83

BLOCKING FILTRATION. APPLICATION TO NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS

Jacques Hermia

Institute of Chemical Engineering U.C.L.

1 Voie Minckelers, 1348 - Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

CONTENTS

Introduction
Complete blocking filtration law
Intermediate blocking filtration law
Standard blocking filtration law
Application to power-law Non-Newtonian fluids
Literature cited

NOMENCLATURE

A Filter membrane surface area

(m 2 '
C (-) Volume of solid particles retained per unit filtrate
volume
d (m) Particle equivalent sphere diameter
N 2
K (N.s 1m ) Fluid consistency index (non-Newtonian fluids)
L (m) Membrane thickness
N (- ) Flow behavior index (non-Newtonian fluids)
!t
N (- ) Number of membrane pores
P (N/m 2 ) Filtration pressure
Q (m 3/s) Flow rate
_1
R (m ) Filter resistance
r (m) Pore radius
s (- ) Mass fraction of solids in slurry

A. Rushton (ed.), Mathematical Models and Design Methods in Solid-Liquid Separation

© Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht 1985
84

t s) Filtration time
u (m/s) Filtrate linear velocity
V (m 3) Filtrate volume
%
V (m 3) Slurry volume

y (kg/m 3) Solids density

0
y (kg/m 3) Slurry density
s
\l (N.s/m 2 ) Filtrate Newtonian dynamic viscosity
_1
0 (m ) Blocked area per unit filtrate volume
L' (N/m 2 ) Shear stress
'I' (-) Particle shape factor

Subscript
0 Initial value

INTRODUCTION

Blocking filtration laws have been first studied by Hermans

and Bredee [ 1] • Gonsalves [2] made a critical study of the physical
models used to derive these laws. Grace [3] made a thorough analysis
of the blocking laws in relation with the performance of the filter
media to be used, with particular reference to the Standard blocking
law.
In a previous paper [4] , a physical model was presented to
derive the so-called Intermediate blocking law which had been so far
considered as totally empirical.
In a more recent paper, Shirato et al. [5] extended the study
of the blocking laws to the case of power-law non-Newtonian fluids,
excepting the case of the Intermediate law.
In a recent paper [6] , a derivation of all blocking laws is
presented, including the Inermediate, and the models are applied to
power-law non-Newtonian fluids for constant pressure filtration.

COMPLETE BLOCKING FILTRATION LAW

Let us assume the filter membrane consists of parallel pores of

constant diameter and length.
We assume that each particle reaching the membrane participates
in the blocking phenomena by pore sealing, which leads to the
assumption that particles are not surimposed one upon the other.
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With such an assumption, we can state that when a filtrate

volume V has been filtered, it has blocked a portion of the membrane
surface area equal to aVo
The parameter a can be estimated in terms of the prefilt
properties :
y .s
s
a = 1.5 ~
o
Darcy's law states that
Q PA =
J.ln

Introducing A = Ao - oV,
we obtain ~V = Qo - Q
with Ie • Po = u 0
-0 J.lR o·

INTERMEDIATE BLOCKING FILTRATION LAW

As in the previous section, we still consider that any time a

solid particle reaches an open pore, it seals it.
Nevertheless, in this case we adopt a less restrictive model
in such a way that we allow particles to settle on other particles.
In other words, we shall not state that each particle does necessa-
rily block a pore but on the contrary we shall evaluate the probabi-
lity for a particle to block a pore.
~et Ao be the initial active filter membrane surface area.
Let ~ be a prefilt volume containing particles whose projected area
on the membrane is given by

I: = oV'J: ~ "V (see previous section).

Let us assume at is the time required to filter the first batch V%.
After this prefilt volume has passed through the membrane, the
active surface is reduced to (Ao - I:).
For a next batch and the same at interval, the volume of
filtrate will be reduced to
A - E
o
V
A
o
and will allow the deposit of solid particles whose surface area
projected on the membrane will be
A - I:
o..,....._
I:""':::
A
o
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If we assume that the suspension is perfectly homogeneous t the
second particle l~er has an equal probability to settle on the
first l~er as on the surface which was left free.
The increment of blocked area will then be proportional to the
surface area which was unblocked and therefore will be given by :
A - 1: A - 1:
1: (---li-) (--\-).
o 0
At the end of this second stept the free surface is equal to
A 1:
(A - 1:) _ 1:(~)2
o Ao
For recurrent successive batches (at time t - f.t t t t t + lit, ••• ),
we can state that the free unblocked surface area at time t, i.e.
Att is equal to that at time t - lit, i.e.At-At, from which we deduce
the new blocked area which is proportional to both the free surface
at time (t - f.t) and to the filtrate volume passing through this
free surface.
Let us now allow time lags to tend towards a limit dt :
At
At +dt = At - o(Qt,dt)(T)
o
Introducing Q =~: in this relation t we obtain
po 2
dA = - jj"R"'"A A dt •
o
Integration of this last relation yields :
Ao
A = ----"o'=p:--
+~t

which implies

which can be put in the following form

K.t 1 1
l. = Q - Qo

where K. (m- 3 ) is equal to

l.
oP 0
~R Qo = Ao
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STANDARD BLOCKING FILTRATION LAW

In deriving the standard blocking law. it is assumed that pore

volume decreases proportionally to filtrate volume by particle
deposit on the pore walls. The length of the pores being assumed
constant. the decrease of pore volume will be equal to the decrease
of pore section. A mass balance on solid particles yields :

N* (- 2 wr dr) L = e dV
*.
where N 1S the number of pores. L the pore length and e the volume
of particles deposited by unit volume of filtrate.
Integrating this relation. we obtain:

~ w(r2 - r2) L
o
= ev.
Making use of Poiseuille's equation to find the initial flow-rate
r'+ P
_.% (w
Qo =~. '8li'L.
0 )

it is possible to derive the following relation

Q = Qo (1 - +)
KV
2

where the constant Ks (m- 3 ) is equal to

2C 2C
wL Ni: r2 = LAo'
o

APPLICATION TO POWER-LAW NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS

The characteristic form of the blocking filtration laws is

for constant pressure filtration.

a
Intermediate law k = K. = -- and n = 1
1 Ao

Standard law : k = K Q 1/2= 2e Q 1/2 and n = ;/2

soLA 0
o
Complete Blocking law: k = ~ = uoa and n = 2
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It may be seen that for all types of filtration laws, except

for the Intermediate, the constant k always depends on the initial
flow rate (Qo or uo).
This is the reason why, when a non-Newtonian fluid is dealt
with, constants k and n are related to the parameters which define
the properties of this non-Newtonian fluid, as shown by Shirato et
ai. [51 • Indeed, let us consider the Rabinowitsch-Mooney equation
applied to the flow in a cylindrical pore and written as
TW
u 1
-=- /
r t 3
o
which relates the velocity at radius r to the shear stress T at
the radius and to the shear at the wall TW. This equation is valid
for the flow of Newtonian and time-independent non-Newtonian
fluids.
In the case of power-law non-Newtonian fluids, the rheological
equation is given by :

f(T) = (.!) l/N

K
Introducing this relation in the Rabinowitsch-Mooney equation
yields the relation between the velocity and the shear stress-at
the wall:

Now the shear stress at the wall can be related to the pressure
drop according to :

(2nrL) TW = P nr2

hence
T= Pr
W 2L
Substituting this value of TW yields
N+l
u = 3:+1 (2~)1/N r ~
If there is no change in pore diameter, r = roo For the
filtration of a given fluid (N and K fixed), under a constant
=
pressure (p po) on a given membrane (L and r fixed), the velocity
in a pore is exactly determined by the equation above and the total
flow rate will be determined by the number of active pores which
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remain open in the membrane. This will be the case for Complete and
Intermediate blocking filtration laws; on the other hand, for
Standard law, pore radius r diminishes as filtration proceeds.
Shirato [5] has derived the characteristic forms of the three
blocking filtration models, in the case of constant pressure as
well as in the case of constant rate.

LITERATURE CITED

[1] HERMANS, P.H., BREDEE, H.L. : "Zur Kenntnis der Filtrationge-

setze", Rec. Trav. Chim. des Pays-Bas,~, 680 (1935).
[2] GONSALVES, V. E. : "A critical Investigation on the Viscose
Filtration Process", Rec. Trav. Chim. des Pays-Bas. 69,
873 (1950). -
[3] GRACE, H.P. : "Structure and Performance of Filter Media".
A.I.Ch.E. Journ •• £, 307 (1956).
[4] HERMIA, J. : "Etude Analytique des Lois de Filtration a Pression
Constante", Rev. Univ. Mines, £. 45 (1966).
[5] SHIRATO M., ARAGAKI T •• IRITANI E. : "Blocking Filtration Laws
for Filtration of Power-Law Non-Newtonian Fluids".
Chem. Engng. Journ. (Japan),..!£, 162 (1979).
[6] HERMIA, J. : "Constant Pressure Blocking Filtration Laws -
Application to Power-Law Non-Newtonian FluidS",
Trans. Inst. Chem. Engrs.