Mechanical Operations Filtration

Adama Science and Technology
University
Chemical Engineering Program
Mechanical unit operations
Chapter Six
Hydro – mechanical separation
(I. Filtration)
Filtration
What is filtration??
• It is a unit operation in which the
insoluble solid component of a solid–
liquid suspension is separated from
the liquid component by passing the
suspension through a porous barrier
which retains the solid particles on its
upstream surface.
Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Cont’d
 The solid–liquid suspension is known as
the feed slurry or prefilt.
 The liquid component that passes through
the membrane (barrier) is called the
filtrate.
 The barrier itself is referred to as the filter
medium.
 The separated solids are known as the
filter cake

Cont’d
• A filtration process my be classified in to Batch
and Continuous.
• If some means of continuous removal of
disposed cake is incorporated, then the process
is Continuous filtration and if not it is Batch.
• The flow of filtrate may be caused by several
means
Pressure and vacuum are two conventional
ways of driving the suspension across the
medium.
Gravity and centrifugal force.
• The volume of filtrate collected per unit time
(dv/dt) is termed as the rate of filtration.
Cont’d
• As the filtration process proceeds, solid particle
accumulate on the filter medium forming a packed
bed of solids and process can be analyzed in terms
of the flow of fluid through a packed bed of
particles.
• The depth (thickness) of the cake thus increases
with time and it offers more and more resistance to
the flow of filtrate as a result the rate of filtration
gradually decreases.
• If the rate is to be maintained constant, then the
pressure difference driving force (-∆P), will have to
be increase gradually to overcome the increased
resistance offered by the cake.

Cont’d
• Like the depth (thickness) of the cake, the
voidage of the cake may also change with time.
• However, first let as consider the case where the
cake voidage is constant, i.e. an incompressible
cake.
Incompressible Cake
• Since the cake forms a porous bed over the filter
medium, the flow of filtrate through the
accumulated cake is analogous to fluid flow
through a packed bed of granular solid.

Incompressible Cake
• Therefore, the pressure drop versus liquid flow
relationship is described by the Ergun equation.
• Since the particles forming the filter cake are
normally small and the rate of flow of filtrate low,
we can safely assume that the flow of filtrate
through the cake is laminar.
• This implies that the turbulent term in Ergun
equation will vanish and the Ergun equation will
reduce to Kozeny equation.
Cont’d
‫؞‬
• The cake resistance rc which is the measure of the

resistance offered by the cake to the flow of
filtrate can be defined as:
• So the above equation (6.1) becomes

Cont’d
• If V is the volume of filtrate passed in a time t
and dV/dt is the instantaneous volumetric
flow rate of filtrate at time t, then:
• Each unit volume of filtrate is assumed to

deposit a certain mass of particles, which form a
certain volume of cake. This is expressed as ф,
the volume of cake formed by the passage of unit
volume of filtrate.
Cont’d
• Substituting equation (6.3) and (6.4) in to (6.2)
yields:
Constant rate filtration

• If the filtration rate dV/dt is constant, then the
pressure drop across the filter cake will increase
in direct proportion to the volume of filtrate
passed V.

Cont’d
Constant Pressure drop filtration
• If (-∆P) is constant then, integrating equation
(6.5)

Including the Resistance of the Filter Medium
• The total resistance to flow is the sum of the
resistance of the cake and the filter medium.
Hence,
• If the medium is assumed to behave as a packed

bed of depth Hm and resistance rm obeying the
Carman–Kozeny equation, then
Cont’d
• The medium resistance is usually expressed as

the equivalent thickness of cake Heq:
Hence,

Cont’d
• From equation (6.4)
• Substituting these in to equation (6.7)

Cont’d
• Considering operation at constant pressure drop,
which is the most common case, integrating
Equation (6.8) gives:
• A plot of t/v vs v will yield a straight line having

slop and intercept

Washing the Cake
• The solid particles separated by filtration often
must be washed to remove filtrate from the
pores.
• The filtrate occupying the voids between
particles may be removed by displacement as
clean solvent is passed through the cake
Reading Assignment
• Filtration with comprisable cake
• Filtration equipments

Example
A leaf filter has an area of 0.5 m2 and operates at a constant
pressure drop of 500 kPa. The following test results were
obtained for a slurry in water which gave rise to a filter cake
regarded as incompressible:
Volume of filtrate 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
collected (m3)
Time (s) 140 360 660 1040 1500
Calculate the time need to collect 0.8m3 of filtrate at a

constant pressure drop of 700 kPa

Mechanical Operations Filtration

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Adama Science and Technology

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

• The cake resistance rc which is the measure of the

• So the above equation (6.1) becomes

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

• Each unit volume of filtrate is assumed to

Constant rate filtration

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

• If the medium is assumed to behave as a packed

• The medium resistance is usually expressed as

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

• Substituting these in to equation (6.7)

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

• A plot of t/v vs v will yield a straight line having

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Chemical Engineering program, ASTU

Calculate the time need to collect 0.8m3 of filtrate at a

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