Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY of SINGAPORE

Chemical Engineering Laboratory

Experiment F1 Filter Press

Name Metric No. Group Date of Expt.

: : : :

Demonstrators : signature GRADE :

Introduction: Many process operations produce SLURRY of solid particles suspended in a liquid which must be separated into the solid and liquid phases. The simplest method is to FILTER the slurry through a fine mesh FILTER CLOTH so that the solid FILTER CAKE is deposited on the cloth whilst the clear liquid FILTRATE flows through. Either the CAKE or the FILTRATE or both may be the useful products of this operation. As the cake builds up on the cloth the resistance to flow increases and a greater pressure would be required to force the liquid through the cake itself. In a vacuum filter the cake can be scrapped off the cloth continuously but this is slow and produces a very loose cake. High pressure filtration is faster and produces denser cakes but it is necessary to contain the system within a PRESS which must then be opened to remove the cake. This method is therefore only suitable for batch operations. The basic filtration equation can be expressed as:
dV A2 P = dt V v + AR

(1)

where

V= volume of filtrate collected, m3 t = time, s A = filtration area, m2 P = pressure drop, Pa = viscosity of the filtrate = specific resistance of the cake, m-2 R = filter medium resistance, m-1 v = volume of cake of unit volume of filtrate

For a filtration at constant pressure, equation (1) can be rearranged as (K1V+K2) dV= dt where
K1 =

(2)

R v and K 2 = A(P) . A2 ( P)

Integration of the equation (2) gives

t ti K1 = (V + Vi ) + K 2 V Vi 2

(3)

where ti and Vi are the starting time of the constant pressure filtration and the correspond volume of filtrate. By plotting (t-ti)/(V-Vi) vs. (V+Vi), a linear line can be obtained. K1 and K2 can be calculated form the slope and intercept

Experiment (New setup):

This rig consists of a multi-plate FILTER PRESS fed with water based slurry which is pumped from a storage tank using a progressing cavity pump. The slurry flow rate is measured by a digital flowmeter and the pressure with pressure transmitter. The filtrate (water in this case) is allowed to run to waste or a collection tank. Procedure: a) Familiarisation Study and sketch the layout of this plant so that you are familiar with its operation and the purpose of each item. You must get approval of the supervisor before proceeding to the next stage. b) Operation Check that BV1, BV2 and BV5 are at the open position and BV3, BV4, DV1, DV2 and DV3 are closed. Make sure that there is no built up on the sealing rims of the filter plates and that filter sheets hang close to the plates without folds. Shift the filter plates from the shifting plate side to the head side. Close the release valve at the hand pump and pump the hydraulic closure to 200bar. Ensure feed tank is filled up to the marked level and the filtrate tank level is above the low level sensor. Turn on the main supply. Reset the system by toggling the reset button to the right hand side and hold until the red light is OFF. Run the system in auto mode. Start the mixer and allow it to run for 20 minutes. Set conditions for the filtration on the control panel. Switch on the feed pump and start recording the pressure and flow rate. Observe any changes in clarity of the filtrate. You should allow the process to continue until the feed level is lower than the propeller or the feed pressure is fluctuating violently. Switch off the pump and stirrer. c) Dismantling Open the release valve at the hand pump. The spring in the single acting cylinder will pull back the piston rod. Push back the shifting plate. Carefully lift out the frame containing the filter cake and the filter cloth. The cake, which should be firm and compact, can be pushed out of the frame into the bucket. Slide the next plate and lift out the next frame and so on. When all the frames have been removed wash them carefully to remove all traces of filter cake from the surfaces. Put the filter cake back into the tank and fill up the tank to the marked level. f) Carry out a set of constant pressure filtration experiments on the slurry and apply the filtration theory to interpret the data.

Experiment (Old setup):

This rig consists of a multi-plate FILTER PRESS fed with water based slurry which is pumped from a storage tank using a positive displacement (MONO) pump. The slurry flow rate is measured by collecting the filtrate and the pressure with a Bourden tube PRESSURE GAUGE. The filtrate (water in this case) is allowed to run to a collection tank. Procedure: a) Familiarisation Study and sketch the layout of this plant so that you are familiar with its operation and the purpose of each item. You must get approval of the supervisor before proceeding to the next stage. b) Operation Check that the PRESS is tightly closed by trying to turn the RATCHET ARM clockwise. Check that the tank is filled to the correct level, two BP-PASS VALVES are open, and PRESS INLET VALVE is closed. Switch on the PUMP and STIRRER. Check that slurry is flowing back to the tank. Allow the pump to run for 10 minutes. c) Testing In quick succession, close one of the two by-pass valves, start the STOPWATCH and open the press inlet valve. Record the FLOW RATE and PRESSURE at one minute intervals and observe any changes in clarity of the filtrate. You should allow the process to continue until the feed level is lower than the propeller. Switch off the pump and stirrer. d) Dismantling BEFORE DISMANTLING THIS UNIT YOU MUST OBTAIN A PERMIT TO WORK FROM THE SUPERVISOR WHO WILL LOCK OFF THE ELECTRICAL SUPPLY!! Slacken the press by using the ratchet lever and then open it completely using the smaller handle. Starting from the back (near the ratchet handle), lift out the MOVEABLE HEAD PLATE carrying the first filter cloth. Carefully lift out the next element, which is a hollow FRAME containing the filter cake. The cake, which should be firm and compact, can be pushed out of the frame into the bucket. Slide the next PLATE along and lift out the next FRAME and so on. When all the FRAMES have been removed, take them to the sink and wash them carefully to remove all traces of filter cake from the surfaces, the four holes at the corners of each plate and the small passages connecting these holes with the plate surface. Remove the filter cloths noting that there is a stiff BACKING CLOTH which provides support for the finer mesh FILTER CLOTH. Also note that there are two singleside cloths on the FIXED HEAD PLATE and the MOVEABLE HEAD PLATE. Wash the filter plates and cloths carefully in the sink as before. Remove any filter cake from the inlet passage of the fixed head plate and the surfaces of both head plates.

e) Reassembly

Replace the filter plates between the frames and fit the cloths starting at the fixed head end and sliding each element up to this end as it is complete. It is important that you ensure that the cloths are fitted the right way round giving a continuous hole for the inlet and filtrate ports!!! Have the assembly checked by the supervisor and then replace the make-up pieces and tighten the press with the ratchet handle. Put the filter cake back into the tank and fill up the tank to the marked level using the nearest water hose. Hose down any filtrate on the floor taking care not to soak the electrical supply to the motor. Fill the press with tap water and carry out the leak test before next run. f) Carry out a set of constant pressure filtration experiments on the slurry and apply the filtration theory to interpret the data. Results and Discussions: Sketch the plant layout and draw cross-sections of the plate and frame elements to show the internal flow patterns. Plot graphs of pressure and flow rate against time and comment on their shape. Describe briefly one other technique for filtration. What is the practical significance of the filtration equations? Calculate , the average specific cake resistance and R, the filter-medium resistance, and fit an empirical equation to the results for . Conclusions: References: 1. Coulson JM and Richardson JF, Chemical Engieering Vol2, New York: Pergamon Press, 1990. 2. Purchas DB, Industrial Filtration of Liquids, Leonard Hill, 1971. 3. Perry RH, Chemical Engineers Handbook, McGraw-Hill, 1982. 4. McCabe, Smith and Harriott, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, McGraw-Hill, 1986. 5. Wakeman RJ and Tarleton ES, Filtration Equipment Selection, Modelling and Process Simulation, Elsevier Advanced Technology, 1999