Oil–water dispersed flows produced at valves or restrictions are very common in industry.
For example, crude oil desalting processes normally use dispersion valves to mix the
dilution water. In this case, the knowledge of dispersed droplet sizes is crucial for the design
and optimum control of the process. However, little work has been devoted to characterize
and model droplet sizes produced in industrial-type valves. The present work studies water
droplet sizes produced by the passage of oil–water flow through a globe valve mounted in a …