Abstract:
The talk will discuss the creation and application of Hydrodynamic cavitation using converging diverging nozzles.We demonstrate a novel,bottom-up method for continuous creation of foams comprising of air microbubbles in aqueous systems containing surface active ingredients,like proteins or particles using converging–diverging nozzles.The air bubble size obtained using this technique was found to be significantly smaller than that achieved using conventional mechanical entrapment of air via shearing or shaking routes, which are in essence top-down approaches. This combination of the cavitation process with appropriate surface active agents offers an opportunity for creating bubbles smaller than 10 microns, which can provide unique benefits in various applications. We will further discuss the role of curvature of the converging and diverging section of the nozzle on cavitation efficiency and the understanding built from our simulation studies.
Bio:
Dr. Janhavi Raut is currently Director, R&D at Unilever R&D center at Bangalore. She obtained her B Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay and subsequently pursued her higher studies at Pennsylvania State University. For the last 21 years, she has worked on a myriad of projects across locations & teams at Unilever, thereby building very diverse skills. She has expertise in soap processing and rheology, natural colorants, hydrodynamic cavitation, photoprotection, biomaterials and human microbiomes. She has over 30 inventions patented in multiple countries with a total of 50 patents granted in her name. She has held visiting and adjust professorship appointments at IIT Delhi, MIT Manipal and BMS college of engineering, Bangalore.