Dispersions of droplets smaller than 20 mum tend to be very stable, but the phase separation of such dispersions with standard fibre coalescing elements can be unsatisfactory. In contrast, SDC-elements from Microdyn-Nadir GmbH, Germany, have demonstrated effective removal of dispersed droplets in the 1 mum to 20 mum range. Dr Andrew Boam, Membrane Extraction Technology [MET], UK, discusses current coalescer technology and presents a collaborative case study, showing how MET designed a coalescer system incorporating SDC-elements, which successfully recovers product that was previously lost to waste.