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Emulsion Stability Calculator

Calculate HLB blend ratios, creaming velocity (Stokes' Law), and emulsion type for food emulsion formulation.

Inputs

%

Results

Emulsifier A (%)

48.54

Emulsifier B (%)51.46
Achieved blend HLB10
Creaming velocity (μm/s)1.09
Time to separate 1 cm (hrs)2.5
Emulsion type3
Phase volume ratio (O:W)0.43
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the required HLB for your oil phase and the HLB values for your two emulsifiers.
  2. Set droplet diameter, density difference, and continuous phase viscosity.
  3. Enter oil phase percentage.
  4. The calculator shows emulsifier A/B blend percentages, achieved HLB, creaming velocity, estimated separation time, emulsion type, and phase volume ratio.
  5. Use emulsifier percentages to formulate the blend and creaming velocity to predict stability before a physical stability trial.

How the result changes with Required HLB

Required HLBEmulsifier A (%)
2.9100
7.6571.36
1319.42
180

What each input means

Required HLB
Target HLB value for the oil phase. Look up required HLB for your specific oil (e.g., mineral oil 12, soybean oil 7).
Emulsifier A HLB
HLB of low-HLB emulsifier (e.g., Span 80 = 4.3, GMS = 3.8).
Emulsifier B HLB
HLB of high-HLB emulsifier (e.g., Tween 80 = 15.0, Tween 20 = 16.7).
Droplet diameter (μm)
Average emulsion droplet diameter in micrometers. Smaller = more stable.
Density difference (kg/m³)
Absolute density difference between oil and water phases (~80 kg/m³ for vegetable oils).
Continuous phase viscosity (Pa·s)
Viscosity of the continuous phase. Water ≈ 0.001 Pa·s, thickened sauce ≈ 0.1 Pa·s.
Oil phase (%)
Volume percentage of the oil (dispersed) phase.

What each result means

Emulsifier A (%)
Weight percentage of emulsifier A in the blend to achieve the target HLB.
Emulsifier B (%)
Weight percentage of emulsifier B in the blend.
Achieved blend HLB
Actual HLB of the emulsifier blend.
Creaming velocity (μm/s)
Stokes' Law separation velocity. Lower = more stable emulsion.
Time to separate 1 cm (hrs)
Estimated hours for visible separation of a 1 cm layer. -1 = effectively stable.
Emulsion type
1 = W/O (water-in-oil), 2 = borderline, 3 = O/W (oil-in-water).
Phase volume ratio (O:W)
Oil to water phase volume ratio.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Required HLB = 10, Emulsifier A HLB = 4.7, Emulsifier B HLB = 15, Droplet diameter (μm) = 5 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Emulsifier A
    48.54 = 48.54
  3. Calculate Emulsifier B
    Emulsifier B = 1 - fractionA
    51.46 = 51.46
  4. Calculate Achieved blend HLB
    Achieved blend HLB = fractionA * emulsifierAHlb + fractionB * emulsifierBHlb
    10 = 10

Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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