Enhanced particle removal from liquids

The feasibility of significantly improving solid particle removal from liquids using microporous tubes with flow swirl and flow interruption was investigated and demonstrated. Experiments were performed using particle laden water obtained from an actual field project of high pressure water jet paint stripping. The flow rate, orientation, flow interruption, and swirl as measured by a swirl index were varied, and their effect on performance observed and measured as a function of time. Flux rate increases of a factor of 20 over a conventional microporous tube cross flow filtration were generated. Measured data using 1--7 tube modules showed no significant scale effects due to the number of tubes. Both the orientation of the feed flow relative to gravity and the maximum particle size were found to significantly affect measured flux rates with a larger maximum particle size producing larger flux rates. Flux rates were found to increase both with increasing swirl and with moderate increases in the shear exerted on the tube wall.