainly used in the production and processing of cream-based products.

Core Working Principle

1. The homogenizing head of the emulsifier features a claw-type structure. The main tank is made of 304 stainless steel with a smooth inner wall. The homogenizing head stirs while scraping the tank wall and suctions materials bidirectionally, enhancing shear efficiency.

2. Emulsifiers boast high-shear and vacuum homogenizing emulsification capabilities. The rotor rotates at a high and stable speed, generating comprehensive kinetic energy including high-frequency and intense circumferential tangential velocity and angular velocity. With the stator’s cooperation, the narrow and precise gap between the stator and rotor creates strong and reciprocal effects such as hydraulic shearing, friction, centrifugal extrusion and liquid collision. Materials circulate through this process repeatedly in the tank to form the final product.

3. Operational Process:

• Driven by centrifugal force from the high-speed rotating rotor, materials are axially drawn into the working chamber from both upper and lower feeding areas of the working head.

• Strong centrifugal force flings materials radially into the narrow and precise gap between the stator and rotor. Simultaneous centrifugal extrusion, impact and other forces initially disperse and emulsify the materials.

• The outer end of the high-speed rotating rotor reaches a linear velocity of at least 15 m/s (up to 40 m/s), creating intense mechanical and hydraulic shearing, liquid layer friction, impact and tearing. This fully disperses, emulsifies, homogenizes and crushes the materials, which are then ejected through the stator slots.

• The high-speed radially ejected materials change direction under resistance from the material itself and the tank wall. Meanwhile, the upper and lower axial suction forces generated in the rotor area form two strong turbulent flows. After several cycles, the materials complete the dispersion, emulsification and homogenization process.

4. Application Scope: Emulsifiers are widely used in the food industry (e.g., sauces, fruit juices), pharmaceutical industry (e.g., ointments), petrochemical industry, paint and ink production. They are suitable for mixing, stirring, dispersing, homogenizing, emulsifying and grinding applications in laboratory research and industrial production.

Key Selection Considerations

Different materials have significantly varying requirements for emulsification precision. When selecting an emulsifier, it is essential to choose the appropriate configuration and design based on the actual material properties and precision requirements to achieve optimal emulsification results. Even for the same product, different configurations of emulsification equipment can yield varying homogenization effects.