Filter Press’s multiple-choice QUESTIONS

Plate and frame filter press is one of the most used filtering machines around due to its
simplicity in usage and efficiency it produced. Few considerations has to be decided in order
to operate this machine. Firstly, is the selection of filter mediums where a filter medium must
have pores smaller than the size of solid suspension in liquid flow or else filtration would not
be occurring as the pores would not be able to filter solid suspension. Cake compressibility, on
whether it produce compressible cake or incompressible cake, is any factor that needs to be
considered to operate this machine. Next, filter aids is important as well as it is applied to solve
problems arising from slow filtration rate, unsatisfactory filtrate clarity or rapid medium
binding.

And this degree of separation will depend on the pore size and the thickness of the filter
medium as well as the mechanisms that occur during filtration.

Filtration is done mainly to:

• Prevent damage that can be caused by the contamination of a given liquid, either to
people, machinery, or the environment
• Produce a higher yield of the desired end product
• Create a more pure product which in turn is more valuable
• Recovery of material for use in other applications
• Lower operating costs

The most important factors on which the rate of filtration then depends will be:
• Drop in pressure from the feed to the far side of the filter medium.
• Area of the filtering surface.
• Viscosity of the filtrate.
• Resistance of the filter cake.
• Resistance of the filter medium and initial layers of cake.
When selecting the filter medium, one should consider whether the filter has the following
properties:
• Ability to trap the solid particles
• Minimum resistance for the filtrate to flow through
• Resistance to chemical attack
• Minimum cost
• Long life

Cake filtration

Depth Filtration

Filtration Equipment:-
Filtration equipment includes many types. Some of them are listed here.
(1) Bed filters
(2) Bag filters
(3) Pressure leaf filters
(4) Cartridge filters
(5) Vaccum filters
i. Horizontal belt/band filters
ii. Rotary drum filters
iii. Rotary disc filters
(6) Filter press
i. Plate and frame filter press
ii. Recessed (chamber) filter press
The main factors to be considered when selecting equipment and operating conditions are:
 The properties of the fluid, particularly its viscosity, density and corrosive properties.
 The nature of the solid—its particle size and shape, size distribution, and packing
characteristics.
 The concentration of solids in suspension.
 The quantity of material to be handled, and its value.
 Whether the valuable product is the solid, the fluid, or both.
 Whether it is necessary to wash the filtered solids.
 Whether very slight contamination caused by contact of the suspension or filtrate
 Whether the various components of the equipment is detrimental to the product.
 Whether the feed liquor may be heated.
 Whether any form of pretreatment might be helpful.
Advantages of the plate and frame filter press:-

 Because of its basic simplicity the filter press is versatile and may be used for a wide
range of materials under varying operating conditions of cake thickness and pressure.

 Maintenance cost is low.

 It provides a large filtering area on a small floor space and few additional associated
units are needed.

 Most joints are external and leakage is easily detected.

 High pressure operation is usually possible.

 It is equally suitable whether the cake or the liquid is the main product.

Disadvantages of the filter press:-

 It is intermittent in operation and continual dismantling is apt to cause high wear on the
cloths.

 Despite the improvements mentioned previously, it is fairly heavy on labour.