Republic of the Philippines

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Gov. Pablo Borbon Campus 2
Batangas City

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

Chemical and Food Engineering Department
Alangilan, Batangas City

ChE 421
Separation Processes and
Introduction to Particle Technology

FILTRATION

Geron, Ann Lisette M.

Lacdao, Drexler B.

ChE-4201

Engr. Rejie C. Magnaye

Instructor

FILTRATION
 Filtration
Geron, A.L.M., Lacdao, D.B.

Filtration is the separation of a fluid-solids mixture involving passage of most of the fluid
through a porous barrier which retains most of the solid particulates contained in the mixture
filter - a piece of unit-operations equipment by which filtration is performed
filter medium or septum - the barrier that lets the liquid pass while retaining most of the
solids; it may be a screen, cloth, paper, or bed of solids
filtrate liquid that passes through the filter medium
Filtration and filters can be classified several ways:
1. By driving force. The filtrate is induced to flow through the filter medium by hydrostatic
head (gravity), pressure applied upstream of the filter medium, vacuum or reduced
pressure applied downstream of the filter medium, or centrifugal force across the
medium. Centrifugal filtration is closely related to centrifugal sedimentation, and both are
discussed later under Centrifuges.
2. By filtration mechanism. Although the mechanism for separation and accumulation of
solids is not clearly understood, two models are generally considered and are the basis
for the application of theory to the filtration process. When solids are stopped at the
surface of a filter medium and pile upon one another to form a cake of increasing
thickness, the separation is called cake filtration. When solids are trapped within the
pores or body of the medium, it is termed depth, filter-medium, or clarifying filtration.
3. By objective. The process goal of filtration may be dry solids (the cake is the product of
value), clarified liquid (the filtrate is the product of value), or both. Good solids recovery
is best obtained by cake filtration, while clarification of the liquid is accomplished by
either depth or cake filtration.
4. By operating cycle. Filtration may be intermittent (batch) or continuous. Batch filters may
be operated with constant-pressure driving force, at constant rate, or in cycles that are
variable with respect to both pressure and rate. Batch cycle can vary greatly, depending
on filter area and solids loading.
5. By nature of the solids. Cake filtration may involve an accumulation of solids that is
compressible or substantially incompressible, corresponding roughly in filter-medium
filtration to particles that are deformable and to those that are rigid. In the case of an
incompressible cake, the resistance to flow of a given volume of cake is not appreciably
affected either by the pressure difference across the cake or by the rate of deposition of
material. On the other hand, with a compressible cake, increase of the pressure
difference or of the rate of flow causes the formation of a denser cake with a higher
resistance.

The most important factors on which the rate of filtration then depends will be:
a. The drop in pressure from the feed to the far side of the filter medium.
b. The area of the filtering surface.
c. The viscosity of the filtrate.
d. The resistance of the filter cake.
e. The resistance of the filter medium and initial layers of cake.

FILTRATION THEORY
The initial stages in the formation of the cake are of special importance for the following
reasons:

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 Filtration
Geron, A.L.M., Lacdao, D.B.

a. For any filtration pressure, the rate of flow is greatest at the beginning of the process
since the resistance is then a minimum.
b. High initial rates of filtration may result in plugging of the pores of the filter cloth and
cause a very high resistance to flow.
c. The orientation of the particle in the initial layers may appreciably influence the structure
of the whole filter cake.

FILTRATION EQUIPMENT
The choice of filter equipment depends largely upon economics, but the economic
advantages will vary depending upon the following:
1. Fluid viscosity, density, and chemical reactivity
2. Solid particle size, size distribution, shape, flocculation tendencies and deformability
3. Feed slurry concentration
4. Amount of material to be handled
5. Absolute and relative values of liquid and solid products
6. Completeness of separation required
7. Relative costs of labor, capital and power

Granular Media Filters

- Simplest of industrial filters that consist of one or more layers
of particulate solids supported on a gravel bed on a grating
through which the material to be filtered flows by gravity or
pressure
- Used primarily where large flows of very dilute slurry are to be
treated, where neither the solid nor the liquid product has high
unit value and where the solid product is not to be recovered
- Mainstay of wastewater purification systems

Plate-and-Frame Filter Press

- Most common filtering device throughout the chemical
industry
- Has advantages of low first cost, very low maintenance and
extreme flexibility
- During filtration, the press:
o Permits the delivery of feed slurry to the filter surfaces through its own duct
o Permits the forcing of feed slurry against the filter surfaces
o Permits the filtrate that has passed through the filter surfaces to exit through its
own duct
o Retains solids that were originally in the slurry
- During the wash sequence:
o Permits delivery of wash water to the filtered solids through its own duct
o Permits the forcing of wash water through the solids retained in the filter
o Permits wash water and impurities to leave through a separate duct
- Can handle the filtration of heavy slurries or the polishing of a liquid containing only a
faint haze of precipitate

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 Filtration
Geron, A.L.M., Lacdao, D.B.

Shell-and-leaf filters
- For filtering under higher pressures, to economize on labor or
where better washing of the cake is needed

Automatic belt filter

- The Larox belt filter is a discontinuous pressure filter that
separates, compresses, washes and automatically discharges the
cake.

Other Batch Filters

a. Horizontal-plate filter well adapted for the final clarifying of solutions containing minute
quantities of solids because of the ease of applying a filter-aid precoat.
b. Vertical leaf filter built in very large sizes and can be opened particularly rapidly for
cleaning
c. Sweetland filter made in two half-cylinders. The bottom half opens downward by
releasing the quick opening cam locks to expose vertical disk-shaped leaves that are
cleaned in place

Continuous Filters
- Slurry is fed continuously and the cake and filtrate are produced continuously
a. Horizontal rotary filter well adapted to the filtering of quick draining crystalline solids

b. Rotary-disk vacuum filter gives an especially high filtration rate for a given floor
space
c. Rotary-drum vacuum filter filter cake is picked up from a slurry pool by dipping the
drum surface and applying vacuum.
o Precoat filters a rotary-drum filter modified for filtering small amounts of fine
or gelatinous solids that ordinarily plug a filter cloth

Rotary-drum vaccum filter Rotary-disk vacuum filter

Centrifugal Filters

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 Filtration
Geron, A.L.M., Lacdao, D.B.

- used to separate solids that form a porous cake from

liquids
- pressure resulting from the centrifugal action forces the
liquor through the filter medium, leaving the solids
behind
- Main types of filtering centrifuges:
o Suspended batch machines the filter
media are canvass or other fabric or woven
metal cloth
o Automatic short-cycle batch machines fine
metal screens are used
o Continuous conveyor centrifuges filter
medium is usually the slotted wall of the basket itself

FILTER MEDIA
The septum in any filter must meet the following requirements:
1. It must retain the solids to be filtered, giving a reasonably clear filtrate
2. It must not plug or blind
3. It must be resistant chemically and strong enough physically to withstand the
process conditions
4. It must permit the cake formed to discharge cleanly and completely
5. It must not be prohibitively expensive
In industrial filtration, a common filter medium is canvas cloth, either duck or twill weave.
Corrosive liquids require the use of other filter media, such as woolen cloth, metal cloth of monel
or stainless steel, glass cloth, or paper.

REFERENCES:
Foust, Alan S. et.al. Principles in Unit Operations 2nd edition, Canada: John Wiley and Sons,
1980.

McCabe, Warren L.; Julian C. Smith, and Peter Harriot, Unit Operations of Chemical
Engineering, 7th edition, New York: McGraw Hill Inc., 1993.

Perry, Robert H. and Don W. Green, Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook, 7th edition, USA:
McGraw Hill Co., Inc., 1997.