Cap 09 Filtracion

TX69299 ch01 frame.
book Page 235 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM
9
Filtration
9.1
Introduction
Filtration is a unit operation whose purpose is the separation of an insoluble

solid present in solidliquid suspension by passing the suspension through
a porous membrane that retains the solid particles. The porous membrane
is called the filtering medium, while the retained particles in the membrane
form a layer known as cake and the liquid that passes through the porous
membrane and does not contain solids is called a filtrate.
The desired phase in filtration can occur in the filtrate, cake, or both. When
the desired solid part is obtained, the cake should be washed to eliminate
the impurities it may contain. Filtration can operate under simple gravity to
obtain the flow of filtrate that crosses the filtrating medium, or by applying
a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure to the front part of the
filtering medium or vacuum to the back side. These processes are known as
pressure filtration and vacuum filtration, respectively.
Filtration is an operation widely used in the industry in general; in the
particular case of the food industry, three characteristic types of filtration
can be distinguished. The first includes suspensions containing significant
amounts of insoluble solids that, when filtered, form a cake on the filtrating
medium; thus, obtaining the solid, filtrate, or both could be interesting.
Another type of filtration includes suspensions with few insoluble solids
that usually are undesired, in which case the filtration is called clarification.
Finally, microfiltration should be mentioned. Microfiltration occurs when the
size of the solid particles to be separated is around 0.1 mm.
9.2
Fundamentals of Filtration
The study performed next applies to filters in which cakes are formed on
the filtering medium. Among these types of filters, the most used are the
plate-and-frame press filters.
235
2003 by CRC Press LLC
TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 236 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM
236
Unit Operations in Food Engineering
Initially, the feed or slurry passes through the filtering medium, but, as it
filtrates, a cake is formed that increases its thickness, so the feed should pass
through not only the filtering medium but also the cake. Hence, the pressure
drop along the filter is supposed to be greater with time, resulting in the
filtrate flow being smaller with time. This indicates that filtration can be
done at constant pressure drop or at constant filtrate flow. In the first case,
when maintaining a constant pressure drop, the filtrate flow will decrease
along the filtration time. On the other hand, when a constant filtrate flow is
desired, the pressure drop will be greater over time. As filtration proceeds,
the thickness of the deposited solids increases, becoming a non-stationary
circulation of fluids through variable filling height case.
Two zones can be distinguished in the filter: the filtering cake and the
filtering medium. The former constitutes a filling that can change its characteristics (specific surface, porosity, etc.), while the filtering medium has
fixed characteristics.
In general, for a filter in which a cake is formed, the total pressure drop
experienced by the fluid (P) is the summation of the pressure drop experienced through the filtering medium (Pm ) plus the pressure drop experienced through the cake (Pc ):
( P) = ( P + P ) = ( P ) + ( P )
c
9.2.1
(9.1)
Resistance of the Filtering Cake
If a plate-and-frame press filter is considered, the filtering surface is flat and

vertical, as shown in Figure 9.1.a. The fluid crosses through a cake of thickness z, in which the pressure drop is Pc. Applying the Bernoulli equation
to the cake section obtains:
P v2
+
+ g z + E V = 0
(9.2)
According to the conditions of the filter:

P
+ EV = 0
The circulation of the fluid is laminar, so E V can be obtained from Kozenys

equation as:
P v K 1
E V =
=
) (a )
2
S0
(9.3)
Filtration
237
Plate
Frame
Moving
head
Fixed
head
Liquor
Smash
feeding
Filtering
medium
FIGURE 9.1.A
Press-and-frame filter. (Adapted from Ocn, J. and Tojo, G., Problemas de Ingenieria Quimica,
Aguilar, Madrid, 1968.)
zm
z
Filtering
medium
Suspension
Cake
Filtrate
FIGURE 9.1.B
Cake formation scheme.
in which v is the velocity in the free zone given by:

v=
1 dV
A dt
where V is the filtrates volume and A is the cross-sectional area.
(9.4)
238
Combining the equations mentioned before results in:

1 dV
3
=
A d t K 1 2 a
S0
)( )
( P )
tc
(9.5)
The specific resistance of the cake is defined as:
)( )
K 1 aS 0
(9.6)
3 S
where the units of are m/kg. physically represents the pressure drop
needed to obtain a unit superficial velocity times volume of filtrate per unit
viscosity through the cake containing a unit mass of solid per unit area of
filter.
Substituting the expression of the cakes specific resistance in Equation 9.5
obtains:
)
)
Pc
1 dV
=
A d c S 1 z
(9.7)
In order to integrate this equation, the cakes thickness should be a function

of the filtrate volume. Hence, some variables will be defined that will allow
thickness to be a function of the volume of filtrate.
The cake thickness z is a function of the weight of the deposited dry cake
(mDC):
mDC = A z S 1
(9.8)
To obtain the relationship between the deposited dry cake (mDC) and the
volume of filtrate (V), M is defined as the relation between the wet cake and
dry cake weight:
M=
mWC mDC + mRL

A z
=
=1+
mDC
mDC
A z 1 S
(9.9)
where the subindexes WC and DC indicate wet cake and dry cake, respectively, while mRL is the mass of liquid retained by the cake, whose value is:
mRL = mDC M 1
(9.10)
Filtration
239
If S is the mass fraction of solid in the filtered suspension:

S=
mDC
solid mass
=
total mass mDC M + V
(9.11)
Hence:
mDC =
V S
1 M S
(9.12)
This last equation and Equation 9.8 allow one to obtain the relation
between thickness of the cake and volume of filtrate:
z=
V S
1
1 M S S 1 A
(9.13)
Substituting and rearranging this expression in Equation 9.7 obtains:
A2 Pc
dV
=
V S
dt
1 M S
(9.14)
In this equation it can be observed that the flow of filtrate is directly

proportional to the pressure drop experienced by the fluid when crossing
through the cake and inversely proportional to the volume of filtrate. If the
pressure drop is kept constant, the filtrate flow decreases with filtration time,
since the volume of filtrate increases with time.
9.2.2
Filtering Medium Resistance
The filtrate flow that crosses the filtering medium is the same flow that
crosses the cake. The equation of Kozeny can be applied to this zone to
calculate the pressure drop Pm , but actually a resistance of the filtering
medium Rf is used, so the filtrates flow would be:
dV A Pm
=
Rf
dt
(9.15)
The units of Rf are m 1, a resistance that includes various constants of the

filter. When compared with Kozenys equation, this constant is:
240
( )
=
K (1 ) ( a )
3
Rf
S0
(9.16)
zm
in which zm is the thickness of the filtering medium and all the others are its
characteristic variables. The subindex m indicates that these are characteristics of the filtering medium.
It is convenient to consider the resistance offered by the filtering medium
as equivalent to the resistance offered by a certain cake thickness zf that has
been deposited due to crossing a volume of filtrate Vf . It is obvious that Vf
is a constant fictitious value. Similar to Equation 9.14 obtained for the cake,
the filtrate flow can be expressed as a function of this fictitious volume of
filtrate according to the expression:
A2 Pm
dV
=
Vf S
dt
1 MS
(9.17)
Comparing this last equation with Equation 9.15, it is observed that:

Rf = Vf
S
A 1 MS
(9.18)
in which the resistance of the filtering medium is a function of the fictitious

volume of filtrate.
9.2.3
Total Filtration Resistance
As seen before, the total pressure drop experienced by the fluid is the summation of the losses caused when crossing through the cake and the filtering
medium.Therefore, the filtrate can be expressed according to the equations:
dV
=
dt
dV
=
dt
A2 P
S
V + Vf
1 MS
A2 P
V + A Rf
1 M S
(9.19a)
(9.19b)
Once these equations are obtained, they should be integrated. Two cases
can occur: one when the pressure drop experienced by the fluid is constant
and another when operating at a constant volumetric flow.
Filtration
9.2.4
241
Compressible Cakes
When the specific resistance of the cake does not change with the cake
thickness and is independent of the pressure Pc, the cake is called incompressible. This happens when the cake is formed by rigid solid particles that
keep their shape, in which the values of cake porosity and specific surface
of the particles are not affected by the compression applied on the bed.
In general, particles that form the cake are flexible and deformable. In these
types of cakes (called compressible), the resistance to flow depends on the
pressure drop, which varies along the thickness of the cake. In this case the
specific resistance of the cake, , varies along the cake thickness, and an
average value should be used if one wants to integrate Equations 9.19a and b.
Empirical formulas exist that allow one to calculate the specific resistance
of the cake . One of the most used of these equations is given by Almy and
Lewis:
= 0 Pc
(9.20)
where 0 is the specific resistance of the cake when there is no pressure drop,
and n is the compressibility factor, whose value varies between 0.1 and 1,
with higher values corresponding to the more compressible cakes. Although
it has been proved that certain dependence exists, n is supposed to be
independent of pressure.
The values of 0 and n should be obtained experimentally from measurements of of a known pressure drop in the cake and by plotting into double
logarithmic paper the corresponding pairs of values and Pc . The slope of
the fitted straight line will be the value of the compressibility factor n, while
the ordinate to the origin allows one to obtain the value of 0. Another
expression that gives the variation of the cakes specific resistance as a
function of the pressure drop is Ruths equation:
= 0 1+ Pc
(9.21)
in which 0, , and n are parameters that should be obtained in an empirical

form.
9.3
Filtration at Constant Pressure Drop
When the filtration operation is carried out at a constant pressure drop, it is

interesting to know the variation of the volume of filtrate with time. This
can be done by integrating Equation 9.19b. This equation can be expressed
as separated variables:
242
A2 P
S
+
=
V
A
R
dV
dt
1 M S
(9.22)
If a new constant C is defined:

C=
1 MS
S
(9.23)
then Equation 9.22 can be expressed as:
A2 P
V
dt
+ A Rf dV =
If this equation is integrated on the limit condition (t = 0, V = 0), then:
A2 P
V2
t
+ A Rf V =
2C
(9.24)
Rearranging:
Rf
t
=
V+
2
V 2 A P C
A P
where, if the new constants K1 and K2 are defined as:

K1 =
2 A P C
K2 =
Rf
A P
(9.25)
(9.26)
it is obtained that:
t
= K1 V + K2
V
(9.27)
corresponding to the equation of a straight line when plotting t/V vs. the
volume of filtrate. The slope of this straight line is the constant K1, while the
value of the constant K2 is the ordinate to the origin.
Filtration
243
Obtaining the constants K1 and K2 should be performed in experimental

form. If a filtration at constant pressure is carried out and the values of the
volume of filtrate obtained for different filtration times are recorded, a t/V
against V graphic can be built. When adjusting these values by the method
of least squares to the straight line given in Equation 9.27, the values of the
constants K1 and K2 can be obtained from the values of the slope and the
ordinate to the origin, respectively.
It is possible to obtain the value of the constant C from K1 and from C, to
obtain the value of the specific resistance . The value of filtering medium
resistance Rf can be obtained from the ordinate to the origin.
Once and Rf are known, from Equation 9.27, it is possible to determine
the filtration time needed to obtain a given volume of filtrate. Similarly, the
volume of filtrate can be calculated for a determined time. This can be done
from Equation 9.24, which is a second-order equation with respect to the
volume of filtrate. When solving this equation, two roots are obtained, one
of which has no physical meaning since it is a negative volume. Choosing
the adequate root, the volume of filtrate is obtained from the equation:
1/2
2 C P
2 2
V = A C Rf +
t C Rf
(9.28)
This equation allows calculation of the volume of filtrate as a function of

time.
Equation 9.28 can be expressed as a function of the fictitious volume Vf
given in Equation 9.18; hence, the following expression is obtained:
2 2 C A2 P
V = Vf +
t
1/2
Vf
(9.29)
The flow rate that crosses the cake and the filtering medium is obtained
from the derivative of the last equation with respect to time:
q=
dV
=
dt
AC P
2 C P
C 2 Rf2 +
t
1/2
(9.30)
The flow rate is maximum when the filtration time is null, thus:
qmax =
A P
Rf
(9.31)
244
9.4
Filtration at Constant Volumetric Flow
Instant volumetric flow can be expressed as the variation of the filtered

volume with the filtration time:
q = dV dt
If the volumetric flow remains constant, this will be equal to the filtered
volume collected during a determined time:
q = V t = constant
Substituting this expression in Equation 9.19b obtains:
q=
dV
=
dt
A2 P
V + A Rf
1 MS
A2 P
V
+ A Rf
C
(9.32)
This equation allows one to obtain the variation of the pressure drop in
order to keep a constant volumetric flow:
( P) = CA
Rf
qV +
or:
( P) = CA
q2 t +
Rf
A
(9.33)
If new constants K3 and K4 are defined as:

K3 =
K4 =
q2
C A2
Rf q
A
(9.34)
(9.35)
( P) = K
t + K4
(9.36)
Filtration
245
Analogous to the last section, using experimental results, if the pressure

drop is plotted against filtration time, a series of points is obtained that,
when adjusted to a straight line (Equation 9.36), allows one to find the
constants K3 and K4 from the slope, and the ordinate to the origin, respectively. The values of and Rf can then be obtained from the values of the
constants K3 and K4.
The expression that relates the volume of filtrate collected with filtration
time and pressure drop can be obtained from Equation 9.32 and written as:
V2
t
+ A Rf V A2 P = 0
C
When solving this second-order equation, taking the adequate root, the
filtered volume as a function of time can be obtained:
1/2
2 2
C
R
C Rf
C
P
f
+
V = A
t
4
(9.37)
It can be observed that this expression is similar to the equation obtained

for filtration at constant pressure (Equation 9.28).
9.5
Cake Washing
Once the filtration cake is formed, it is usually washed to eliminate the

undesirable solids that it may contain. This washing step is carried out on
the filter by passing a washing liquid through the cake. This operation is
performed at constant pressure drop and volumetric flow, and the washing
liquid can follow the same path as the filtrate or a different one. Either way,
the washing liquid will contain soluble solids once it has crossed the cake
in such way that their concentration will decrease along time.
When the washing liquid follows the same path as the filtrate, the concentration of the washing solids eliminated is up to 90% at an initial period and
then abruptly decreases (Figure 9.2). When the washing liquid does not
follow the same path as the filtrate, the elimination of the soluble solids is
gradual.
In most of the filters, the washing water follows the same path as the
filtrate. However, in press-and-frame press filters, the path is different.
Figures 9.3 and 9.4 show the filtration and washing operations, respectively,
in a press-and-frame filter. It can be observed that the washing area is half
of the filtration area, while the resistance of the filtering medium is double
for the washing area.
Concentration in washing water
246
Washing time
FIGURE 9.2
Concentration of soluble solids in washing water: (a) same path; (b) different path.
Filtrate
Filtering
medium
Feed
Inlet
Plate
FIGURE 9.3
Filtration operation in a plate-and-frame press filter.
Frame
Filtration
247
Plate
Frame
Washing
water
Cake
FIGURE 9.4
Washing operation of the cake.
It is important to highlight that the flow of washing liquid coincides with

the final flow of filtrate. Thus, if Equation 9.19.b is taken, then:
( A ) ( P)
2
qL = qFINAL =
V + AW Rf
1 MS
(9.38)
where Aw is the washing area.

Where the washing area coincides with that of filtration (Aw = A), the
expression to calculate the washing flow in which V is the volume of filtered
liquid at the end of the filtration operation will be used.
For plate-and-frame press filters, the washing area is half of the filtration
area. However, the washing liquid should cross the filtering medium two
times. Hence, in Equation 9.38, 2Rf should be used instead of Rf , and Aw =
A/2. Taking all these remarks into account, the following expression is
obtained:
1
qL =
4
A2 P
+ A Rf
1 M S
(9.39a)
248
This equation, expressed as a function of K 1 and K 2 , defined in

Equations 9.25 and 9.26, allows one to express the washing flow as:
qL =
1
8 K1V + 4 K2
(9.39b)
The washing time (tL) is obtained by dividing the volume of liquid needed
for the washing operation by the flow:
tL = VL qL
(9.40)
where VL is the volume of liquid that will be used to wash the cake.
9.6
Filtration Capacity
The filtration capacity is defined as the quotient between the volume of

filtrate and the time of one filtration cycle:
()
Fc =
V
tCYCLE
(9.41)
The time of one cycle is the sum of filtration time (t) plus nonoperative
time (t), which includes the washing time (tL) and a complementary time
(t*) needed for discharge, cleaning, and assembly and adjustment of the filter
to begin a new filtration stage.
tC = t + t = t + tL + t *
9.7
(9.42)
Optimal Filtration Conditions at Constant Pressure
It is evident that during the filtration processes at constant pressure, the

filtrate flow decreases as filtration time goes on. For this reason, there will
be a time at which continuing the filtration process would not be feasible,
so the optimum will be looked for. This optimum occurs at the time at which
the filtration capacity is maximum.
Maximum filtration conditions will be obtained by maximizing the filtration capacity function. Hence:
Filtration
249
()
dF c
=0
dV
which is the maximum condition. When the derivative of the filtration capacity with respect to the volume of filtrate is equal to zero, it is possible to
obtain the optimum volume. In the same way, the optimum filtration time
can be obtained if the function is derived with respect to time. The difference
is based on the fact that, for the first case, the time should be expressed as
a function of the volume of filtrate, while in the second case, the volume
should be expressed as a function of filtration time.
For the particular case in which the nonoperative time, t, is a determined
value, the way to obtain the optimum is described next. The filtration time
is a function of the volume of filtrate and can be obtained from Equation 9.27:
t = K1 V 2 + K2 V
(9.43)
In this way, the filtration capacity can be expressed as:
()
Fc =
(K V
1
V
2
+ K2 V + t
The optimum can be found from the derivative of this expression and
equaling it to zero:
()
dF c
d
V
=0
=
dV
d t K1 V 2 + K2V + t
Thus, the following expression is obtained:

t = K1 V 2
(9.44)
This equation indicates the nonoperative time required to obtain an optimum volume of filtrate. If a nonoperative time is given, the volume of filtrate
to have an optimum filtration capacity will be:
VOPTIMUM =
t
K1
(9.45)
The optimum time will be obtained by substituting this value of volume

in Equation 9.42:
tOPTIMUM = t + K2
t
K1
(9.46)
250
Filtered
Volume
VOPTIMUM
t OPTIMUM
Time
FIGURE 9.5
Graphical method to determine optimum conditions of filtration.
The graphical method of Sbarbaugh allows one to obtain the values of Vopt
and topt from the curve in which the filtrates volume is a function of time
(Figure 9.5). To obtain Vopt and topt , the tangent line to the filtration curve
from the point (t, 0) is plotted. The tangent point has as coordinates the
values of the optimum time and volume of filtrate.
9.8
Rotary Vacuum Disk Filter
Another type of filter widely used in the industry is the rotary filter that
operates under vacuum. These filters consist of a cylindrical drum with
different sections, which rotates on its axis and in which vacuum is applied
to facilitate the crossing of the fluid. The solids are retained in the lateral
cylindrical surface (Figure 9.6). As can be observed in this figure, part of the
cylinder is submerged in the suspension to be filtered. The cake deposited
on the surface is washed by showers of washing liquid. Vacuum is applied
to the interior of the drum at the filtration zone as well as in the washing
zone, but once out of these zones, vacuum is eliminated to easily separate
the cake with a scraper. In this way, the filter can begin the filtration cycle
again. This kind of operation is carried out at constant pressure drop and
volumetric flow.
Filtration
251
Washing
water
Cake
Feeding
Vacuum
Air
Vacuum
Scraper
FIGURE 9.6
Rotary vacuum filter.
Mathematical treatment and calculations are performed assuming that the

total filtering area (A) is formed by n surfaces Ai , small enough to assume
that they behave as a flat filter: A = n Ai.
The volume filtered (Vi) by one of the sections Ai , since it is a flat filter,
can be obtained from Equation 9.28:
1/2
2 C P
2 2
Vi = Ai C Rf +
tS C Rf
where ts is the time during which the section Ai is submerged, corresponding

to the filtration time.
If the filtration drum rotates at a rotation velocity N, and its immersion
angle is , then the time it will be submerged is:
tS =
2N
in which the angle is given in radians.
(9.47)
252
The total volume of filtrate is obtained by adding together the volumes of

each filtration section considered:
1/2
2 C P

2 2
V = nVi = A C Rf +
C
R
f
2 N
(9.48)
The filtrate flow is a function of the volume of filtrate and is obtained by

multiplying the volume of filtrate times the spin velocity of the drum:
1/2
2 C P

2 2
q = N V = NA C Rf +
CRf
2 N
(9.49)
Sometimes it is interesting to calculate the thickness of the cake deposited

on the filters surface. During one filtration cycle, when a point of the filter
surface penetrates into the suspension to be filtered, the insoluble solids
begin to deposit. As time goes on, more solids are deposited on this point
and, as a consequence, the thickness of the deposited cake increases, depending on the amount of time that this point has been submerged. As was seen
in Equation 9.47, such time depends on the immersion angle.
The mass of solids deposited on one of the areas Ai is obtained from
Equation 9.13:
z=
Vi S
1
1 M S S 1 Ai
in which the thickness of the deposited cake is a function of the filtered

volume Vi . Such volume is given by Equation 9.48, with Ai representing the
filtration area; if the definition of the constant C as a function of the resistance
of the cake is taken into account, then thickness can be obtained by means
of the following equation:
1/2
2 C P
1

2
z=
Rf
R +
2 N
C
S 1 f
(9.50)
This equation allows one to obtain the cake thickness for an angle of
submerged filter of radians.
Filtration
253
Problems
9.1
A plate-and-frame filter that operates under constant pressure requires 1 h
to separate 600 l of filtrate of an aqueous suspension. Calculate the filtration
capacity if the initial filtration velocity is 60 l/min, 8 l of water are needed
to wash the deposited cake, and 35 min are needed to discharge, clean, and
assemble the filter.
The filtrate flow is given by Equation 9.19b, which, with the definition of
constant C (Equation 9.23), is transformed into:
dV
=
dt
A2 P
V
+ A Rf
C
For a filtration at constant pressure drop, (P) = constant, the integration

of this equation yields:
K1 V 2 + K2 V t = 0
K1 and K2 are defined by Equations 9.25 and 9.26.
For t = 0: (dV/dt) = 0
A P
dV
l
1
=
=
= 60
K2
min
Rf
d t t=0
from which it is obtained that K2 = 1000 s/m3
For t = 60 min: V = 600 l = 0.6 m3, so:
( )
( )
K1 0.6 + K2 0.6 3600 = 0

obtaining:
K1 = 8333.33 s m6
It is important to point out that the washing flow coincides with the final
volume of filtrate; for plate-and-frame filters, Equation 9.39b allows one to
calculate the filtrate flow:
254
qL =
1
8 K1 V + 4 K2
Since, at the end of filtration, 0.6 m3 was obtained and the constants K1 and
K2 were previously obtained, then the washing volumetric flow rate will be:
qL = 2.273 105 m3/s
The washing time is obtained by dividing the washing volume by the
volumetric flow rate:
tL =
80 103 m 3
= 3520 s
2.273 105 m 3 s
The filtration capacity is obtained from Equation 9.41, in which the time
of one cycle is given by Equation 9.42. Therefore:
()
Fc =
V
t + tL + t*
in which
V = 0.6 m3
t = 3600 s
tL = 3520 s
t* = 35 60 s = 2100 s
So the filtration capacity is:
()
F c = 6.51 105 m 3 s = 3.91 l min

9.2
A plate-and-frame press filter is used to filtrate an aqueous suspension.
Working under constant filtration velocity, 250 l of filtrate are obtained after
45 min. During this period, the pressure drop increases from 0.40 kg/cm2 to
3.5 kg/cm2. If it were desired to work at a constant pressure of 3.5 kg/cm2,
what amount of filtrate would be obtained after 45 min?
The expression that relates the variation of the volume of filtrate to time
is given by Equation 9.32:
q=
dV
=
dt
A2 P
V
+ A Rf
C
Since the filtration is at constant volumetric flow, then q = (dV/dt) =

constant:
Filtration
255
q=
250 l
= 5.556 l min = 9.26 105 m 3 s
45 min
It is not necessary to integrate the last equation because it is operated

under a constant volumetric flow, but the pressure drop (P) can be directly
obtained as a function of filtration time (Equation 9.36):
( P) = K
t + K4
where the constants K3 and K4 are given by Equations 9.34 and 9.35:
K3 =
q2
C A2
K4 =
Rf q
A
For t = 0:
( P) = 0.4 kg
(
cm2 = 39, 200 Pa
K 4 = P = 39, 200 Pa
For t = 45 min = 2700 s:
( P) = 3.5 kg
K3 =
( P) K
t
cm2 = 343, 000 Pa
(343, 000 39, 200) Pa = 112.52 Pa s

2700 s
Filtration at constant pressure drop (P) = 3.5 kg/cm2

When integrating the differential equation, under the limit condition t = 0,
V = 0, a second-order equation is obtained with respect to the volume of
filtrate (Equation 9.27):
V 2 + 2 C A Rf V
2 CA2 P t
=0
The following is obtained from the expression of K3:
9.26 105 m 3 s
CA2 q2
= 3 =
112.52 Pa s
K
= 7.62 1011
m6
Pa s
256
From the relation:

2
K 4 Rf q CA2 CA Rf
=
=
=
q
K3
A
q2
C A Rf = q
) ((
39, 200 Pa
K4
= 9.26 105 m 3 s
= 32.26 103 m 3
K3
112.52 Pa s
The different values obtained are substituted in the second-order equation:
)(
V 2 + 2 32.26 103 V 2 7.62 1011 3.5 9.8 104 2700 = 0

V 2 + 0.0645 V 0.1411 = 0
When solving this equation, the negative root does not have a physical
meaning, so only the positive root is taken: V = 0.345 m3.
Therefore, after 45 min of filtration at a constant pressure drop of 3.5 kg/cm2,
345 l of filtrate are obtained.
9.3
An aqueous suspension that contains 7% of insoluble solids is filtered at a
rate of 10 ton/h, using a plate-and-frame press filter that works under
constant pressure of 3 atm. It was found, experimentally, that the deposited
cake contains 50% moisture, the density of the dry solids is 3.5 g/cm3, and
the equivalent diameter of the deposited particles is 0.002 mm. The washing
of the cake begins after 10,000 kg/h of feeding have been filtered using 150
l of water, while 30 min are used for the discharge, cleaning, and assembly
operations. If the resistance of the filtering medium to filtration is considered
negligible, calculate: (a) the specific resistance of the cake; (b) volume of
water filtered after one hour; (c) time needed to carry out washing; and
(d) filtration capacity.
Data: K = 5 can be taken for Kozenys constant.
Viscosity = 1 mPas
Properties of water: Density = 1000 kg/m3;
10,000 kg of the suspension are filtered in 1 h.
Dry solids deposited: W = (10,000) (0.07) = 700 kg
M=
weight of wet cake 100 kg wet cake

=
=2
weight of dry cake
50 kg dry cake
Filtration
257
M=
mass of dry solid + mass of retained liquid

mass of dry solid
If VT = volume of deposited cake:

M =1+
VT
=1+
VT 1 P
1 P
Substituting the variables with their values obtains that porosity is =

0.778.
Particles specific surface:
aS0 = 6 dp = 6 0.002 103 m = 3 106 m1

The cake-specific resistance is obtained from Equation 9.6:
)( )
K 1 aS 0
S
3
(
)(
(0.778) (3500 kg
)
m )
5 1 0.778 3 106 m1
3
= 6.07 109
m
kg
For a filtration under constant pressure drop, the volume of filtrate is given
by Equation 9.28. Since the resistance of the medium is negligible, Rf = 0, the
equation can be rearranged as:
2 C P
V = A
) t
1/2
in which:
10 Pa
= 2.94 10
( P) = 3 atm 9.8 1 atm
4
Pa
Also, from the definition of the constant C (Equation 9.23):

C=
1 MS
1 2 0.07
=
= 2.024 1012 m2
9
S
6.07 10 m kg 103 kg m 3 0.07
)(
Volume of filtrate collected in 1 h:
)(
258
V=
) (
)(
W 1 MS
700 kgd.s. 1 2 0.07
=
= 8.6 m 3
S
1000 kg m 3 0.07
)(
Thus, the filtration area is obtained from Equation 9.28, with Rf = 0
)(
)(
2 2.024 1012 m2 2.94 105 Pa
8.6 m = A
3600
s
103 Pa s
1/2
Hence, one filtration area: A = 4.155 m2

The washing flow coincides with that of the final filtrate, and since Rf = 0,
Equation 9.39 becomes simpler:
qL =
since:
A
C
V
(P)
2
1 C A P
V
4
= 4.155 m2
= 2.024 1012 m2
= 8.6 m3
= 103 Pas
= 2.94 105 Pa
then:
qL = 2.99 104 m 3 s
The washing time will be:
0.15 m 3
VL
tL =
=
= 502 s
qL
2.99 104 m 3 s
Calculation of the filtration capacity:
()
Fc =
8.6 m 3
V
=
= 1.457 103 m 3 s
3600 + 502 + 1800 s
t + tL + t *
FC = 1.457 103 m 3 s = 87.42 l min
Filtration
259
9.4
An aqueous solution that contains 10% suspended solids is filtered in a plateand-frame press filter. In a previous experiment it was determined that the
wet cake to dry cake ratio is 2.2, using an incompressible cake with a specific
resistance of 2.5 1010 m/kg. During filtration at constant pressure of 3 atm,
the variation on the amount of filtrate with time is recorded in the following
table:
Time (minutes)
Filtrates mass (kg)
8
1600
18
2700
31
3720
49
4900
70
6000
95
7125
From these data, calculate: (a) total area of the filter and resistance of the
filtering medium; (b) if the nonoperative time of each filtrating cycle is
26 min, calculate the volume of filtrate recovered at the end of 10 h if the
operation is carried out at the optimum filtration cycle; and (c) it is desired
to filtrate the same solution but working at constant volumetric flow. If, at
the end of 142 min, the pressure drop experienced by the fluid when crossing
the cake and the filtering medium is 4.5 atm, calculate the volume of filtrate
obtained and the volumetric flow rate at which it circulates.
Data: Water properties: Density = 1000 kg/m3;
Viscosity = 1.2 mPas
Filtration at constant pressure drop:

In this type of operation, the variation on the volume of filtrate and time
are correlated by a second-order equation (Equation 9.27):
K1 V 2 + K2 V t = 0
in which the constants K1 and K2 are given by Equations 9.25 and 9.26.
Equation 9.27 is a straight line if t/V is plotted against V, with a slope K1
and intercept K2.
(a) The following table can be constructed with the data stated in the
problem:
t (s)
V (m3)
t/V(s/m3)
480
1.6
300
1080
2.7
400
1860
3.72
500
2940
4.9
600
4200
6.0
700
5700
7.125
800
The constants K1 and K2 can be obtained from the fitting of these data using
the method of least squares.
K1 = 90.40 s m6
K2 = 157.58 s m 3
260
The value of constant C is obtained from Equation 9.23:
C=
( )( )
1 2.2 0.1
1 MS
=
= 3.12 1013 m2
10
S
2.5 10 m kg 1000 kg m 3 0.1
)(
)( )
Calculation of the filtration area:

It is possible to obtain such area from the expression of constant K1
(Equation 9.25)
A2 =
1.2 103 Pa s
=
6
2 K1 C P
2 90.4 s m 3.12 1013 m2 3 9.8 104 Pa
)(
)(
= 72.357 m2
Then A = 8.506 m2.
Calculation of the resistance of the filtration medium:
It is possible to obtain the value from the expression of the constant K2
(Equation 9.26):
Rf =
K 2 A ( P)
(157.58 s m )(8.506 m ) (3 9.8 10 Pa)

(1.2 10 Pa s)
3
= 3.284 10 11 m 1
(b) Filtration capacity: it is given by Equation 9.41 that, in this case:
()
Fc =
V
t + t
in which t = 26 60 s = 1560 s.
Hence, from Equation 9.27:
t = K1 V 2 + K2 V
So the filtration capacity will be:
()
Fc =
V
K1 V + K2 V + t
2
Filtration
261
The optimum cycle is obtained from the derivation of this function with
respect to the volume of filtrate and equaling it to zero:
K V 2 + K2 V + t V 2 K1 V + K2
d
Fc = 1
=0
2
dt
K V 2 + K V + t
( ( ))
Since the numerator of this expression is equal to zero, then:

K1 V 2 = t
Thus, Vopt = (t/K1)1/2.
Since t = 1560 s and K1 = 90.40 s/m6, the optimum volume of filtrate is
Vopt = 4.154 m3.
Filtration time obtained from the expression:
t = K1 V 2 + K2 V
t = 90.4 s/m6 (4.154 m3)2 + 157.58 s/m3 (4.154 m3)
t = 2215 s = 36 min 55 s
One cycles time:
tcycle = t + t = 2215 s + 1560 s = 3775 s
Number of cycles:
n of cycles =
(10 h )(3600 s h ) = 9.536 cycles

3775 s
Nine complete cycles have been completed with +0.536 cycles that correspond to 0.536 cycles 3775 s/cycle = 2025 s. The volume of filtrate for this
time can be obtained by means of a second-order equation: t = K1 V 2 + K2 Vo
2025 = 90.4 V 2 + 157.58 V
The negative root of this equation has no physical meaning, so the positive
root yields the filtrates volume obtained during the 2025 s: V = 3.941 m3.
The volume of filtrate recovered at the end of 10 h of operation will be:
V = 9 cycles 4.154 m 3 cycle + 3.941 m 3 = 41.327 m 3
262
(c) Filtration under a constant volumetric flow: The volume of filtrate is

obtained from Equation 9.37:
1/2
2 2
C
R
C Rf
C
f
V = A
+
t
4
The values of the different variables of this equation are:

A = 8.506 m2
C = 3.12 1013 m2
t = 8520 s
Rf = 3.284 1011 m1
(P) = (4.5) (9.8 104) Pa
Hence, the volume of filtrate is V = 7.983 m3.
Filtrate volumetric flow rate:
q=
m3
V 7.983 m 3
=
= 0.0562
min
t
142 min
q = 0.0562 m 3 min = 56.2 l min = 3.373 m 3 h

9.5
It is desired to obtain 60 l/min of filtrate from an aqueous suspension that
contains 0.25 kg of insoluble solids per each kg of water, using a rotary drum
filter. The pressure drop suffered by the fluid is 300 mm of Hg, obtaining a
cake that has a 50% moisture content and a filtrate that has a viscosity of
1.2 mPas and a density of 1000 kg/m3. The filters cycle time is 5 min, with
30% of the total surface submerged. The particles that form the suspension
can be considered as spheres with a 6 103 mm diameter and a 900 kg/m3
density. If it is supposed that the resistance offered by the filtering medium
to filtration is negligible and that a value of 5 can be taken for the Kozeny
constant, calculate (a) the specific resistance of the cake; (b) the filters area;
and (c) thickness of the deposited cake.
Suspended solids:
S=
0.25 kg solids
= 0.2 20% solids
1 + 0.25 total kg
Filtration
263
M=
mass of wet cake

1 kg wet cake
=
=2
mass of dry cake 0.5 kg dry cake
Since:
M =1+
VC
VC 1 P
it is possible to obtain the value of porosity using the values of = 1000

kg/m3, P = 900 kg/m3, and = 0.4737.
Particles specific surface:
6
6
=
= 106 m1
dP 6 106 m
aS 0 =
The cake specific resistance is obtained from Equation 9.6:
)( )
K 1 aS 0
3 S
)(
)
m ) ( 0.4737 )
5 1 0.4737 106 m1
(900 kg
= 2.75 1010 m kg
Constant C is obtained from Equation 9.23:
C=
( )
1 2 0.2
1 MS
=
= 1.09 1013 m2
10
S
2.75 10 m kg 1000 kg m 3 0.2
)(
)( )
Number of rps: N = 1/(5 min) = 0.2 rpm = 3.33 103 rps

Drop pressure:
300
1.0333 atm 9.8 10 Pa
atm
= 39973 Pa
( P) = 760
1 atm
1 atm
4
For a rotary filter, the filtrate volumetric flow rate is obtained from
Equation 9.49, which, for the present case, becomes simpler since the resistance of the filtering medium can be neglected (Rf = 0):
1/2
2 C P

q = N V = NA
2 N
264
The available data are

= 0.3 2 radians;
= 1.2 103 Pas
q = 60 l/min = 103 m3/s;
(P) = 39,972.4 Pa
C = 1.09 1013 m2;
N = 3.33 103 s1
It is possible to calculate the area of the filter by substituting these data in
the equation stated before, thus obtaining A = 11.73 m2.
The cake thickness is obtained from Equation 9.50, but since Rf = 0, the
equation can be rearranged as:
2 C P
1
z=
C
S 1

2 N
1/2
in which (P), , , C, and N have the values indicated above, and also:
P = 900 kg/m3; = 0.4737; and = 2.75 1010 m/kg. These data allow one
to obtain the cake thickness: z = 0.018 m = 18 mm.

Cap 09 Filtracion

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Cap 09 Filtracion

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

TX69299 ch01 frame.

book Page 235 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Filtration is a unit operation whose purpose is the separation of an insoluble

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 236 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Unit Operations in Food Engineering

Resistance of the Filtering Cake

If a plate-and-frame press filter is considered, the filtering surface is flat and

According to the conditions of the filter:

The circulation of the fluid is laminar, so E V can be obtained from Kozenys

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 237 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

in which v is the velocity in the free zone given by:

where V is the filtrates volume and A is the cross-sectional area.

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 238 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Unit Operations in Food Engineering

Combining the equations mentioned before results in:

The specific resistance of the cake is defined as:

In order to integrate this equation, the cakes thickness should be a function

mWC mDC + mRL

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 239 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

If S is the mass fraction of solid in the filtered suspension:

Substituting and rearranging this expression in Equation 9.7 obtains:

In this equation it can be observed that the flow of filtrate is directly

Filtering Medium Resistance

The units of Rf are m 1, a resistance that includes various constants of the

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 240 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Unit Operations in Food Engineering

Comparing this last equation with Equation 9.15, it is observed that:

in which the resistance of the filtering medium is a function of the fictitious

Total Filtration Resistance

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 241 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

in which 0, , and n are parameters that should be obtained in an empirical

Filtration at Constant Pressure Drop

When the filtration operation is carried out at a constant pressure drop, it is

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 242 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Unit Operations in Food Engineering

If a new constant C is defined:

then Equation 9.22 can be expressed as:

If this equation is integrated on the limit condition (t = 0, V = 0), then:

where, if the new constants K1 and K2 are defined as:

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 243 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Obtaining the constants K1 and K2 should be performed in experimental

This equation allows calculation of the volume of filtrate as a function of

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 244 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Unit Operations in Food Engineering

Filtration at Constant Volumetric Flow

Instant volumetric flow can be expressed as the variation of the filtered

If new constants K3 and K4 are defined as:

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 245 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Analogous to the last section, using experimental results, if the pressure

It can be observed that this expression is similar to the equation obtained

Once the filtration cake is formed, it is usually washed to eliminate the

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 246 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Unit Operations in Food Engineering

Concentration in washing water

2003 by CRC Press LLC

TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 247 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

It is important to highlight that the flow of washing liquid coincides with

where Aw is the washing area.