Homework 7.

Filtration

Q1 Deep bed filtration (show you calculation steps)

A 3-layer filter is used to clarify an effluent containing 60 mg/L (ppm) of solids. Complete the
following table:
Initial filtration Inlet concentration Outlet concentration
Depth (m) Bed medium -1
constant (m ) to section (ppm) from section (ppm)
0.45 Anthracite 2 60
0.28 Sand 8
0.22 Alumina 15

Q2 Cake filtration simulation

A pilot experiment using a filter of 0.1 m2 area at a constant pressure of 68.5∙104 Pa produced the
results on the table below. The filtrate viscosity was 0.0015 Pa∙s, slurry concentration was 3% w/w,
cake concentration was 52% w/w, and the liquid density was 1000 kg/m3.

Filtration time (min) 10 20 40 60

Filtration volume (liters) 88 125 180 220

(1) The moisture ratio?

(2) The dry solids per unit volume of filtrate (kg/m3)?
(3) Draw a graph and calculate the specific resistance of the cake and the resistance of the medium
(4) On a 10 m2 filter, what would be the filtrate volume after 2 hours?
(5) If the solid density is 2500 kg/m3, what would be the cake thickness in part (4)?

Q3 Modes of cake filtration

Five litres of a 10% (w/w) slurry of chalk (ρs=2670 kg/m3) in water (μ=0.001 Pa∙s) was filtered on a
filter leaf of 0.0314 m2 area. The specific surface of the chalk is 3×106 m-1, and the cake can be assumed
to have a porosity of 50%. Dry mass per filtrate volume is 116 kg/m3. The filtration was practised at a
constant rate until 2.3 litres of filtrate had been recovered. The following empirical equation for
pressure was observed:
ΔP=168 (Pa/s) t (s) + 6670 (Pa)
Assume an incompressible filtration.

(1) The pressure drop over the medium during the filtration (Pa)?
(2) The time taken to achieve the filtration to this stage and the constant filtrate rate?
(3) The medium resistance (m-1)?
After the 2.3 litres of filtrate was recovered; the pressure was kept constant until all the suspension
was filtered to recover remaining 2.3 liters of filtrate. The resistance of the preformed cake (during
the constant rate filtration) should be added into the medium resistance, which results a so-called
effective medium resistance, Rm’ = Rm + cαV/A.
(4) The total filtration pressure (Pa)?
(5) What is the effective medium resistance (m-1)?
(6) The time filtering at constant pressure (s)?
(7) The total filtration time?