Liquid Filtration

What Is Liquid Filtration?

It is the separation of solids from a suspension in
a liquid (slurry) using a porous medium or
Filtering media (septum) which retains the solids
(sold deposition) and allows the liquid to pass.

Filtering Media
It has holes that trapped the movement of solids
while it allows to liquid to pass through.

Filter Paper

Membrane

Types of Solid Deposition

Forming a cake on the septum.
Trapped inside the pores of the septum.

Filters Types
Filters are classified depending on the following
three different basis:
1. Mechanism

2. The driving force

3. Operation

Based on the mechanism:

1. Cake filters
2. Clarifying filters
3. Cross flow filters

Based on the driving force :

1. Pressure Filters
2. Vacuum filters
3. Centrifugal filters

Based on the operation :

1. Continuous filters
2. Batch or discontinuous filters

Based On Mechanism
Depends on the mechanisms of solid deposition,
filtration is classified into:
Cake filters:
Solid particles form a layer of solids on filtering
media as a cake.

Deep or Depth bed filters:

Solid particles are caught inside the pores of
filtering media.

Deep Bed Filtration is further classified, depends

on the process configuration, into:
Clarifying filtration
Cross flow filtration

Clarifying filtration

Cross flow filtration

Based On The Driving Force

Pressure filters :
Pressure applied at feed side.

Vacuum filters :
Vacuum applied at product side.
Centrifugal separators :
Spinning the slurry to force separation.

Based On Operation
Continuous filters :
Flow of fluid and discharge of solids (cake) is
continuous or uninterrupted.
Batch filters :
Flow of fluid is continuous but it has to be
interrupted to permit discharging of the
accumulated solids.

Factors affecting filtration

There are many factors affecting the filtration
process, the most important among them are:
Pressure drop ( P )
Area of filtering surface ( A )
Viscosity of filtrate ( v )
Resistance of filter cake ( )
Resistance of filter medium ( Rm )
Properties of slurry

Filtration Equation
The rate of fluid passes through the filter medium,
which offers resistance to its passage, under the
influence of a driving force which is the pressure
differential across the filter is expressed as:
rate of filtration = driving force/resistance

The filter-cake resistance () is obtained by

multiplying the specific resistance of the filter
cake (resistance/unit thickness) by the thickness
of the cake.

 The resistance of the filter medium (Rm) is

combined into a single resistance called the filter
resistance.

rate of filtration = driving force/resistance

(P)

Filter cake ()

Filter medium (Rm)

 Flow of fluid through packed bed can be

represented using Carman-kozenys equation:
1

Where,
k1= constant = 4.17 for particles with definite size and
shape
= viscosity of filtrate (Pa.s)
v = linear velocity based on filter area (m/s)
= void fraction (porosity of cake)
L = thickness of cake (m)
S0= specific surface area of particle area per volume of solid
particle (m2/m3)
Pc= pressure drop in cake (N/m2)

Since,
and,

dV dt
v
A
L

C sV

A (1 ) p

Where,
A = filter area (m2)
V = volume of filtrate at t sec
L = thickness of filter cake
Cs = kg of solid/m3 of filtrate
P = density of solid particle in cake (kg/m3)

Substituting Eq.s (2 & 3) into Eq. (1), we get:

1 dV

A dt

P
CsV

Rm
A

Specific cake resistance ()

Is a function of porosity, specific surface area of
Particle, and pressure.

f ( , S , Pressure)

0
where,
= void fraction
S0= specific surface area of particle (m2)

Empirically, is determined using the following formula:

0 (P)

Where,

0 : the resistance at unit applied pressure drop

n : a compressibility index obtained from
experiments (n = 0 for incompressible
substance)

Filter medium resistance (Rm):

Normally given as constant but may vary with
time (as a result of some penetration of solid
into the medium).
Sometimes may also change with applied
pressure (because of the compression of fiber
in the medium).

The overall pressure drop across an installed

filter include losses not only in the medium but
also in the associated piping and in the inlet and
outlet ports.
It is convenient in practice to include all these
extra resistances in the value of the medium
resistance Rm.

1. Constant Pressure Filtration

at
Att t==t tsec
sec

Kp
t

V B
V
2

t
Cs V
Rm

V / A 2 P A P

Eq. (6 or 7) is a linear with slope equal to (Kp/2), and intercept (B).

/2

Having Kp & B, then and Rm can be determined

2. Constant Rate Filtration

1 dV

A dt

P
(Pa)

t (sec)

Slope

Cs V

A2 t
Rm V
y intercept

A t

P
CsV

Rm
A

dV
AP

Constant
dt Cs V Rm
A

AP
dV

dt

V
Cs Rm

AP
V
t
V
Cs Rm

CsV 2 RmV
P

A2 t
At
P

Cs V
A2

.t
t

Rm V

A t

Alternative method

For incompressible cake, Kv and C are constant.

Example 1:
Constant pressure filtration has the following data:
Filtration area = 0.01 m2

Solution density = 1062 kg/m2

Solution viscosity = 1.610-3 Pa.s

Filtration pressure = 200 kPa

Solid concentration = 3 kg/m3

Cs

Determine specific filter cake resistance and filter medium resistance?

Solution:
By drawing the (tA/V) in y-axis to (V/A) in x-axis, we got:

Slope = Cs/2P
Intercept = Rm/P

 Cs

Slope

2P

(1.6 103 ) (3)

2 (200 103 )

y intercept

1175

1175

9.792 1010

(1.6 103 ) Rm

3
200 10
Rm

Rm
P

m / kg

307.67

307.67
3.845 1010

1/ m

Example 2:
A slurry containing 25.7 kg dry solids/m3 of filtrate across the filter
medium area 2.15 m2 at a constant rate of 0.00118 m3/s. If the
pressure drop was observed 4,000 and 8,500 Pa after 150 and 450
seconds of filtration, respectively. The viscosity of filtrate was 0.001
Pa.s . Determine the specific cake resistance and filter medium
resistance.
Solution:

P (Pa)

9000
8000
7000
6000
5000

y = 15x + 1750
2
R =1

4000
3000
2000
1000
0
0

100

200

300
t (sec)

400

500

Slope

Cs V

A t
(0.001) (25.7)(0.00118) 2
2.152
y int ercept

Rm V

A t
(0.001) Rm (0.00118)
2.15
Rm

15

15

1.938 109

1750

1750

3.189 109

m / kg

1/ m

Industrial Filters

Plate and frame press

Shell and leaf filter
Rotary vacuum filter
Centrifugal filter
This is for further reading