CARACTERIZACIÓN NO INVASIVA DE EMULSIONES W/O A FRECUENCIAS DE MICROONDAS

Abstract

In this work, a non-invasive measurement technique is presented, to characterize the dielectric properties of Water in Oil emulsions (W/O). It is for the first time reported a comparison of w/o emulsions prepared with different continuous phases: oleic acid and mineral oil (SAE40). An open-ended coaxial probe is used to simultaneously determine the water percentage and the influence of the continuous phase chemical composition on the final emulsion dielectric properties. The results are of great interest because similar emulsions can be obtained in many industries during and after production processes, such us oil refineries, chemical plants, pharmaceutical plants, etc. The knowledge about the emulsions allows predicting their behaviour under the presence of an electromagnetic field, and can be used to design sensors or microwave applicators in industrial processes in which could be necessary to characterize or separate these W/O emulsions.