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Sonicator Series Application Notes

AN-7
1938 New Highway Farmingdale, NY 11735 Tel: 631-694-9555 Fax: 631-694-1320 www.misonix.com

Ultrasonic Degassing of Liquids


Industrial Slurry Processing Air Exclusion Large Scale Chemical Reactions

Laboratory HPLC Solvent Preparation Specific Gravity Determination Alcohol Level Analysis

I. THEORY A gas dissolved in a liquid will remain in solution at a high concentration for an extended period of time. For a freestanding liquid, the mechanism for degassing is the slow diffusion of individual gas molecules from the fluid surface. Degassing at a useful rate occurs when many gas molecules coalesce to form a bubble in the millimeter size range. This process, called nucleation, results in the formation of a gas bubble large enough and with enough buoyancy to rise to the fluid surface. The nucleation process requires that many gas molecules combine spontaneously. A nucleus of the minimum size for growth would contain 1 x 1010 molecules. Any smaller nuclei would redissolve back into solution. Spontaneous degassing in beer or carbonated beverages occurs because the concentration of the dissolved gas exceeds the equilibrium solubility. As this degree of super-saturation increases, the critical size for spontaneous growth of nuclei decreases, because the nuclei are so close together they will coalesce to form a large bubble. Applying external energy to a solution to create critical sized nuclei can accelerate degassing. Manual shaking, stirring, or pouring a supersaturated solution will hasten degassing. As the liquid becomes less saturated, more energy is required to remove the gas remaining in solution. This is why the initial shaking of carbonated beverages produces a dramatic release of CO2 , while continued agitation shows much less activity. Ultrasonic energy applied to a liquid will cause the formation of vapor filled cavitation bubbles that contain the originally dissolved gas. When the cavitation bubble collapses, the gas does not immediately re-dissolve. If the cavitation bubble contains enough gas molecules to form a larger than critical sized nucleus, the gas bubble will grow and rise. If it is less than critical size, it will slowly re-dissolve. Thus, for rapid degassing, the energy input must be high enough to create a large number of nuclei. The required number and size of these bubbles depends on the concentration of dissolved gas, with less energy input required for the higher gas concentrations. The procedure for degassing must be developed empirically for each gas/liquid system.

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II. APPLICATION AND PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT The SONICATOR Ultrasonic Liquid Processor consists of an ultrasonic generator, convertor, and disruptor horn. The generator produces a 20kHz signal from a standard 50/60 H z line input. When the generator output reaches the convertor, this electrical energy is transformed into mechanical energy by piezoelectric crystals that vibrate in disruptor horn which radiates energy into the liquid being treated. To degas solutions with the SONICATOR Processor, the horn tip is immersed into the sample, the power level and pulsing controls set to empirically predetermined levels, and the processor energized. The sample will degas in as little as ten seconds, depending on the volume being processed. The pulsing cycle is used with supersaturated solutions to prevent the sample from overfoaming by supplying pulses of ultrasonic energy to the sample. It also insures that the probe will remain in contact with the liquid instead of the foam layer that forms during processing. For example, one-half liter of beer will take approximately thirty seconds of active sonication to completely degas; therefore, total treatment time at 50% pulse would be one minute. Many methods can be used to develop a standardized experimental procedure incorporating the SONICATOR processor. One is to obtain a one-liter sample of product and process half with the present standard degassing technique and the other half with the SONICATOR Processor. Run the standard quality control tests on both samples, correlate the results, and repeat with various samples to establish consistency. Ultrasonics may have an effect on the chemical composition of your product. This is not necessarily detrimental; the same changes should occur each time a sample is processed and yield consistent results. However, the only way to guarantee the compatibility of sonication with your particular product and procedure is through careful empirical testing. The following parameters can have an effect on results when degassing for quality control tests: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Volume of sample Shape of vessel Probe depth Temperature of sample Power level setting Pulse setting Viscosity of Sample

These parameters should be carefully monitored during protocol development and must be specified in the procedure to obtain repeatable results. Large scale, industrial degassing requirements can benefit from ultrasonic treatment. Nonflammable solvents, slurries, or chemical reagents may be degassed on a flow basis by using a FLOCELL Chamber. This continuous flow system can be incorporated into a production line where gas must be removed from a liquid prior to packaging. Flow systems up to 2500 watts are available to meet industrial requirements. Page 2 of 2 AN-7: Ultrasonic Degassing of Liquids

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