DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY OF SEPARATION FOR FLUID FLOW-FACILITATED PARTICLE SEPARATION SYSTEMS

The degree of difficulty of separation (DDS), which is of critical imp ortance in estimating the relative costs of alternative separation seq uences or networks, has been hitherto unavailable for fluid flow-facil itated particle separation processes that are rate controlling. The ex pressions for DDSs are derived from the mechanisms and models of such processes as gravity sedimentation, centrifugation, and hydrocyclone s eparation. The resultant expressions differ substantially from those f or equilibrium-sta,oed separations, e.g. distillation.