Development of Test Method for Evaluating Filtration Performance of A Filter Element

• Main Author: Mohd Jeffry, Suzanna Juyanty
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi Petronas 2005
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/8164/1/2005%20Bachelor%20-%20Development%20Of%20Test%20Method%20For%20Evaluating%20Filtration%20Performance%20Of%20A%20Filter%20Elem.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/8164/

Filtration process has wide range of applications in the industry, commerce and domestic life. It has been rightly said that the heart of any filter is the filter medium. Hence, it is important that filter medium has the combination ofproperties to ensure the effectiveness of filtration process. Two crucial methods to predict efficiency of a filter medium are by addressing its porosity (the ratio of void volume to bulk volume) and permeability (the ease ofotherwise with which thatfluidflows through the medium). Currently, filters produced by a local company are sent to overseas for performance testing. However, due to cost and equipments availability, it is proposed to develop the test procedure locally. The project's objectives are mainly to study the characteristics and develop physical and quantitative test methods for the porosity and permeability measurements of fibrous filter media rated 10, 28 and 50 micron supplied by the local company. Two methods are applied to evaluate the samples in this project. First method is by imaging using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). From the images, observation is done to evaluate the samples' structures and porosity calculations are done using ArcView GIS 3.2 Software. The second part is by performing gas flow test to calculate permeability, average permeability coefficient, flow average pore diameter, fiber diameter, specific pore diameter and viscous-term coefficient. Then, these values are compared with the filter media sizes. From the study, it can be concluded that • Fibrous filter media internals are consists of large number of fiber layers, each sparsely populated and distributed throughout the length, width and thickness. • Porosity values are independent of the filter sizes for fibrous filter media as the pores in fibrous filter media are randomly oriented. • Permeability values increase as filter media sizes increases which show that the ease for fluid flow increases as the sizes of open pores increases.