A Study of the Cavitation Effect in the Homogenization of Dairy Products

Abstract
Hydraulic analysis of the flow through a Cherry-Burrell 125 viscolizer was carried out to determine whether cavitation could occur. One of the original homogenizing valves was modified to reduce the applicability of the prevailing theories of homogenization. A centrifugal pipette method of comparing homogenization efficiency was developed and found to work satisfactorily. The analysis of the flow of liquids through a homogenizer valve assembly indicated that cavitation should occur during normal homogenization operations. The modified homogenizer valve had a higher mechanical efficiency than the original valve. The results suggest that cavitation may be an important factor in homogenization.

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