Macroscale simulation of the filtration process of porous media based on statistical capturing models

Abstract In this work, a new model for filtration is developed using statistical capturing mechanisms. The model can be used in the macroscale simulation of filtration processes and can replace the current semi-empirical models based on the Single Fibre Efficiency. To validate the new model, firstly, simulation of the filtration process itself is implemented based on the methodology developed by Fotovati et al.(Separation and Purification Technology, 2012). Secondly, the novel statistical model for particle capturing was added in ANSYS Fluent by subroutines that calculate particle capturing and its influence on the membrane parameters. This includes recalculation of local properties of the membrane according to the collected mass and particle diameter to calculate the pressure drop with respect to the filter loading. The results from the numerical simulations were compared with experimental studies found in literature and the results are in good agreement with each other.