Cake Formation Research Articles

Optimizing hematite filter cake treatment using reducing agents

In drilling operations, the formation of a filter cake is crucial for well stability, but its removal post-drilling is essential to restore rock formation productivity. This study focuses on hematite-based filter cakes and investigates factors influencing their solubility and removal, addressing a significant knowledge gap in the field. The research methodology involves examining the effects of various factors, including types and concentrations of reducing agents, temperature, particle size, and treatment duration, on the dissolution process. Notably, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) tests are employed to assess the treatment's impact on core porosity. Among the diverse reducing agents examined, ferrous chloride emerges as the optimal choice for effectively enhancing hematite solubility. Particularly, a composite solution of ferrous chloride (10 wt.%) and hydrochloric acid (6 wt.%), was highly efficient demonstrated by exhibiting rapid solubilization of hematite filter cakes. A removal efficiency of approximately 99%, with a parallel enhancement in core permeability was achieved. NMR tests reveal the treatment's success in reinstating the porosity system, which had undergone reduction due to drilling fluid particles. Crucially, the solution exhibits a considerably lower corrosion rate than concentrated hydrochloric acid, highlighting its potential to mitigate environmental concerns while ensuring efficient filter cake removal. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into optimizing post-drilling operations, balancing environmental sustainability and operational efficiency. The identified composite solution offers a promising approach to efficient filter cake removal while mitigating environmental concerns associated with corrosion. Overall, this study contributes to advancing the understanding and practice of well productivity enhancement in the oil and gas industry.

Theoretical model and parameter sensitivity analysis of the filter cake formation during slurry shield tunnelling

The filter cake formation during slurry shield tunneling in high permeability soil layers is complex and difficult to monitor. There is no reliable method to evaluate the mechanical characteristics during the filter cake formation. A theoretical model is proposed to describe the filter cake formation and development in this study. The finite difference method is used to simulate the whole filter cake formation process. In addition, the influence of the key bentonite slurry parameters and of the deep infiltration on the filter cake formation is investigated based on the proposed model. The results show that the excess pore water pressure within the filter cake is not uniformly distributed. The slurry support effect is manifested by a pressure drop generated on both sides of the filter cake. The development process of the filter cake can be summarized into three stages: prior infiltration filling of the filter cake, accumulation and thickening of the new filter cake, and compression and consolidation of the prior filter cake. The slurry deep infiltration results reflected by the membrane specific resistance have the most significant effect on the filter cake development. Compared with the slurry concentration, the viscosity has a greater influence on the formation and final thickness of the filter cake.

The analytical solutions of squeezing flow and heat transfer in an horizontal filtering channel

Flow and heat transfer dynamics inside different industrial chambers play a vital role in understanding momentum and heat transfer during industrial operations. Analysis of such flow and heat transfer helps operators to know how the system works. To better understand the filtration process, the current study analytically investigated the internal flow and heat transfer through a porous horizontal filter channel under the influence of a uniform magnetic field while removing unwanted contaminations from the fluid inside the filter chamber. Thus, the novelty of the current study is to advance the filtration process by investigating how the top moving wall, which aims to minimise filter cake formation, affects permeates outflow (the current design). The partial differential equations (PDEs) model representing the internal flow and heat transfer during filtration is transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using Lie point symmetry reduction without changing the dynamics under investigation. After that, the transformed equations are solved analytically using the perturbation approximation technique. The comparative analysis between the obtained semi-analytical and NDSolve numerical solutions was used to show the correlation of internal flow, temperature, and pressure profiles. The obtained solutions are used to find the best combination of dimensionless parameters that arise from flow and heat transfer dynamics that lead to optimum outflow. Graphical analysis of flow and heat transfer dynamics are used to indicate the combination of parameters that leads to maximum outflow based on scientific evidence. It is observed that, on average, the velocity increases significantly by 122.55% across all cases of Re ranging from 0 to 3.2 at the top permeable wall y=1. This significant increase is due to the motion of the moving wall and fluid injection happening at y=1. The results show that more chamber volume, small pores size, weak injection, weak magnetic force, and less Joule heating are crucial to increase internal temperature and permeate outflow velocity during filtration.

Mechanical Dewatering of Homogeneous and Segregated Filter Cakes by Vibration Compaction

The solid volume fraction of a slurry requiring solid–liquid separation often fluctuates in industrial cake filtration processes. For low solid volume fractions, particle segregation arises, resulting in an inhomogeneous filter cake structure. Particle segregation has significant impacts on cake formation such as a longer cake formation time compared to homogeneous cakes. This work addresses the impact of this effect on vibration compaction, which is an alternative deliquoring method applying oscillatory shears to the filter cake. The dewatering results of homogeneous and segregated cakes made of the same material with a broad particle size distribution are compared. Although cake deliquoring is achievable despite particle segregation, vibration compaction is more effective for homogeneous cakes. The reason is that no particle size homogenization within segregated cakes occurs due to oscillatory shear, as particle size analyses indicate. The particle size measurements of cakes before and after vibration compaction reveal that the material’s particle size distribution is preserved despite vibration application. Vibration compaction achieves higher deliquoring than the common compaction method by squeezing, as elastic recovery effects after squeezing lead to the reabsorbing of liquid, already expressed and stored in the filter cloth. This demonstrates that vibration compaction is a real alternative for cake deliquoring.

Exploring the role of hydrophobic nanofluids in reducing shale swelling during drilling: A step towards eco-friendly and sustainable practices

This study conducts a comparative analysis between hydrophobic nanosilica (HNS) and potassium chloride (KCl), a widely used shale inhibitor, to better understand how HNS can effectively manage water and shale interactions by restricting mud filtration into the formation. Due to their small size and optimal interfacial properties, nanoparticles emerge as remarkable solutions for addressing this issue. In this work, shale samples were collected from the Kolosh Formation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, known for being one of the most challenging formations to drill. Investigations into the properties of drilling fluid were conducted using low pressure and low temperature (LPLT) and high pressure high temperature (HPHT) filter press, alongside analyzing rheological properties at three different temperatures (25, 50 and 75°C). In addition, the impact of the HNS on clay swelling was examined using the liner swelling meter (LSM) test, shale dispersion test (SDT) and capillary suction time (CST) test. The obtaining results revealed that the shale hydration in the drilling fluids was reduced 24.36–15.53% and the shale recovery at high temperatures was improved from 80.2% to 94% by adding 0.4 wt% HNS. Furthermore, HNS demonstrated improved clay suspension in the CST test wherein the suspension time reduced from 303 to 80 sec at the same HNS concentration. Utilizing HNS effectively reduced clay swelling in all experiments and enhanced the rheological properties of the mud, showcasing stability across a range of temperatures and significantly reducing the formation of filter cake and fluid loss. As is obvious, KCl based drilling fluids are prohibited in several parts in the word due to its negative impact on the environment and subsurface activities; thus, it can be substituted by HNS as an active shale inhibitor additive.

Study on the Characteristics and Mechanism of Shield Tunnel Mud Cake Disintegration in Complex Red-Bed Geology

The complex red-bed geology is primarily composed of iron-rich sedimentary rock layers with clay minerals as a major component. The soil water content exceeds 30%, and its high viscosity and water content lead to the easy formation of mud cake on the cutterhead, endangering the safety and progress of construction, which poses a significant challenge for tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The use of dispersants to eliminate mud cake is a common method in engineering projects. This paper presents an improved disintegration experiment instrument to study the disintegration characteristics of mud cake from the red-bed geology under different dispersant solutions, proposing a dispersant formulation suitable for the red-bed geology of the Haizhu Bay Tunnel project. The results indicate that mud cake samples exhibit a moderate disintegration effect in pure water. Furthermore, it has been observed that the disintegration effect decreases as the thickness of mud cake increases. Sodium silicate solution was not suitable for treating the red-bed geological mud cake, while sodium hexametaphosphate and oxalic acid solutions had a good promoting effect on the disintegration of red-bed geological mud cake. However, there was a threshold for the dispersant concentration; exceeding this threshold actually worsened the disintegration effect. Ultimately, the engineering application of a 10% oxalic acid solution, which proved effective in disintegrating the mud cake, significantly enhanced the excavation efficiency in the Haizhu Bay Tunnel project.

Study on microscopic mechanisms of slurry infiltration in calcareous sand based on CT scanning

A novel detachable microslurry infiltration device tailored for computed tomography (CT) scanning was developed. Using this device, a series of slurry infiltration tests was conducted on calcareous and Fujian sand columns with various bentonite slurry concentrations. CT scanning technology nondestructively captured the cross-sectional image slices of each specimen for analysis. A comprehensive image processing methodology was deployed to precisely differentiate the three phases—calcareous sand, slurry, and air—enabling 3D reconstruction of the infiltrated sand column. This approach combines three techniques: threshold segmentation, the watershed algorithm, and deep learning. Distinctive particle morphologies inherent to the calcareous and Fujian sands were observed. Notably, CT scans revealed a markedly greater angularity and irregularity of the calcareous sand compared with the Fujian sand, leading to different pore characteristics. Given an identical permeability coefficient, the calcareous sand porosity exceeded that of the Fujian sands. Furthermore, image analyses revealed distinct features of filter cake formation in these two soil columns. In calcareous sands with finer grain sizes, the slurry particles were more prone to clogging because of constricted and irregular seepage pathways. Conversely, with increasing particle size, the internal pores of the calcareous sand particles augmented channels for slurry infiltration, hindering filter cake formation.

A biomass-enhanced bentonite slurry for shield tunnelling in the highly permeable soil

Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the properties of a bentonite slurry enhanced by the biomass derived from wheat straw. The bentonite concentration of the basic slurry varied from 40 kg/m3 to 60 kg/m3. The biomass contents of the enhanced slurry were between 37.5 kg/m3 and 87.5 kg/m3. Compared to the pure bentonite slurry, the viscosity of the biomass-enhanced bentonite slurry did not show significant increase. Moreover, the density of the biomass-enhanced bentonite slurry did not significantly increase. It appeared that the stability of suspended particles was slightly weakened by the added biomass. The minimal content of biomass needed for filter cake formation in the coarse sand decreases with the bentonite concentration. With a proper biomass content, the slurry pressure could be fully transferred to the effective support pressure within 120 s. Generally, the hydraulic conductivity value of the filter cake was less than 10-7 m/s, meeting the requirement for safe construction. Furthermore, as the biomass was gained from wheat straw, the enhanced slurry showed a high possible application in slurry-shield tunnelling.

One‐Dimensional View of the Structural Changes in the Filtering Layer during Continuous Dust Deposition – A New Approach to a Holistic View of the Filtration Process

AbstractThe overall filtration process is viewed from a new perspective: There is a continuous, systematic change in the structure of the active deposition zone of a given filter layer, here as the so‐called active filtering layer. During the overall filtration process, the filtering layer is transformed from the initial clean filter medium, via continuous particle deposition under the given filtration conditions, to a new, dynamically preserved stable porous structure, i.e. the active deposition zone on the upstream side of the dust cake. Based on 3D simulations of cake formation on model filters for fabric filters, 1D deposition profiles during the continuous filtration process are evaluated and converted into a dimensionless form, to describe the structural changes in the filtering layer. The stable 1D deposition profile during the phase of surface filtration can be well described with a logistic function.

Coupling a Simple and Generic Membrane Fouling Model with Biological Dynamics: Application to the Modeling of an Anaerobic Membrane BioReactor (AnMBR).

A simple model is developed for membrane fouling, taking into account two main fouling phenomena: cake formation, due to attached solids on the membrane surface, and pore clogging, due to retained compounds inside the pores. The model is coupled with a simple anaerobic digestion model for describing the dynamics of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). In simulations, we investigate its qualitative behavior: it is shown that the model exhibits satisfying properties in terms of a flux decrease due to membrane fouling. Comparing simulation and experimental data, the model is shown to predict quite well the dynamics of an AnMBR. The simulated flux best fits the experimental flux with a correlation coefficient r2=0.968 for the calibration data set and r2=0.938 for the validation data set. General discussions are given on possible control strategies to limit fouling and optimize the flux production. We show in simulations that these strategies allow one to increase the mean production flux to 33 L/(h·m2),whereas without control, it was 18 L/(h·m2).

Study of solid-liquid two-phase flow model of drilling fluids for analyzing mud cake formation

Mud cake is formed by the accumulation of particles on the surface and inside of the well wall during the filtration of drilling fluids, which is multiply affected by reservoir types, composition of drilling fluids, and wellbore conditions. Numerical simulation can provide a more comprehensive study than experiments, but the usual single-phase models of drilling fluid is difficult to simulate the non-homogeneous characteristics of mud cake. In this paper, the calculation method of interactions between particles and the drag force on particles with different sphericity in non-Newtonian fluid are derived. Therefore, a solid-liquid two-phase flow model of drilling fluid that describes the motion of solid and liquid phases, respectively, is constructed to investigate the influences of their properties on the dynamic non-homogeneous formation of mud cake in the real pore space of cores. The results show that the flow volume and velocity of the liquid phase are affected by the tortuosity of the pore channel, which in turn affects the entering number of particles. The influences of particle parameters on the entering number are radius > morphology > release velocity > free energy of the surface > density > release concentration. The solid-liquid two-phase flow model can refine the analysis to formulate the most applicable drilling fluids, which will significantly reduce the exploration and validation work of plugging experiments.

Simulation of reservoir dynamic damage and influencing factors of horizontal wells in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs

AbstractAs the development of well types for low permeability reservoirs shifts from vertical to highly inclined/horizontal wells, targeted studies of oil and gas reservoir damage must be conducted for such well types to improve the science and effectiveness of acidification conversion. Taking into account the formation of mud cake and the dynamic damage factors caused by drilling fluid on the reservoir during horizontal well drilling, a refined dynamic description model for nonuniform damage in horizontal wells was established. The coupled simulation accounts for the dynamical destruction of the skin factor of the reservoir and the dynamical generation of the slurry. The coupled model consists of a radial mud cake dynamic formation model, a reservoir damage radius model, a permeability distribution model, and a horizontal well inhomogeneous skin factor model. It captures the dynamic evolution of reservoir damage due to drilling fluid contamination during horizontal well drilling and provides a real‐time representation of changes in the reservoir skin factor of horizontal wells, measuring the depth and extent of radial reservoir damage. Clarifying the extent of reservoir damage and its impact in horizontal well sections can help select appropriate acidification methods, improve acid distribution processes, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of mitigating reservoir damage and increasing oil and gas well productivity.

Microplastics affect membrane biofouling and microbial communities during gravity-driven membrane filtration of primary wastewater

Recently, gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration has been adopted as an alternative solution for decentralized wastewater treatment due to easy installation and maintenance, reduced energy and operation cost, and low global warming impact. This study investigated the influence of microplastic size (0.5–0.8 μm and 40–48 μm) and amount (0.1 and 0.2 g/L) on the membrane performance and microbial community in GDM systems for primary municipal wastewater treatment. The results showed that dosing microplastics in the GDM systems led to 9–54% lower permeate flux than that in the control. This was attributed to more cake formation (up to 6.4-fold) with more deposition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS, up to 1.5-fold) and divalent cations (up to 2.1-fold) in the presence of microplastics, especially with increasing microplastic amount or size. However, the dosed microplastics promoted formation of heterogeneous cake layers with more porous nature, possibly because microplastics created void space in the cake and also tended to bind with divalent cations to reduce EPS-divalent cations interactions. In the biofilm of the GDM systems, the presence of microplastics could lower the number of total species, but it greatly enhanced the abundance of certain dominant prokaryotes (Phenylobacterium haematophilum, Planctomycetota bacterium, and Flavobacteriales bacterium), eukaryotes (Stylonychia lemnae, Halteria grandinella, and Paramicrosporidium saccamoebae), and virus (phylum Nucleocytoviricota), as well as amino acid and lipid metabolic functions. Especially, the small-size microplastics at a higher dosed amount led to more variations of microbial community structure and microbial metabolic functions.

Destruction Mechanism of Filter Cake under Air Pressure during Chamber Opening

Abstract During chamber openings, the filter cake that has formed on the excavation face is thin and cannot be monitored directly, resulting in an unclear understanding of its destruction mechanism. To investigate the destruction mechanism of filter cake under air pressure, a series of air breakthrough tests (ABTs) were conducted in this study, during which the water discharge and pore pressure were monitored. The experimental results indicate that the filter cake undergoes significant compression during ABTs, but it tends to be stabilized after a testing time of 40,000 s. Cracks and pores are observed on the surface when the filter cake is destructed, and the cracks are mainly distributed between 80 and 100 % of the radius. The effective working time (EWT) of Filter Cake B with a compression time beyond 40,000 s is much longer than that of Filter Cake A with a compression time below 40,000 s. Because the EWT of Filter Cake B is much longer than that of Filter Cake A, the slurry composition that promotes the formation of Filter Cake B should be used as much as possible during the slurry shield. Additionally, it is proven that the EWT increases with higher slurry density and filter cake thickness, whereas it decreases with increasing slurry viscosity. The analysis of the filter cake destruction mechanism shows that the compression of filter cake, capillary effect, mechanical effect, and interfacial effect all play important roles in filter cake destruction. Except for the compression of the filter cake that can extend the EWT, the other effects will accelerate the filter cake destruction.

Contributions of Chinese hamster ovary cell derived extracellular vesicles and other cellular materials to hollow fiber filter fouling during perfusion manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies.

Hollow fiber filter fouling is a common issue plaguing perfusion production process for biologics therapeutics, but the nature of filter foulant has been elusive. Here we studied cell culture materials especially Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell-derived extracellular vesicles in perfusion process to determine their role in filter fouling. We found that the decrease of CHO-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) with 50-200 nm in diameter in perfusion permeates always preceded the increase in transmembrane pressure (TMP) and subsequent decrease in product sieving, suggesting that sEVs might have been retained inside filters and contributed to filter fouling. Using scanning electron microscopy and helium ion microscopy, we found sEV-like structures in pores and on foulant patches of hollow fiber tangential flow filtration filter (HF-TFF) membranes. We also observed that the Day 28 TMP of perfusion culture correlated positively with the percentage of foulant patch areas. In addition, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy-based elemental mapping microscopy and spectroscopy analysis suggests that foulant patches had enriched cellular materials but not antifoam. Fluorescent staining results further indicate that these cellular materials could be DNA, proteins, and even adherent CHO cells. Lastly, in a small-scale HF-TFF model, addition of CHO-specific sEVs in CHO culture simulated filter fouling behaviors in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on these results, we proposed a mechanism of HF-TFF fouling, in which filter pore constriction by CHO sEVs is followed by cake formation of cellular materials on filter membrane.

An Experimental on Filtration and Clogging of Geotextile Filters around Drain Pipes in Fine Tailings

Needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles have been used as filters for decades in mine drainage systems. But the physical clogging of geotextiles by fine particles has continued to receive increasing attention. In this study, the permeation characteristics of a drain pipe wrapped with geotextiles were investigated based on a new radial flow experiment apparatus, and particle size distribution (PSD), pore water pressure (PWP), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were employed to identify the geotextile clogging mechanism. The geotextile cleaning methods after clogging were also discussed. The results showed that an exponential decay of hydraulic conductivity (K) with time under different flow conditions. Particles less than 30 μm migrated to the drainage pipe under the action of seepage forces, and a dense and thick cake layer was formed upstream of the geotextile filter. According to microscopic analysis, the clogging process of geotextiles was divided into three stages: pore blockage and cake formation, filter cake dynamic growth and cake layer filtration. Backwash cleaning is a good way to remove a filter cake layer on the surface of geotextiles, which can recover 60% of the hydraulic conductivity (K0).

Experimental Method Development for the Formation of Filter Cakes with Inhomogeneous Cake Geometry

AbstractFilteruchen bilden sich in industriellen Prozessen häufig mit ungleichmäßiger Kuchenhöhe. Dies kann den Erfolg anschließender Prozessschritte, z. B. der Filterkuchenwäsche oder der mechanischen Entfeuchtung, wesentlich beeinflussen. Um den Einfluss der Kuchengeometrie systematisch untersuchen zu können, muss eine Methode zur reproduzierbaren Bildung von Filterkuchen mit inhomogener Kuchengeometrie entwickelt werden. Gleichzeitig ist sicherzustellen, dass keine anderen Inhomogenitäten wie z. B. Strukturveränderungen auftreten. Es werden zwei experimentelle Methoden vorgestellt, welche eine Bildung von Filterkuchen mit inhomogener Geometrie ermöglichen. Vier inhomogene Kuchengeometrien werden untersucht. Die Kuchenstruktur der so gebildeten Filterkuchen ist mit der Kuchenstruktur eines ebenen Referenzfilterkuchens vergleichbar und wird nicht durch die beiden Methoden beeinflusst.

Pilot scale application of a rotating hollow fibre membrane for direct membrane filtration of domestic wastewater

This study investigates the direct ultrafiltration process of municipal wastewater (MWW) at pilot scale. Short-term trials were conducted with two membrane modules to assess the fouling mechanisms using different physical cleaning methods: gas sparging (hydraulic cleaning) and rotation (mechanical cleaning). This work demonstrates that membrane rotation effectively erodes and re-disperses external fouling during the backwashing stages. Consequently, shear stress generated by the rotational movement enables the operation with permeate fluxes ranging between 24 and 30 L/hm2, above the threshold flux value (22–24 L/hm2), while maintaining fouling rates (rf) below 10 Pa/s. In contrast, rf values increases up to 12.4–17.8 Pa/s when gas sparging is employed. Furthermore, the feasibility of up-concentrating municipal wastewater up to 12 times while operating with a net permeate flux of 20 L/hm2 is demonstrated through a long-term trial. The increase in suspended solids concentration (TSS = 5750 mg/L and VSS = 4750 mg/L) favours the rapid formation of a reversible cake on the membrane surface during filtration, at moderate transmembrane pressures (26 cmHg). These operating conditions avoid cake layer compression and protect the inner surface of the membrane module from severe internal residual fouling with an energy consumption of 0.027 kWh/m3.

Preparation, characterization, and fouling analysis of PVC/ND-PEG ultrafiltration membranes for whey separation

In this work, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membranes were embedded with nanodiamond-Polyethylene glycol (ND-PEG) nanoparticles. Fabricated membranes were characterized by FTIR, FESEM, AFM, pore size distribution, contact angle, porosity, pure water flux (PWF), and tensile strength. Successful functionalization of ND nanoparticles by PEG was proved by the FTIR test. According to the FESEM and pore size distribution results, there was an increase in the quantity of surface pores, a shift toward smaller pores, and larger macro-voids in the porous substructure of the nanocomposite membranes as the ND-PEG content in the dope solution increased. The decrease water contact angle from 79.8° for neat PVC membrane to 59.5° for 2.00 wt% ND-PEG containing membrane along with the increase of porosity from 53.89 % to 80.80 % respectively showed that the hydrophilicity of the nanocomposite membranes was improved by increasing nanoparticles content, and this phenome along with surface roughness increment caused PWF improvement from 206.8 LMH to 266.4 LMH. In addition, due to the uniform dispersion of ND-PEG nanoparticles and the high mechanical strength of NDs, the tensile strength of nanocomposite membranes reached a maximum value of 2.91 Mpa for 1.5 wt% ND-PEG membrane. The performance results showed that PVC/ND-PEG nanocomposite membranes had acceptable whey rejection along with a significant increment in flux recovery ratio. Moreover, PVC/ND-PEG membranes with 2.00 wt% ND-PEG had lower flux reduction in long-term filtration, improved antifouling properties and more turbidity removal efficiency in comparison with neat PVC membranes. The analysis of the fouling mechanism based on Hermia's model revealed that the cake formation is the prevailing mechanism for all fabricated membranes.

Treatment of highly saline effluents laden with organic pollutants using ceramic ultrafiltration membranes and application to leachate treatment

The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of three ultrafiltration ceramic membranes with distinct porosities (20, 50, and 100 nm) in treating highly charged effluents and their potential application in leachate treatment. In the initial phase, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed using a solution containing NaCl (TDS = 20 g/L) and glucose (mass concentration (Cm) = 10 g/L). The investigation focused on operational parameters, specifically Circulation velocity (CV) and volumetric concentration factor (VCF). The responses considered encompass permeate flux (PF) and retention (R). In the subsequent phase, as part of a practical application, leachate was subjected to treatment, and the fouling mechanisms specific to each membrane were identified. The Hermia model was employed, distinguishing between four fouling modes: cake formation, intermediate blocking, pore constriction, and complete blocking. The results demonstrate that, during the treatment of the synthetic solution, VCF has a more significant influence on both responses compared to CV. Furthermore, CV impacts the critical flux of the three membranes, without affecting the retention of suspended matter (SS). When treating the leachate, removal efficiencies of 55%, 51%, and 47% for COD and 36%, 33%, and 29% for SS were achieved for membranes with porosities of 20 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm, respectively. Modeling the flux over time showed that fouling of these three UF membranes is superficial, and the main fouling mechanism is cake formation.