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Ultrasonic Cross-flow Microfiltration |
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Introduction Solid-liquid filtration is one of the most commonly performed unit operations in industry today. The need for the purification of liquids, as well as the recovery and processing of solids, has applications in the pharmaceutical, chemical, wastewater treatment and food and beverage industries to name a few. There are various techniques and apparatuses that can be utilized for the purpose of filtration, such as filter presses and centrifuges, but a growing number of industries are looking at membrane technology to suit their needs. In response to this demand, researchers are investigating enhancing membrane filtration in a number of ways. One way in particular is adding ultrasonic energy to a cross-flow system (see Figures 1and 2 below). The advance of sonic energy in filtration processes will be beneficial to many industries since it reduces the need for membrane cleaning, increases the membrane life, and allows for a more consistent filtrate quality over a longer period of time.
Figure 1. Cross-flow filtration without ultrasound. Over time the membrane is blocked with particulates and the amount of filtrate able to pass through the membrane decreases.
Figure 2. Cross-flow filtration with ultrasound. The sonic energy prevents the membrane from being blocked with particulates so the amount of filtrate able to pass through the membrane does not decrease as much over time. Research Objective To study the advantages of using ultrasonic energy in filtration across various membrane geometries in order to reduce membrane fouling and enhance filtrate flux. Overview of Research The use of force fields to aid in solid-liquid filtration has been widely studied in regards to magnetically-assisted filters and electrically-assisted filters, but ultrasonic-assisted filtration is a fairly new concept. The research I will be doing involves studying the properties of ultrasonic energy and investigating its affect on reducing filtrate flow decline across various membrane geometries, such as rotating disc filters. Factors such as, but not limited to, suspension concentration, liquid viscosity, particle size, particle surface charge, and filter geometry will be investigated to determine how they affect the ultrasonic force fields ability to reduce membrane fouling and enhance flows through the filter.
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Current Work on Ultrasonic Filtration |
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