ONE-DIMENSIONAL MICROFILTRATION MODELS

One-dimensional models are proposed for microfiltration of suspensions with clogged filter pores and microfiltration of suspensions with for mation of cake on the filter surface. The pore-clogging model based on the hypothesis that the filter pores are nonuniformly clogged makes i t possible to explain the different types of curvature for the plots o f the filtrate flux against the filtrate volume. The cake-formation mo del considers its compressibility by using the empirical correlation b etween the specific cake resistance and pressure. The analytical form of these solutions and their simplicity allow the filter performance t o be modeled on the basis of no more than four experimental dots.