Filtration Equipments

Muhammad Sarmad Khalid

Che-04
Particulate Technology
Registration no. # 11
Submitted to: Sir Umair Sikandar






Filtration
Filtration is a process whereby large particles are separated from a solvent by
passing through a filtering medium. The solid left on the filter paper is termed as the
residue and the solution which passes through the filter paper is called the filtrate.
Fluid flows through the medium by change in pressure drop in the system. The upper
side of filter paper has a greater pressure than the atmospheric pressure and the
bottom side having a lower pressure. This change causes pressure drop to occur
causing filtration process.
Filtration may be continuous and batch depending on how the filtered solids are able
to discharge. In continuous filtration, the discharge is not hindered by the operation
and so it differentially flows with time and without any interruptions.
The mechanisms of filtration differs because of the pore size of the filters and are
used for separation of different sized particles.
1) Cake Filters
2) Clarifying Filters
3) Cross Flow Filters

FILTRATION EQUIPMENTS
PRESSURE FILTERS
Pressure filters give a large differential pressure to produce a very fine
filtration of fine particles and slurry solids. The pressure filters contains
different plates in chambers which are attached in series for the collection of
high viscosity slurries and different solids.

Slurry enters the one chamber to the other frames. It carries slurries from
each chamber to another by the differential pressure. After entering into the
chambers the slurry is permitted into the pump or a pressurized tank where
the pressure is between 3-10 atmospheric pressure. The filtration process
occurs until the discharge of the filtration pressure increases causing the
separation through filtration. This situation is the result of excessive flow
rate of the slurries which causes the upstream pressure to increase causing
the slurries or parts of solids to accumulate at the filter press allowing the
filter to be jammed. The jamming allows no more filtration process to occurs
and so the soluble impurities the filtration process is removed by the water
which is introduced after the jamming hence allowing more dissolved
impurities to filter out.

Then the press is opened and all the cake that has gathered and passed
down in the conveyor belt. The method is really ineffective when we have
cake of varying density materials as the wash liquid will not be able to
separate the low density cake on the filter press and this may take relatively
greater time

Pressure filtration is termed as both processes: physical and chemical. The
main parameters which are used for this type of filtrations is in waste water
treatment plant in controlling
pH,
turbidity,
TOC,
alkalinity,
temperature
filter media characteristics (media type, grain size, distribution
coefficient
age and operation (filter loading).


Vacuum Filtration
Vacuum Filtration is a separation technique in which you separate a particle from
the solution by help of using a filtering media which is chemically inert in nature. In it
the filter press is same as of the above filter but in this type of filtration the pathways
are defined and the pores made in this filtration is made smaller than the surrounding
particle size allowing for more efficient separation. Filtering media can be prepared
using paper, fritted-glass, or any porous material. The mixture can be forced through
either gravity or reduced pressure on one side of the filter (by creating a vacuum). It
is possible to separate a solid from a liquid by either technique, however there are
advantages to each technique.
In this type of filtration equipment vacuum is applied through the rotary valve. Hence
with the reduction in pressure the separation would be really minimal and the solid
slurry will accumulate on the press as the liquid will be drawn from the compartment
to the pipe and then to the valves. The vacuum is applied to the panel from a
separate valve so all the water and the gases in pores from the solid is sucked down
from the cake allowing the solvent to pass through from the cake which is left above.

Range of Application
Rotary vacuum drum filter is used variety of things
dewatering slurries of food,
pulp, pharmaceutical and chemical,
applications of metallurgical
the treatment of waste water.

Centrifugal Filters
As the name suggests the centrifugal filters use the principle of centrifugal
force in the separation of the solids from the liquid. The slurry is fed into the
rotary basket which is covered with the perforated walls. The density
difference is the reason for the separation of the cake from the resulting
medium. It is the pressure created by the centrifugal action of the rotary
drum that causes the cake to be separated from the filtering media allowing
for the maximum separation. This is more efficient when the process is
batch. As the feed intake is limited with maximum cake at the filter so the
cake of solids will spun for a very short time allowing more water to be
desorbed from the surface allowing the cake to be more drier than first.

Wash liquids may be sprayed in the basket for the maximum separation of
the cake from the liquid. The parameters set for the centrifugal filters are as
follows

The feed intake would be at 30-50 rev/min
They operate at 2-3 mins per load
The perforated baskets range from 750-1200mm

Applications
Protein concentration or protein fractionation Nucleic acid,
DNA, or RNA concentration Desalting
buffer exchange Clean-up of labeling and PCR reactions
Removal of free nucleotides Virus concentration
Removal Sample prep prior to HPLC Clarification of cell culture
media Capture or concentration of secreted proteins.

The equipments that has the same principle as the centrifuge filters
are
Oil Filters
Peeler Filters
Cyclone filters( Cyclone separation by creation of vortex)










Refrence Links

http://www.pall.com/main/laboratory/centrifugal-devices-960.page

http://www.mostlyreadingya.com/mccabe/mccabe-unit-operation-of-
chemical-engineering-7th-edition-download-pdf-free/