Numerical Investigation of Coalescing Filtration Process

Abstract

AbstractCoalescing filtration is a mechanical process which is employed to remove dispersed aerosol particles from a gas stream. This kind of filtration is a depth‐filtration process and is widely used in process industries to remove particulate matter from exhaust gases or in compressed‐air applications to filter oil particles introduced during the compression process. Fibrous filters are often used due to low costs, high capture efficiency and low pressure drop. The droplets are first captured on the fibers, then coalesce, and eventually drain out. The performance of a filter medium is judged based on its capture efficiency and pressure‐drop characteristics. Estimating these parameters without setting up experimental investigations of each filter medium would be beneficial for choosing optimal filters. In the present study, numerical simulations are used to predict the behavior of a fully‐wetting fibrous filter using an Euler‐Euler formulation in ANSYS CFX. Different theoretical models to predict single fibre capture efficiencies are compared and a novel extrapolation scheme to predict the net capture of oil particles is presented. Pressure‐drop studies are carried out to find the pressure drop of a viscous fluid flowing through an array of fibers. A steady‐state multiphase simulation with the influence of gravity is set up, and the physical relevance of the results is examined.