Aqueous foam drainage. Role of the rheology of the foaming fluid

Abstract

We have studied the drainage of foams made with viscous solutions. In this way, drainage is slowed down, and microgravity conditions are approached. The behaviour of mixtures of water and glycerol follows the theoretical predictions, but that of aqueous solutions of a polymer (polyethylene oxide) do not : drainage is much faster than for water-glycerol mixtures of the same bulk viscosity. The origin of this puzzling behavior is still not understood.