FoamScan HTMP™ - Foam Analyzer for Foamability, Foam Stability, and Drainage at Elevated Temperature and Pressure
The same dual-measurement methodology. The same analytical rigor. Under the conditions where your foam application actually operates — up to 120°C and 8 bar
Foam behavior changes with temperature and pressure. Drainage rates depend on liquid viscosity, which decreases with temperature — meaning a foam that appears stable at room temperature may drain far more rapidly at process conditions. Gas solubility changes with pressure, directly affecting bubble coarsening and Ostwald ripening rates. Film stability, surfactant adsorption kinetics, and interfacial rheology all shift as conditions move away from ambient. If you characterize your foam at 25°C and atmospheric pressure but your process operates at 80°C and 3 bar, you may be optimizing for conditions that do not represent your application.
The FOAMSCAN HTMP is a dedicated instrument configuration designed to bring the core FOAMSCAN measurement capabilities — continuous optical imaging and continuous conductivity measurement — into environments up to 120°C and 8 bar. These are not ambient measurements extrapolated to elevated conditions. They are direct, simultaneous measurements of foam volume, liquid volume, foam stability, drainage, and liquid fraction, made under the temperature and pressure conditions that your application requires.
The standard FOAMSCAN operates at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures up to 90°C. The FOAMSCAN HTMP extends beyond that range for applications where elevated pressure, higher temperatures, or both are necessary. Food processing, beverage carbonation, enhanced oil recovery screening, industrial cleaning under pressure, and firefighting foam evaluation all involve conditions where foam behavior at ambient simply does not predict performance. The FOAMSCAN HTMP exists because these applications require foam characterization under realistic conditions.
Measurement Capabilities
The FOAMSCAN HTMP measures foam using the same dual optical and conductivity approach as the standard FOAMSCAN. Optical imaging captures foam volume, liquid volume, and foam height continuously from the moment foam generation begins through decay. Conductivity sensors positioned along the foam column independently measure liquid fraction and drainage, because conductivity through the foam is determined by the amount of liquid remaining in the film network, not by the foam's height.
Together, these simultaneous measurements allow you to distinguish between a foam that is losing volume because liquid is draining out and a foam that is losing volume because bubbles are coalescing — a distinction that neither measurement can make alone. From these primary measurements, the software calculates foamability, foam capacity, expansion coefficient, foam density, Foam Stability Index, Bikerman Index, and drainage kinetics.
The FOAMSCAN HTMP does not include the Bubble Size Analysis (BSA) imaging system available on the standard FOAMSCAN. For applications where bubble size distribution and its evolution over time are essential — particularly for distinguishing between Ostwald ripening and coalescence — the standard FOAMSCAN with BSA provides that additional capability at atmospheric pressure and temperatures up to 90°C.
Foam Generation
The FOAMSCAN HTMP generates foam by sparging gas through a porous glass filter at a controlled flow rate, with the entire process occurring inside the pressurized measurement column. A flowmeter precisely controls gas injection, and measurements start automatically once the set temperature and pressure conditions are reached — all under full software control.
The FOAMSCAN HTMP also supports foam generation by depressurization—creating foam by reducing pressure on a gas-saturated liquid, causing dissolved gas to come out of solution and form bubbles.
This is directly relevant to applications in which foam is generated by pressure release rather than mechanical agitation— such as carbonated beverages, pressurized dispensing systems, and reservoir depressurization studies, among others.
The Instrument
The FOAMSCAN HTMP is a dedicated instrument configuration — not a module or accessory for the standard FOAMSCAN. It is built around a specially designed double-walled glass measurement column engineered to withstand elevated temperature and pressure conditions, with stainless steel electrodes for conductivity measurement under these conditions.
The instrument features a modular design that accepts either the mid-pressure measurement tube for operation up to 120°C and 8 bar, or the standard measurement tube for operation up to 90°C at atmospheric pressure. This means a single instrument can serve both elevated-condition and standard foam characterization, depending on which measurement tube is installed.
Cell pressure is maintained constant throughout the measurement, and the automated cleaning system — the same multi-solvent cleaning capability as the standard FOAMSCAN — flushes the column, filter, and tubing between experiments without manual disassembly or operator intervention.
The FOAMSCAN HTMP can also be adapted to a configuration fully compatible with HCl solutions, broadening its application range to acidic environments encountered in enhanced oil recovery, industrial cleaning, and chemical processing.
Applications
The FOAMSCAN HTMP serves applications where foam characterization at ambient conditions cannot provide the data you need:
Carbonated beverages and depressurization foam — characterizing the foam that forms when dissolved gas comes out of solution upon pressure release. This is the dominant foam formation mechanism in carbonated beverage filling and packaging, where CO₂ escapes during bottling, causing foaming that limits production speed and wastes product. It is also the primary mechanism of foam formation in oil and gas production separators, where crude oil foams as it is depressurized during processing. The FOAMSCAN HTMP can generate foam through controlled depressurization—creating foam the way it forms in these applications, rather than by sparging gas into a liquid. The ability to generate foam by controlled depressurization is unique to the FOAMSCAN HTMP among commercial foam analyzers.
Enhanced oil recovery — screening surfactant formulations and foam flooding candidates under temperature and pressure conditions that more closely approximate reservoir conditions than ambient measurements can provide.
Industrial cleaning — evaluating cleaning foam performance at the elevated temperatures and pressures at which industrial cleaning processes actually operate, where foam stability requirements differ substantially from ambient behavior.
Firefighting foams — characterizing foam generation, stability, and drainage under conditions that reflect deployment environments, including elevated temperatures encountered during active fire suppression.
If you are working with foams at elevated temperatures or pressures and would like to discuss how FOAMSCAN HTMP can address your application, we would welcome the conversation.
For applications at atmospheric pressure and temperatures up to 90°C — particularly those requiring bubble-size distribution analysis — the standard FOAMSCAN may be the right solution. Visit the FOAMSCAN product page for details.