Foaming behaviour of Aerosol OT solutions at low concentrations using a continuous plunging jet method

Abstract

This paper briefly describes a continuous plunging jet method for foam generation based on the Ross Miles test. Experimental variables such as the receiving pool depth, jet flow rate, falling height of the jet, surfactant concentration and column diameter were investigated to evaluate the influence of these variables on the degree of foaming. The foaming behaviour of an anionic surfactant, sodium bis-2(ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, otherwise known as Aerosol OT (AOT), at very low concentrations was experimentally investigated using this technique. Of great interest is the foaming behaviour exhibited by AOT when the experiments were conducted continuously over an hour using the continuous plunging jet test. Four different behaviours in well-defined operating regimes were identified. These foaming behaviours were found to be dependent on surfactant concentration and the jet flow rate. A qualitative analysis of these behaviour is provided.