Behavior of liquid-liquid dispersions in a stirred vessel — Part 2: Phase inversion delay time

A delay time was observed for both W/0 inversion to O/W and the opposite inversion process. The delay time decreased with increasing stirring speed. For O/W inversion to W/O, the delay time was very sensitive to the oil volume fraction and the initial stirring speed. Increased oil volume fraction and increased initial stirring speed both reduced the delay time. Inversion from W/O to O/W was a gradual process. But inversion from O/W to W/O had two stages: the preparation stage and the phase inversion stage. The time needed in the first stage was the delay time.